The recently rejuvenated presumption against the extraterritorial reach of U.S. laws applies to civil racketeering cases, a federal judge has ruled.

In a decision sure to get the personal injury bar’s attention, a federal judge has ruled that a settling plaintiff cannot be automatically required to reimburse the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare for 100 percent of her Medicaid expenses because a settlement always reflects a compromise. The ruling follows a nearly $12 million settlement in a “state-created danger” suit against the Philadelphia Housing Authority over mold that allegedly triggered an acute asthma attack and left a teenage girl brain-damaged.

Federal prosecutors and the wife of imprisoned Ponzi scammer Scott Rothstein have reached a settlement over seized jewelry and other items she wants returned to her. Kim Rothstein had petitioned a federal judge to have the government return 304 pieces of jewelry she claimed were not associated with Scott Rothstein’s $1.2 billion scam. The government will return a silver Bedat watch, David Yurman earrings and a necklace, a ruby-and-diamond heart ring and pendant, and a Zenith watch.

A federal judge on Monday issued a ruling temporarily blocking the implementation of new guidelines under the Obama administration that authorize the National Institutes of Health to fund more human stem cell research. The plaintiffs, including two adult stem cell researchers and the Christian Medical Association, had sued the Department of Health and Human Services to block the application of the guidelines, which removed restrictions on embryonic research put in place by President George W. Bush.

In an unusual pairing, a Georgia judge assisted an Alabama federal judge in mediating settlements in more than 200 suits in which plaintiffs said liquid vitamin supplements made them ill. Plaintiffs complained that after taking Total Body Formula liquid supplements, they experienced ailments like prolonged and painful fingernail and toenail loss, and severe joint pain and muscle cramps. Some consumers later experienced severe kidney problems and associated health problems.