NEWS OF THE DAY
Acne lawsuits: New Jersey’s Supreme Court dismissed more than 500 lawsuits against the maker of an acne drug that caused some patients to develop a gastrointestinal disease. The court ruled Wednesday that Hoffmann-LaRoche’s warning labels for its Accutane treatment were adequate. Plaintiffs have contended the warnings should have said Accutane “causes,” rather than “is associated with,” inflammatory bowel disease. The Supreme Court also ruled the 532 productliability claims from patients in multiple states were properly consolidated in New Jersey, where Hoffmann-LaRoche has its principal place of business.
Palin son: The oldest son of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will spend a year in custody after a judge ruled Wednesday in Anchorage that allegations of hitting a woman on the head disqualified him from a therapeutic program for veterans stemming from a separate assault case. Track Palin, 29, has been accused of three attacks on people close to him over the past few years, the most recent coming last week. Palin, an Army veteran who served one year in Iraq, entered a program intended to rehabilitate veterans after he was arrested in an assault on his father less than a year ago.
Abusive priests: Ohio’s largest Roman Catholic diocese plans to release a list of priests who have been removed from their posts because of sexual abuse and misconduct allegations. The Diocese of Cleveland is now the fourth of six in the state to say it will publish a list of priests following a Pennsylvania grand jury report outlined details of sexual abuse allegations. The Cleveland diocese said it will release the names of abusive priests, even if they are now dead. The Catholic Diocese of Columbus and Steubenville’s diocese said last week that they would release similar lists. The Youngstown diocese committed weeks ago to releasing the names of abusive priests. Ohio’s other two dioceses say they already released names of priests who have been removed. Missing hiker: The body of an Ohio woman has been found a week after she went missing while hiking with her daughter in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. News outlets cite a park release saying Mitzie Sue “Susan” Clements was found Tuesday near the Appalachian Trail on the North Carolina-Tennessee border, not far from the Clingmans Dome parking area. The cause of death was unclear. Suspicious mailings: A U.S. Navy veteran in Utah was arrested Wednesday in connection with suspicious envelopes that were sent to President Trump and top military chiefs. William Clyde Allen III, 39, was taken into custody in in the small northern Utah city of Logan, said Melodie Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the state’s U.S. attorney’s office. The arrest comes after authorities confirmed an investigation into two envelopes once thought to contain ricin and later found to be castor seeds, the substance from which the poison is derived. They can cause injury if swallowed. The FBI said there were potentially hazardous chemicals involved.