We've confirmed a Bloomberg report that plaintiffs lawyers Mark Lanier and Sol Weiss have settled their state and federal court inventory of cases involving the controversial diabetes drug. Glaxo has also reportedly made a deal with a third plaintiffs lawyer, resolving a total of 700 cases.

Big companies and their allies say state AGs violate the rights of defendants and create unwholesome conflicts when they hire private contingency fee counsel to stick up for citizens' interests. Thankfully, says columnist Susan Beck, West Virginia's highest court has joined a series of previous decisions and cast those claims aside.