Manufacturing & Technology - The Indiana Lawyer

Thomas: EPA declares war against aftermarket defeat devices

March 4, 2020

Volkswagen’s recent emissions scandal triggered criminal and civil prosecution by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2017, Volkswagen’s estimated cost resulting from the scandal was more than $30 billion, and that number is growing. In the wake of this scandal, the EPA has declared “war” on an entire subindustry — aftermarket parts — and anyone who manufactures, sells or installs devices that allow drivers to tamper with their vehicle emissions.

House passes bill to prevent companies from forcing employees to be microchipped

January 22, 2020 | Associated Press

The Indiana House passed a bill Tuesday that would prevent companies from requiring their employees to be microchipped. The bill passed without a vote in opposition and moves to the state Senate.

IU Maurer cybersecurity programs keep pace with technology

January 22, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

In his practice at Mallor Grodner in Bloomington, attorney D. Michael Allen is seeing more and more cases that have a digital component. While he learned on the job, he also enrolled in the IU Maurer School of Law cybersecurity master’s program.

Groups want tougher U.S. Steel fine for Lake Michigan spill

December 31, 2019 | Associated Press

The leaders of 18 environmental and civic groups have joined a push for U.S. Steel to face tougher penalties over a spill of hazardous substances from a northwestern Indiana plant into Lake Michigan.

Environmental groups sue steel mill over lake chemical spill

December 13, 2019 | Associated Press

Two environmental groups are suing a steelmaker for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act at its northwestern Indiana facility more than 100 times in the past five years, including an August spill that killed more than 3,000 fish.

Justices steer defective dump-truck suit back to trial court

November 12, 2019 | Dave Stafford

A lawsuit alleging an Indianapolis manufacturer delivered dozens of defective dump trucks in 2005 has taken a U-turn back to the trial court after the Indiana Supreme Court found it could not grant summary judgment sought by the truck builder in litigation brought against it by the truck buyers.

Internet of things in manufacturing creates new data, cybersecurity questions

June 25, 2019

These are the days of manufacturing 4.0, the name of the fourth industrial revolution marked by connectivity among the devices that keep a factory running. In an “internet of things” world, the industrial internet of things allows plant machinery and products to talk to each other and provide real-time data and updates on how the equipment is operating and how the products are functioning out in the market, creating new challenges for lawyers.

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