Civil Law

New Listeria outbreak detected; other outbreaks remain under investigation

Inspectors with the Food and Drug Administration are tracking a new outbreak of infections from Listeria monocytogenes.

So far there are three confirmed patients. The FDA has not reported the ages of the patients or where they live. 

There are likely many more sick people than have been confirmed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that for every patient confirmed in a Salmonella outbreak there are 29 patients who go undetected. This is because some patients do not … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Court set to reverse heightened requirement for arbitration awards under FSIA

Court set to reverse heightened requirement for arbitration awards under FSIA

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Monday’s argument in CC/Devas (Mauritius) Limited v. Antrix Corp. was an odd one: The justices asked no questions at all about the question on which they’d granted review, because the parties agree that the lower court’s answer to that question was incorrect. So almost all of the discussion at the argument focused on what, if anything, the court should decide before sending the case back to the court of appeals.

CC/Devas arises under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. When … Read the rest

Civil Law

Significant changes to sentencing of OHS offences recommended

Following more than 12 months of analysis and consultation, the Sentencing Advisory Council (Council) has released its final report into Sentencing Occupational Health and Safety Offences in Victoria (Report) on 26 February 2025.

The Council concluded that:

  • many fines go unpaid, particularly for companies that have been deregistered;
  • sentencing outcomes other than fines are rarely used, but have great potential to improve safety practices;
  • fines that are imposed are often out of step with community expectations; and
  • people affected by
… Read the rest
Supreme Court

The morning read for Friday, Feb. 28

The morning read for Friday, Feb. 28

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Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Friday morning read:

  • Trump foreign aid freeze to stay for now, US Supreme Court chief rules (Paulin Kola, BBC News)
  • Justice Dept. hires for court battles as Trump slashes other agencies (Perry Stein, The Washington Post)
  • Chief Justice Roberts’s Administrative Stay in the Foreign Aid Funding Cases (Steve Vladeck, One First)
  • Supreme Court Comes Running to Trump’s Rescue on Foreign
… Read the rest
Supreme Court

Justices validate right to renew lawsuit after voluntary dismissal

Justices validate right to renew lawsuit after voluntary dismissal

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Gary Waetzig filed an age discrimination suit against his former employer, Halliburton. He then dismissed the suit when the company pointed out that he had agreed to arbitrate. When he lost in arbitration and tried to return to federal court, the statute of limitations on the alleged age discrimination had passed, and he asked the court instead to grant relief from the previous order of dismissal, essentially reopening that first case.

At the Supreme Court, his case, Waetzig v. … Read the rest

Civil Law

FSA voices concern about lack of local authority resources for food safety

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has expressed concern about the ability of local authorities to meet inspection targets and the impact this could have on standards.

Comments were made in written evidence submitted as part of an inquiry looking at whether the local government finance system in England is fit for purpose.

The FSA said it is concerned that local food teams do not have sustainable funding to deliver official controls in line with what the current regulatory regime requires. … Read the rest