Legal News

FDA to Evaluate the Risk of SSRI Birth Defects

Posted on February 17, 2009
Sacramento, CA: In early February the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would review a lengthy list of drugs for potential safety problems. Selective Serotonin Receptor Antagonist (SSRI) antidepressants are on that list. Specifically, the agency said they would be evaluating the risk of SSRI birth defects.

Largest Antitrust Case Hits the Big Screen in September

Posted on February 16, 2009
Hollywood, CA: It's not often that antitrust cases make it to the big screen, but that's exactly what's going to happen in September when a significant crime against antitrust laws, and the employee who blew the whistle on the activity that flew in the face of antitrust policy, lands in theatres...

Mother of 10 Wins Bad Faith Insurance Case, Awarded $1 Million

Posted on February 16, 2009
St. Louis, MO: In a classic example of bad faith insurance, Allstate has been handed a $1 million judgment by the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District for indiscretions originating from a bad faith insurance claim. The case has kept insurance bad faith attorneys working pretty steadily, up to and including the final judgment in the case.

The Crash of Flight 3407: A Picture Emerges…

Posted on February 16, 2009
Clarence Center, NY: When Continental Connection Flight 3407 made impact with the house in Clarence Center, New York late in the icy night of February 12th in a horrific plane crash, the Bombardier Dash 8 twin turboprop commuter plane was NOT on autopilot.

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Doors Fly Open on Moving Sedona Minivan

Posted on February 16, 2009
Norfolk, VA: Automotive law dictates that a vehicle sold to the public is warranted to be free from safety defects. Thus when an auto defect is realized, said defect needs to be addressed should an automobile crash, or injury occur that stems from that defect.

Long Term Care Insurance: Do Costs outweigh Benefits?

Posted on February 16, 2009
Washington, DC: Increasingly, consumers are finding that long term health care insurance is costing them more than they bargained for. Particularly in this economic climate, some people are shelling out long term care insurance they can no longer afford, yet at the same time can't afford not to—a typical "Catch-22" situation...

Lawsuit Alleges GSK Bullied Avandia Critic

Posted on February 16, 2009
Beaumont, TX: The question many people are asking as more lawsuits are filed against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) regarding Avandia heart attacks is, how much did GSK know about the risks associated with its drug? Avandia side effects have proven to be very serious for many patients who took the diabetes drug—more serious than those patients ever expected...

Plane in Fatal Crash was on Autopilot

Posted on February 15, 2009
Buffalo, NY: Officials have released information indicating that the plane involved in the fatal plane crash near Buffalo was on autopilot when the crash occurred. If the plane was on autopilot, the pilot may have been in violation of federal safety recommendations concerning the use of autopilot in icy conditions...

Workers Compensation Supposed to Protect Workers

Posted on February 15, 2009
Baton Rouge, LA: You would think that if you were injured on the job, workers' compensation would protect you from the financial devastation that could result. After all, some on-the-job injuries are life-changing, despite a push to ensure worker safety...

Peanut Corporation of America Files for Bankruptcy

Posted on February 15, 2009
Washington, DC: Just weeks after it was linked to peanut butter salmonella and one of the largest food recalls in US history—and days after a second plant in Texas was also shut down--Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) has filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 in Virginia, where PCA has its head office.

Lawyer says Millions Owed to Netflix DVD and Wal-Mart DVD Customers

Posted on February 15, 2009
Charleston WV: Attorney Danny Becnal Jr. is at home, packing for a trip to Florida, to take some depositions from expert witnesses. He recently filed a potentially dynamite antitrust class action suit against Wal-Mart and Netflix, alleging executives from the two competitors literally sat down to dinner, cooked up a plan to carve up the market for their mutual benefit and deep-six Blockbuster Video, a third player in the DVD sales and rental business...

UBS Allegedly Involved in Illegal Activity

Posted on February 14, 2009
New York, NY: UBS AG faces a lawsuit filed by investors who allege their stock market losses are linked to the company's alleged scheme to help clients hide assets from authorities. The plaintiffs allege that their stock losses were caused by UBS AG's illegal activities—activities that the investors were never told about...

Ron Simon: the Texas Peanut Butter Lawyer

Posted on February 14, 2009
Houston, TX: Texas attorney Ron Simon finds himself, yet again, knee deep in a barrel full of peanut butter salmonella litigation cases. Although the current outbreak involving the Peanut Butter Corporation of America is grabbing the headlines now, there have been problems in the past with salmonella tainted peanut butter products...

The Crash of Flight 3407: Ice Buildup the Lead Theory

Posted on February 14, 2009
Clarence Center, NY: While the investigation is ongoing, it appears that ice buildup on the wings remains the likely cause of the horrific plane crash in a town near Buffalo, New York February 12th that claimed the lives of 49 people in the air, and one on the ground.

"AARP Took Advantage of My Mother"

Posted on February 14, 2009
Ottawa, KS: Many seniors turn to AARP insurance because they believe AARP protects their interests and fights on their behalf. However, some soon discover that the interests of AARP always come first. AARP health insurance has been in the news recently because of seemingly high member rates...

California Test Engineer Overtime—Do it or Leave it?

