A federal judge reasoned Smith & Wesson was not at fault in a personal injury case in which a pistol accidentally discharged and caused a man to lose a finger.
U.S. Judge Todd Campbell followed recommendations from the court when he dismissed the case, according to his order issued Sept. 16 from a Nashville federal court.
A Tennessee couple, Randy and Vicki McNeal, sued the Massachusetts’ gun maker for more than $75,000 in January. According to their complaint, Randy McNeal was shot in the finger as he attempted to make the gun safe inside a gun store in Murfreesboro, a town just outside of Nashville. They claimed a loose screw on the built-in laser sight of their Bodyguard .380 pistol prevented the slide from locking in position.
The couple’s lawsuit says McNeal dropped the gun as he tried to lock the slide back, which he was having trouble because the screw obstructed the locking mechanism, and the gun discharged when he tried to catch it. Afterward, he needed the small finger on his left hand amputated.
The court’s report cited past rulings that state an injury is not proof of a defective product, a product failure or malfunction does not necessarily make a company liable, and the company has no duty to create an “accident proof” product.
Full article – http://www.guns.com/2016/10/04/judge-dismisses-personal-injury-case-against-smith-wesson/
The Italian newspaper La Stampa claims the Camorra and ‘Ndràngheta mafia groups in southern Italy are giving weapons to the terrorist organization ISIS in exchange for rare cultural artifacts stolen from Libya, writes Hannah McGivern of the Art Newspaper.
The weapons are being smuggled into Italy from Ukraine and Moldova by Russian criminals. The artifacts––taken from Sabratha, Cyrene, and Leptis Magna in Libya, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites—are being shipped from the Libyan city Sirte, a former ISIS presidio, to Gioia Tauro in Calabria, a port that ‘Ndràngheta members have used for pumping cocaine into Europe.
La Stampa journalist Domenico Quirico posed as an antiquities dealer to infiltrate ‘Ndràngheta-controlled trade around Naples. He was offered a carved head from what seemed to be a second-century Roman statue for nearly $66,000 and saw pictures of a Greek god figure available for about $1.1 million. Objects from Italian necropolises were also being sold. The clientele for the mafia groups appear to be located in China, Japan, Russia, and the UAE.
Italy’s interior minister, Angelino Alfano, said in a recent interview, “The criminal turnover of the so-called Islamic state comes from a series of factors, including the sale of works of art that have escaped the iconoclastic fury of the militants.” But Syria’s antiquities chief, Maamoun Abdulkarim, told the Art Newspaper that seventy percent of the artifacts taken from anti-smuggling operations in Lebanon and Syria have proven to be inauthentic.
Two dozen alleged gang members have been indicted on federal racketeering and other charges after an investigation determined they oversaw a violent drug operation in Baltimore City and County that was associated with murder, extortion, witness intimidation, money laundering and other crimes, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said other gangs in the Baltimore area should consider the indictment of the “Murdaland Mafia Piru” members — the result of an extensive investigation involving wiretaps and reviews of social media postings — as a warning from local and federal law enforcement.
“We know that most of the violence in Baltimore City is fueled by violent drug organizations such as the one that we are indicting today,” Rosenstein said. “On average six people are murdered every week in Baltimore City, 12 more victims are shot and wounded every week, and by working together we can bring those numbers down.”
The Murdaland gang, associated with the California-based Bloods organization, first gained a foothold in Northwest Baltimore and surrounding communities in Baltimore County — as well as in correctional facilities in the state — in 2008 after another federal indictment helped to dismantle the then-dominant local Bloods gang, the Tree Top Piru, prosecutors said.
Full Article – http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-mmp-gang-indictments-20160927-story.html
Celebrities in attendance for TREATS! MAGAZINE 4TH ANNUAL WHITE PARTY SPONSORED BY STELLA ARTOIS were Nicole Williams (E! WAGS), Larry English (NFL player), Matt Bellamy (Lead singer of Muse), Elle Evans (Model and girlfriend of Matt Bellamy), Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado (MTV’s The Hills), Spencer Garrett, Mark Foster (Foster The People), Julia Clancey (Fashion designer), Tika Camaj (Model), Genevieve Morton (SI Model), Rocky Barnes (Blogger and Model), Jennifer Berg Pinyojit (Model), Kaylen Ostapovich (Model), Nick Simmons (Son of Gene Simmons), Rachel Cook (Model), Chelcie May (Model)
Nicole Williams (E! WAGS)
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Who says you can’t wear white after Labor Day? For the fourth year in a row, treats! magazine hosted a luxurious all-white dress code party in Malibu with a beautiful background of the Pacific Ocean, celebrating people in fields of art, fashion, music and entertainment.
