Summary: 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses dismissal Expert testimony from Harvard public health dean reinstated Over 500 private lawsuits against Kenvue and retailers revived A federal appeals court on July 13 revived more than 500 private lawsuits against Tylenol maker Kenvue over the painkiller's alleged link to autism. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said a district court judge improperly excluded expert testimony from three doctors offered by parents and guardians who tied Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. There is no firm scientific evidence of such a link. The issue drew greater attention after President Donald Trump and top U.S. health officials in September suggested a link to autism. In a 64-page decision for a three-judge panel, Circuit Judge Guido Calabresi said the testimony from the three doctors, including the dean of Harvard University's School of Public Health, reflected methodologies used by other scientists, and "constitute acceptable interpretations of scientific evidence where scientists may, and in fact do, disagree." Calabresi stressed that the appeals court was not deciding whether using acetaminophen causes autism or ADHD, or whether elected officials should do more to protect public health. Doctors and medical societies consider acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, the preferred means to treat pain and fever during pregnancy. Many retailers and pharmacy operators including CVS, Kroger, Target, Walgreens and Walmart were also named as defendants. The appeals court said the doctors whose testimony was wrongly excluded included Harvard public health dean Andrea Baccarelli; Eric Hollander, a psychiatry professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Brandon Pearson, a toxicologist at Columbia University. "We are pleased that the panel unanimously found that our key experts reliably applied their scientific methods and principles," Ashley Keller, a lawyer for the parents, said in an email. Experts often play a key role in product liability lawsuits such as the Tylenol cases. The private lawsuits were dismissed in December 2024 by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan, who criticized the methodology of the plaintiffs' expert witnesses. The decision on July 13 returns the lawsuits to Cote for further proceedings.

Summary: Apple sued OpenAI and two former employees Filed in U.S. District Court for Northern District of California Allegations include theft of confidential hardware-related files   Apple on July 10 sued OpenAI and two former employees, alleging misappropriation of its trade secrets to benefit the ChatGPT-owner's foray into consumer hardware, a dramatic escalation of already simmering tension between the two companies. The complaint accuses OpenAI of orchestrating a broad effort to systematically acquire and exploit Apple's confidential information through former employees, recruiting practices and supplier relationships to accelerate its push into the consumer hardware business. The lawsuit sets up a battle over who will control future AI devices that may not use traditional apps or operating systems — devices which, if successful, would direct consumer attention away from Apple's best-selling iPhone. Analysts believe OpenAI is working on a phone or other device of its own. Tensions between the two tech companies have strained their relationship, as the race to develop AI products has intensified competition for talent and proprietary technology. Apple's lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, comes just after OpenAI successfully fended off a legal challenge from Elon Musk's xAI. The two former Apple employees named in the suit are Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer, and former vice president of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch, Tang Yew Tan. Neither immediately responded to a request for comment. Apple alleged that Liu failed to return a company-issued work laptop and later used an authentication bug to access Apple's internal network, downloading "dozens of Apple's confidential hardware-related files." The iPhone maker also claimed that OpenAI’s hardware chief Tan had been "methodically using Apple’s confidential information to benefit OpenAI" before his departure by emailing himself information about Apple suppliers and internal industry summaries. Tan worked on the iPhone for most of his 24-year tenure at Apple, according to his LinkedIn page. Apple alleged that Tan encouraged Apple employees to bring parts from Apple to job interviews at OpenAI for “show and tell” sessions, citing an incident in its filing where one OpenAI job candidate allegedly said that he “didn’t even know we could take those from the office.” OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC, the company's commercial arm, and io Products, which OpenAI acquired, were also named as defendants.

Summary: New York Attorney General Letitia James files lawsuit Defendants include 3M, DuPont, Chemours, Corteva, and EIDP PFAS linked to cancer and other health issues New York sued 3M, DuPont and other companies on July 9 for harming the environment and people's health by selling "forever chemicals" that they knew were toxic, for use in consumer products. The state's Attorney General Letitia James accused the companies of hiding the risks of chemicals known as PFAS from the public for decades, even as they began phasing out some of the chemicals. She also said the defendants did nothing to materially reduce the public nuisance that their manufacture and sale of the chemicals contributed to for decades. Other defendants include Chemours, Corteva and EIDP, which were part of DuPont prior to spinoffs. James wants the companies to fund cleanup efforts, properly warn consumers about the risks, and pay damages, restitution and civil fines. The defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The lawsuit was filed in a state court in Albany, New York's state capital. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are found in hundreds of consumer and commercial products including cosmetics, non-stick pans and stain-resistant clothing. They are known as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down easily in the human body or environment. PFAS have been linked to negative health effects including higher cholesterol, low birth weight, reduced antibody response to vaccines, and kidney and testicular cancer. In May 2025, 3M agreed to pay New Jersey up to $450 million over 25 years to settle claims its forever chemicals contaminated drinking water in the state. Last month, Chemours reached a $450 million settlement with the U.S. government to resolve charges its chemicals polluted waterways in New Jersey, North Carolina and West Virginia. Though Chemours' settlement was the federal government's first to resolve pollution claims against a maker of PFAS, some environmental groups called it inadequate. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson, both Democrats, called the accord reached with President Donald Trump's administration a "backroom deal" that did "virtually nothing" to help their state's residents. In May, Trump's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it would roll back some limits on PFAS in drinking water that former President Joe Biden's administration established in 2024.