Posted on February 14, 2009
Palo Alto, CA: Right across the keyboard, California test engineers are asked to work more overtime and in many cases, their wages are decreasing. Most online test engineer applications come with the caveat: "Must be willing to work overtime and weekends"...

Commuter Plane Crashes Into House, 50 Killed in Buffalo

Posted on February 13, 2009
Buffalo, NY: It may not turn out to be one of the worst air disasters in US history in terms of loss of life, but in view of the circumstances of the plane crash, and the events of the past three weeks, the horrific end to Continental Connection Flight 3407 last night will long be remembered : A quiet neighborhood northeast of Buffalo was devastated by the crash, and the erupting fireball of a Continental Connection Flight commuter plane crashed into a house, killing 50.

Flight 3407 Reported Significant Ice Build-up Moments Before it Crashed

Posted on February 13, 2009
Clarence, NY: The latest news from the scene of the fatal plane crash of Continental Express Flight 3407 is that ice may have been a factor. According to data from the flight recorders, the cockpit crew were discussing "significant ice build up" on the plane's windshield, and leading edges of the wings, moments before the plane hurtled into the Weilinski's house, killing all 49 passengers and crew on board, and 61-year-old Douglas Wielinski.

A Fatal Step on Fentanyl Patch

Posted on February 13, 2009
Baton Rouge, LA: Lydia's daughter, Abbey, had muscular dystrophy and was on a host of pain medications. "Our doctors didn't feel comfortable giving Abbey so many different pills so about three years ago, they suggested the fentanyl patch," says Lydia...

Toxic Chinese Drywall: It Stinks in More Ways Than One

Posted on February 12, 2009
Fort Meyers, FL: You've got to be kidding. Drywall, now. Chinese drywall, that was used during the South Florida building boom starting in 2004 and is now making some people sick. Toxic drywall has been found in many homes, and Chinese drywall problems are affecting copper plumbing and air conditioning coils.

Kugel Mesh a Mess for Some

Posted on February 12, 2009
Phoenix, AZ: Forgive the patient for assuming that when he or she is treated for a condition that requires surgery, the expertise of the surgeon, together with the reputation and quality of any implements required, are beyond reproach. But that didn't seem to be the case with the Kugel Mesh, a hernia patch that proved less than stellar...

Chantix Suicide: "Something Demanded I Do It"

Posted on February 12, 2009
Three Rivers, MI: When Melinda F. started reading other people's stories about Chantix side effects, she started to cry. That was because she had not realized that her use of Chantix may have caused her suicide attempt in November, 2007. Melinda says that she had never experienced anything like the depression she went through while taking Chantix.

California QA Engineers Misclassified as Exempt Entitled to Overtime

Posted on February 12, 2009
Sacramento, CA: For many Quality Assurance (QA) engineers, long hours and low pay are standard. However, they may be entitled to California QA Engineer Overtime, mainly because an employer has misclassified employees as exempt from the wage and hour laws, and has improperly failed to pay overtime...

IT Personnel (National) Confusion Over Overtime

Posted on February 11, 2009
Washington, DC: Most attorneys agree that most of the time, it is an 'open and shut' case whether employees are exempt from the federal requirements of overtime law. But about 30 percent of cases are not so easy to determine, and IT personnel overtime (National) often fall into these 'gray areas'.

Wrongful Termination Claims on the Rise

Posted on February 11, 2009
Denver, CO: There's something about a faltering economy that gives pause for companies and employers to view termination as a tool to ease the company's pain, and that of the shareholders. However, employment experts warn that companies engaging in wrongful termination, and citing the economy as the reason, could be in for wrongful termination lawsuits.

Second Peanut Butter Salmonella Plant Closes, Recall Widens

Posted on February 11, 2009
Blakely, GA: The peanut butter salmonella story just gets bigger, with news this morning that a second manufacturing facility operated by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) has been temporarily closed after testing positive for salmonella. And the number of recalled products is closing in on 2000...

Avandia Health Problems "Frustrating"

Posted on February 11, 2009
Pine Mountain Valley, GA: Dave J. (not his real name) says he is not sure how long he took Avandia for, but he says he was definitely on the medication for a while. Since he took Avandia, Dave has had a number of medical problems, including at least one massive stroke...

Cha-Ching--Conseco Long Term Care Insurance Policies

Posted on February 10, 2009
San Diego, CA: DeAnna is a caregiver and she also helped her client, an elderly woman, file her long term care insurance claim. If it wasn't for DeAnna, Conseco, a long term care health insurance company, may have gotten away with what amounts to robbery; they increased the woman's yearly policy from $2500 to $7000, and there's more…

Who Shoulders the Blame Over Shoulder Pain Pumps?

Posted on February 10, 2009
Phoenix, AZ: Matthew Goldstein might have been playing professional football today, earning a lucrative salary. Instead the Arizona man is earning a living as a manager at Walgreens, and serves as a sports broadcaster for his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts...

California IT Professionals: Fighting for Proper Overtime Pay

Posted on February 10, 2009
San Diego, CA: If you are a California software developer or are a computer professional, you may not be receiving the full pay you are entitled to. That is because many employers in California are misclassifying their computer professionals so they do not have to pay those employees for the overtime hours they work...

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