Model, Nicole Williams, Tika Camaj
While the party started out with a chill Malibu vibe, it soon picked up as the DJ started spinning and guests began to arrive. Everyone enjoyed cold beers and a variety of other drinks out of their iconic Stella Artois chalices. Early arrivals included “WAGS” star Nicole Williams and beau Larry English and Nick Simmons, who enjoyed the stunning view of the Malibu coast. Many known models like Tika Camaj arrived wearing Indah dresses and For Love & Lemons in the trend of lace and bell sleeves in white and ivory. Most models were in bright white lace and stood out significantly. British fashion designer Julia Clancey wore a stunning and statement-making dress and head piece emblazoned with fine jewels and crystals.
Matt Bellamy (MUSE) and girlfriend, model Elle Evans
Later on in the evening, Brody Jenner and Frankie Delgado, strolled in and joked around enjoying the laid back pool vibes and stunning view. Absolute Elyx also served up Moscow mules to the thirsty guests including Steve Shaw, treats! Editor in Chief and Founder, who was entertaining friends and guests including pal Spencer Garrett and Singer Matt Bellamy (MUSE) and his girlfriend, model Elle Evans. Foster The People’s Mark Foster got in the party spirit and playfully photo bombed some of guests!
Larry English (San Diego Chargers) and girlfriend Nicole Williams (E! WAGS)Treats! Editor in Chief Steve Shaw and Nick Simmons
French drugs firm takes legal steps to prevent the launch of rival versions of its diabetes treatment
A packet of diabetes drug Lantus SoloStar on the production line at a manufacturing site of French drugmaker Sanofi in Frankfurt, Germany. The French company has filed a lawsuit against U.S. peer Merck & Co. to prevent it from launching a rival version of its diabetes treatment.PHOTO: REUTERS
By
NOEMIE BISSERBE and
INTI LANDAURO
PARIS— Sanofi SA said it filed a lawsuit against Merck & Co. for alleged patent infringements to prevent the U.S. drugmaker from launching a rival version of the French pharmaceutical giant’s best-selling diabetes treatment Lantus.
In the filing in the U.S. District Court of Delaware, Sanofi said on Monday it claims that Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Merck & Co.’s international division, violated as many as 10 patents held by the French company, including ones for its insulin Lantus and its insulin delivery device soloSTAR.
The Paris-based drugs company said it started the legal proceedings against Merck after the U.S. firm’s filing for new drugs applications with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
A spokeswoman for Merck said the company’s product “doesn’t infringe Sanofi’s patents.”
Sanofi shares were 1.3% higher at €69.91 in midday trading.
The French drugmaker’s all-important diabetes business is under siege, as a flurry of pharmaceutical companies seek to sell knockoffs of its blockbuster insulin Lantus in the U.S. The expected launch of lower-cost copies of Lantus and growing pricing pressure on diabetes drugs in the U.S. is rapidly eroding earnings at Sanofi’s diabetes division, which accounts for about 20% of the firm’s total revenue.
In the first six months of the year, diabetes revenue fell by 6% to €2.9 billion ($3.2 billion), hit by a 15% drop in Lantus sales to €2.38 billion. The company has said it expects revenue from diabetes drugs to continue to decline this as competition among insulin makers intensifies.
In January 2014, Sanofi filed a suit against Eli Lilly & Co. to defend its patents on Lantus. It had reached a deal with the U.S. drugmaker nearly two years later, under which Lilly agreed to delay the launch of its insulin to December 2016 and pay royalties to Sanofi.
In a bid to replenish its new drugs pipeline and revive growth, Sanofifor months had pursued U.S. biotech Medivation—a Nasdaq-listed company that focuses on hard-to-treat cancers, markets one prostate-cancer therapy, Xtandi, and has two other oncology assets in clinical development.
