A newsletter roundup covering recent stories including worker safety, a safety reviewing involving Tesla, and monetary damages paid after police shootings.

1. NEWS You Can Use
From the Walker Advertising Research Desk 6/15/16
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Courtesy news clipping service provided to clients of Walker Advertising. All material is copyrighted by respective
publications. For copies of complete articles, contact your sales rep or Walker Advertising at 1-800-4WALKER.
1. One Third of American Workers Say Their Employers Prioritize Productivity over Safety
Adapted from National Safety Council, 6/20/16
The National Safety Council found 33% of employees surveyed nationwide felt their employers cared
more about productivity than safety. Alarmingly, that percentage was even higher for employees in
high-risk industries, with 60% of respondents in construction and 52% of respondents working in
agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting reporting their employers prioritized productivity over safety.
Those two sectors, respectively, rank first and second in the number of annual occupational deaths.
Sixty-one percent of employees in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector further reported
that, among employees, there was resistance to working safely. In 2014, workplace deaths rose to their
highest level since 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2. High court accepts Novartis case
Adapted from L.A. Daily Journal, 6/13/16
The California Supreme Court is set to review a 2008 ruling that found brand-name drug
manufacturers could be held liable for damages caused by generic products they did not produce or sell,
the so-called “innovator liability doctrine.” Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. has asked to be absolved of
liability for harm allegedly caused by a generic version of their drug Brethine (terbutaline), which it
manufactured until 2001. An unnamed woman consumed generic terbutaline in 2007 while she was
pregnant in order to stave off premature labor. In 2012, both her twins were diagnosed with autism. The
twins and their father alleged Novartis Pharmaceuticals had a duty to warn patients and physicians of
terbutaline’s potential dangers. Novartis held it had no duty to warn since it neither sold nor
manufactured the generic product. In Novartis’s petition for review, Erin M. Bosman of Morrison &
Foerster LLP wrote that the “theory of innovator liability” had been rejected in 35 states nationwide.
3. Tesla sedan faces safety review and Tesla Defends Vehicle Suspension Systems
Adapted from L.A. Times, 6/10/16 and Wall Street Journal, 6/11/16
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a statement indicating it was
examining a potential issue with the suspension system on Tesla’s Model S vehicles. The agency
expressed particular concern that Tesla allegedly asked some consumers who had problems with the
suspension system to sign nondisclosure agreements. Regulators were worried that some consumers
might interpret the agreements as meaning they could not report the suspension problem to federal
agencies. Tesla denied there was a safety problem with the Model S, noting the vehicle at the root of
the allegations had experienced abnormal rust in the suspension ball joint. The automaker further
rejected claims that it had asked customers not to inform federal regulators of the suspension issue.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed the company had revised the agreements to make it clear customers
could report suspected problems to federal authorities.

2. NEWS You Can Use
From the Walker Advertising Research Desk 6/15/16
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Courtesy news clipping service provided to clients of Walker Advertising. All material is copyrighted by respective
publications. For copies of complete articles, contact your sales rep or Walker Advertising at 1-800-4WALKER.
4. Walgreens Cuts Theranos Ties With Plans to Close Test Centers
Adapted from L.A. Times, 6/13/16
Following embattled blood testing company Theranos’ ongoing problems with regulators, Walgreens
Co. announced it would be terminating its relationship with the company. Walgreens further indicated it
would immediately shut down all 40 Theranos testing centers in its Arizona drugstores. In January,
Walgreens halted Theranos testing in its stores after federal officials found serious problems at
Theranos’s flagship California lab. Last month, the retailer announced it would void or correct results
from tens of thousands of tests. A spokesperson for Theranos indicated the company would continue
operating from its standalone retail locations. It has five such facilities in Arizona and one in California.
Federal regulators are still weighing sanctions against Theranos and founder Elizabeth Holmes.
5. Food Plant Was Best By Range of Woes
Adapted from Wall St. Journal, 6/10/16
Federal regulators released reports detailing recurring problems at CRF Frozen Foods LLC in the year
and half before a sweeping food recall due to a listeria outbreak. Since September 2013, that outbreak
has sickened eight people. It remains unclear whether the problems at CRF Frozen Food’s plant
contributed to the outbreak. The reports, which were released in response to a Freedom of Information
Act request from the Wall Street Journal, detailed problems including a lack of hot water at some hand-
washing stations, black residue on the ceiling above a repackaging plant, and a bin with soapy water and
dead insects near an area where corn was handled. A follow-up inspection nine months later found that
some of the issues had been fixed, inspectors also identified new problems.
6. Man shot by cop to receive payout and LAPD, family settle
Adapted from L.A. Times, 6/13/16, and L.A. Times, 6/15/16
In Southern California, monetary awards to the alleged victims of police shootings continue to pile up.
Inglewood recently agreed to pay $4.6 million to Juan Palma, who suffered brain injuries after he was
shot during a 2012 traffic stop. The Los Angeles City Council has agreed to pay $1.9 million after an
unarmed man was fatally shot while fleeing from police in 2008. The city had unsuccessfully appealed a
2014 verdict that awarded $750,000 in damages to Dontaze Storey’s son. The court had additionally
approved $942,000 in attorney’s fees.