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Blake Dismisses Five Mobile-Phone Lawsuits
RCR Wireless News
March 06, 2003
U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake today dismissed five
class-action lawsuits against the mobile-phone industry that sought to force
wireless carriers to supply consumers with headsets to reduce radiation
exposure and to compensate subscribers who already purchased such
accessories.
Blake, who last October dismissed an $800 million cancer lawsuit against
Motorola Inc. and other wireless firms that is under appeal in the Fourth
Circuit in Richmond, Va., said she found implied federal preemption applied
to the headset suits.
“Despite the fact that the plaintiffs have not alleged any adverse health
effects suffered as a result of their use of cell phones, they nonetheless
seek to have the responsible federal agencies’ judgment overruled in several
separate states by an individual judge or jury through compensatory and
declaratory relief requiring the provisions of headsets, instructions and
‘reasons’ the headsets should be used,” Blake said.
“Such a result is contrary to the congressional purposes of national
uniformity, deference to agencies’ expertise, and striking an appropriate
balance between wireless telecommunications development and public safety,”
she added.
Today’s headset ruling, combined with Blake’s rejection of Christopher
Newman’s brain cancer lawsuit last year, would appear to further doom nine
brain cancer suits against industry still pending before the Baltimore
judge.
Plaintiffs in the headset suits have not said whether they will appeal
Blake’s order.
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