Civil Law

Officials investigating Salmonella outbreak linked to San Diego restaurant

Five people were hospitalized as part of a Salmonella outbreak linked to a Middle Eastern restaurant in Clairemont, San Diego County health officials have reported.

Officials are investigating the outbreak among patrons of Aladdin Mediterranean Café, where people who reported getting sick had eaten on April 25 and 26. 

“County epidemiologists have identified 14 confirmed and probable cases associated with this outbreak, ranging between 18 and 79 years of age,” according to a news release from the county health department.… Read the rest

Civil Law

“Tester” Plaintiff Who “Actively Seeks Out Privacy Violations” Lacks Standing to Pursue CIPA Claim

Lawsuits targeting businesses’ use of website tools under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”) increasingly are filed by so-called “tester” plaintiffs.  These plaintiffs seek out websites to “test” for potential CIPA violations and then file lawsuits seeking damages for those alleged violations.  A California federal court recently confirmed that a CIPA plaintiff’s “status as a tester forecloses standing” for a simple reason: a tester “actively seeks out privacy violations” and therefore “cannot claim an injury when her expectations were … Read the rest

Civil Law

So What Goes with Social Security?

We’ve tried staying away from this subject because it seems so political. The Democrats are shreiking that the Republicans are about to “gut” Social Security and Medicare. The Republicans flatly deny that. Meanwhile both parties joined to pass a Social Security Fairness Act that increased benefits for some federal workers. The effect, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was to advance the time bomb of social security insolvency. Letter to the Honorable Chuck Grassley about the long-term effects of … Read the rest

Civil Law

Medical: Injunctions to prevent identification of institutions and clinicians involved in care (UKSC).

Abbasi and another (Respondents) v Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Appellant);Haastrup (Respondent) v King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Appellant) [2015] UKSC 15 (Link to UKSC).

The text below is copied from the UKSC press summary.

Justices: Lord Reed (President), Lord Hodge (Deputy President), Lord Briggs, Lord Sales and Lord Stephens

Background to the Appeal

This appeal concerns the basis on which injunctions, granted in connection with proceedings initiated to determine whether it is in a child’s … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Supreme Court likely to rule for parental opt-out on LGBTQ books in schools

The Supreme Court on Tuesday was sympathetic to a group of Maryland parents who want to be able to opt their elementary-school-aged children out of instruction that includes LGBTQ+ themes. The parents argued that the local school board’s refusal to give them that choice violates their religious beliefs and therefore their constitutional right to freely exercise their religion. During nearly two-and-a-half hours of oral argument, a majority of the justices seemed to agree with them, with several justices questioning whether … Read the rest

Civil Law

U.S. Spotlight on Pharma Imports: What does this mean for Indian Pharma?

U.S. Spotlight on Pharma Imports: What does this mean for Indian Pharma?

The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”), on April 14, 2025, announced the initiation of an investigation into the imports of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients as well as semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment in the context of U.S. national security. This move could affect India’s USD 10 billion annual pharmaceutical exports to the U.S.

The BIS investigation would determine whether reliance on foreign pharmaceutical supply chains, particularly active pharmaceutical ingredients (“APIs”) and … Read the rest