A California jury awarded $8.6 million Friday to a motorcyclist who suffered severe injuries when he struck several wild pigs while traveling on a state highway. According to an attorney for the plaintiff the state was aware that the pigs created a potential for accidents but failed to address the situation. The award will be used for past and future medical bills for injuries the plaintiff sustained in the crash.

A Maryland judge is considering whether to grant class-action status to a lawsuit stemming from a leak at an Exxon gas station that contaminated the wells of about 150 families and businesses. In a hearing Monday, attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that the suit should be treated as a class action because the gas station was the major source of the contamination and because the leak affected an aquifer common to all plaintiffs. Earlier this month, a Maryland jury awarded $150 million to residents affected by a separate gasoline leak.

A Georgia jury has ordered two doctors to pay a combined $2.3 million for their role in a botched circumcision. According to the lawsuit, the attending obstetrician and the boyâ??s pediatrician were negligent for failing to properly respond when part of the boyâ??s penis was severed during the procedure. The jury award provides $1.8 million in compensatory damages for the boy and $500,000 in compensatory damages for the boyâ??s mother.

Nevada lawmakers are considering a bill that would end a voter-approved initiative that placed a $350,000 cap on medical malpractice damages. In addition to eliminating the cap on damages, the recently proposed bill would also extend the time limit to bring a medical malpractice claim from two years to five years. Support for increased medical regulation has grown since a massive hepatitis scare rocked a Las Vegas-area endoscopy center last year.

The family of a Florida teen who disappeared more than 30 years ago is closely following a proposal in the state legislature to extend the statute of limitations for filing a wrongful death lawsuit. Under Florida law, plaintiffs have only two years to pursue wrongful death damages in civil court. One backer of the bill, Sen. Jeremy Ring, called the current law antiquated and ineffective. The body of the teen, Jeffrey Klee, was not found until last year.

Bank of America helped a New York-based firm operate a massive Ponzi scheme that bilked about 1,500 investors out of $380 million, a lawsuit filed last week claims. According to the class-action lawsuit, Bank of America provided financial services within the firm run by Nicholas Cosmo and had intimate knowledge of the scheme. The suit seeks $400 million in damages against Bank of America and other defendants.

A toxic chemical known as C8 may cause birth defects and other health problems in pregnant women, a scientific panel said in documents made public Thursday. According to reports released by the three-member committee from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, initial analysis showed that mothers with high levels of C8 were 70 percent more likely to have children with birth defects and 30 percent more likely to suffer from high blood pressure during pregnancy. The findings come as part of a multimillion dollar settlement over contamination from a DuPont plant in West Virginia.

Health advocacy groups released a report Wednesday urging President Obama to create a new food safety agency. According to the report, released jointly by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation should create a Food Safety Administration and double food program funding over the next five years. Criticism of the Food and Drug Administration has grown rapidly following a salmonella outbreak that has claimed nine lives and sickened nearly 700 people.

A group of defendants have agreed to pay $20 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a boy who suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling from playground equipment at a California Burger King. According to an attorney for the family, the franchise owner and equipment manufacturer knew or should have known about design flaws and safety problems with the playground equipment. The settlement will be used to pay the boyâ??s lifetime healthcare needs, the attorney said.

The State of Washington has agreed to pay $5 million to a boy found beaten and starving after social service officials failed to notice a pattern of neglect in the home. Police discovered the boy while he lived with his father who physically abused him and withheld food as punishment. Two other defendants will contribute a combined $1 million to the settlement. For now, the boy remains in foster care.