February 17, 2006
Cell-phone health lawsuits back to state courts
U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake ruled three mobile-phone health suits should be returned to state and federal courts, another in a string of legal setbacks for the wireless industry, reports RCRnews.
"While the mobile phone industry has yet to lose a suit alleging a cell phone-cancer link, cellular carriers and manufacturers have watched a steady stream of health lawsuits sent back to state courts in recent years.
Wireless companies initially steered numerous wireless health suits to Blake, who threw out an $800 million brain cancer suit against Motorola Inc. and others in 2002. Black also dismissed in 2003 five class action suits that would have forced carriers to supply consumers with headsets in an attempt to reduce cell phone radiation exposure.
However, the tide seems to be turning as industry’s federal pre-emption defense showed signs of losing steam." Contd...
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