Glaxo Smith Kline, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh: US round-up

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday tossed a $3 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline over the suicide of an attorney who took a generic version of the company's antidepressant Paxil.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. appeals court says GSK cannot be sued over generic drug suicide

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday tossed a $3 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline over the suicide of an attorney who took a generic version of the company's antidepressant Paxil, finding the company could not be held liable for injuries allegedly caused by a generic copy. A unanimous three-judge panel at the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said claims against GSK were preempted by federal law and U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

Massachusetts securities regulator faces a primary challenge, focus on election handling

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin, one of the most aggressive U.S. securities law enforcers, next month will face his first primary challenge in over a decade from a rival who claims Galvin has neglected his role as the state's top election overseer. Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim, Galvin's 34-year-old challenger in the Sept. 4 primary, won the backing of Democratic state convention delegates in June and the endorsement of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who supports his voter rights focus.

Cardinal Wuerl's name taken off Pittsburgh school due to the scandal

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said on Wednesday it had removed Cardinal Donald Wuerl's name from a high school after a grand jury report on sex abuse in the Church found he had reassigned priests who had been accused of abusing children, rather than taking stronger action. Prior to his current role as archbishop of Washington, Wuerl was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006. The grand jury report did not accuse him of personally sexually abusing children.

Missouri judge affirms $4.69 billion talc verdict, J&J vows to appeal

A Missouri trial court judge has affirmed the massive $4.69 billion verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in a case involving 22 women and their families who alleged the company's talc-based products, including its baby powder, contain asbestos and caused them to develop ovarian cancer. J&J in a statement on Wednesday said it would continue to pursue all available appellate remedies. The company, which denies the allegations and says its talc is safe, previously said it was confident the verdict would be overturned on appeal.

Iowa student's murder thrust into U.S. debate over immigration

The arrest of a man who U.S. authorities have said is an illegal immigrant on charges of murdering an Iowa college student has thrust the case into the debate on immigration policy, with President Donald Trump blaming Mollie Tibbetts' death on weak laws. Christian Rivera, 24, was arrested and charged on Monday with the murder of 20-year-old Tibbetts, who disappeared in July while out jogging. A woman's body has been found but has not yet been positively identified, authorities have said.

Second Kevin Spacey sex assault case under review by Los Angeles prosecutors

Los Angeles prosecutors said on Wednesday they were reviewing a second sexual assault case involving Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey. "A sex assault case was presented yesterday to our office by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department involving Kevin Spacey. It remains under review," Los Angeles District Attorney spokesman Greg Risling said in an emailed statement.

Powerful hurricane threatens Hawaii with heavy rains, damaging winds

A powerful hurricane packing heavy rains and potentially devastating winds was headed toward Hawaii on Wednesday, and U.S. forecasters warned the storm could be the most powerful to hit the Big Island in recorded history. Hurricane Lane bears 160-mile per hour (258 kph) winds and threatens to drop as much as 20 inches (50 cm) of rain over parts of the islands, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It posed a new threat to the island chain of 1.4 million people, which is already coping with the three-month eruption of Kilauea volcano on the Big Island.

U.S. appeals court finds Alabama abortion law unconstitutional

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld a permanent injunction blocking Alabama from banning the most common method of second-trimester abortion. But two judges from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta used the 3-0 decision to cast doubt on the Supreme Court's abortion jurisprudence, including that terminating a pregnancy is a constitutional right.

Former banker pleads guilty in the U.S. to a role in laundering embezzled PDVSA funds

A former executive with Swiss bank Julius Baer pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his role in a billion-dollar scheme to launder money embezzled from the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA, the U.S. Justice Department said. Matthias Krull, 44, a German national who is a former Julius Baer Panama vice chairman, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, the department said in a statement.

Man charged in Iowa college student's murder in the U.S. legally: attorneys

A 24-year-old farm worker charged with the murder of an Iowa college student who disappeared while jogging is in the country legally, contrary to the claims of prosecutors that he was an illegal immigrant, his attorneys said on Wednesday. Attorneys for Cristhian Rivera made the assertion in a motion seeking a gag order for his upcoming court proceedings and trial over the murder of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, a case that has drawn extensive international news coverage.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)