Melinda Ballard, former PR executive at Ruder Finn and United Brands in New York, on June 1 won a $32 million toxic mold case against a unit of Farmers Insurance Group. She charged the company mishandled her family's claim for mold damage which damaged the health of her husband and son and made her 22-room house uninhabitable.

Monsanto has established an external biotech advisory council as part of its "Monsanto pledge." The chemical and seed company promised in December to "commit to an ongoing dialogue with all interested parties to understand the issues and concerns related to this technology." "The role here is more in terms of listening," said Monsanto spokesman Loren Wassell. "We have an interest in hearing what they say and we want to get a better insight into the issues of what people think." Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the center for international development at Harvard University, and Dr.

Newsweek exposed phony movie critic David Manning, who was created by an unidentified Sony employee to pen positive reviews of Sony movies. Paul Holmes, editor of PR trade newsletter "The Holmes Report," writes, "The most peculiar thing is that someone would go to such lengths to create fictional reviews for movies when everyone in Hollywood knows that getting legitimate--or at least flesh and blood--critics to say nice things about even the most egregoius movie is rarely a struggle."