Legal News

Food Poisoning Always a Concern Over the Holidays

Posted on December 22, 2008
Rockville, MD: Two huge food poisoning stories appear to have been finally put to bed as the year draws to a close: chicken pot pies linked to salmonella food poisoning in the US, and deli meats infected with lysteria up in Canada. As 2009 is about to emerge, a food supplements story is emerging along with it: a dietary supplement that has been recalled due to the presence of a dangerous diuretic.

Stock Market Losses Leave Retirees Without Money

Posted on December 22, 2008
Lovell, WY: Frank H. (not his real name) has lost a lot of money this year in the stock market. His variable annuity and his IRA have both lost money and he is concerned about paying his wife's nursing home bill. Frank thought he would have money to leave his children, but thanks to recent stock market losses, he may have very little left to give them.

Tenants in Common Losses have Lots in Common with other Squeezed Investors

Posted on December 22, 2008
Delray Beach, FL: Here we go again—yet another example of how someone may have been promised a bill of goods, only to be sold something else. In this latest example: investments of tenants in common, or Tenants in Common TIC investments. These are products tied to the commercial real estate sector...

Yet Another Taser Death

Posted on December 22, 2008
Santa Rosa, CA: Another senseless death by Taser occurred this past weekend; Nathan Vaughn's death was eerily similar to the Taser death of other men such as Robert Heston (February, 2005) and 24-year-old Keith Graff (October, 2005). All three men were Tasered over and over again and pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

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Denver Plane Crash Injures Thirty-Eight People

Posted on December 22, 2008
Port Clinton, OH: A plane crash at Denver International Airport resulted in injuries to 38 passengers, according to early reports. The airplane crash occurred when the Boeing 737 went off the runway and caught fire. Although no one suffered life-threatening injury, passengers were taken to the hospital with bone fractures.

Imagine a Parent's Nightmare When a Child is Harmed by Motrin SJS

Posted on December 22, 2008
Malibu, CA: As 2008 comes to a close, one can imagine the musings of the Sabrina Johnson family as they reflect back on their SJS Motrin lawsuit, and where they go from here. Motrin and SJS has been a part of their daily lives since that fateful day in 2003 when little Sabrina came home from school with a fever—the start of a years-long nightmare...

What Caused the Christmas Fire that Took Little Ava's Life?

Posted on December 21, 2008
Peterborough, ON: A fire accident is horrific at any time of the year. But it's always worse close to Christmas. Little wonder that there seems to be an increase in fires across the Yuletide, as families in a holiday mood trot out Christmas lights that are sometimes old and frayed, artificial trees that are flammable, or a real Christmas tree that is allowed to dry out and evolve into a Christmas tree and fire hazard...

Your Thanks for Working Through the Weekend: A Pat on the Back

Posted on December 21, 2008
Los Angeles, CA: How's this for a deal? Work 20 hours worth of California IT hours every week for a year and see your annual paycheck rise from $80,000 to $117,000. Nice. And now there's an improvement in California labor laws—an update to California state labor law governing overtime for computer professionals...

Another Ponzi Scheme Costs Investors Millions in California

Posted on December 21, 2008
Norwalk, CA: People these days who are just hanging on by their teeth economically could be forgiven in their vilifying of people like Milton Retana for ripping innocent people off through alleged Ponzi fraud. This time, the Ponzi scheme fraud involved a real estate broker who allegedly defrauded thousands of people out of millions of dollars...

Another Victim of Tainted Heparin?

Posted on December 20, 2008
Orangeburg, SC: Amy was given heparin injections on two separate occasions to thin her blood: once before having her gallbladder removed and the second time for hernia surgery. Both operations were successful yet she is having symptoms consistent with heparin contamination.

Mutual Fund Losses May be the Result of Negligence

Posted on December 20, 2008
Minneapolis, MN: Bruce P (not his real name) is angry about his mutual funds. He says they have not been managed in the way they should have been, causing them to drop in value and allowing someone unauthorized to withdraw funds. Bruce's mutual fund losses may be the result of someone's negligence and not the result of normal market fluctuations...

ETHEX Drug Overdose Causes Severe Pain

Posted on December 20, 2008
Dahlonega, GA: Ethan B. had been taking isosorbide mononitrate, made by ETHEX Corporation for at least a year before he began noticing side effects from the drug. Like many other patients who took ETHEX medications, Ethan may have received too much of his medication's active ingredient...

Client Wishes for Stockbroker Arbitration

Posted on December 20, 2008
Westville, IN: Karen P. (not her real name) hopes she has the opportunity to file a stockbroker arbitration claim against her financial advisor. Although she may not have been a victim of outright stockbroker fraud, she does feel she was misled into putting her money into mutual funds when she really wanted a money market investment.

Mothers Denied Long Term Care Insurance

Posted on December 19, 2008
Sacramento, CA: People rely on long term care insurance to provide help if and when they are unable to help themselves. Policy holders are entitled to have the costs of assisted living, managed care or home health paid for by their health insurance company if they suffer from serious and chronic physical or mental illness, disability or impairment...

Workers Bracing for Hit in California Budget Discussions

Posted on December 19, 2008
Sacramento, CA: A potential battle royal is brewing in the State of California with regard to California labor laws. On one side, formidable State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and a ballooning state deficit: on the other, California workers who fear California State labor law will be watered down in the effort to rescue the State coffers...

Man awarded $30 million in mesothelioma lawsuit

Posted on December 19, 2008
Newark, NJ: Mark Buttitta finally got his day in court – but he had to die to do it. Mark contracted asbestos mesothelioma/em) which caused his death. Mark's estate sued the companies that caused his asbestos exposure and won. His estate was just awarded $30...

Quality of Life Destroyed by Hernia Repair Patch

Posted on December 19, 2008
Indio, CA: Raymond W. is angry: since his hernia repair surgery, which he believes is a Kugel Mesh Patch, he has had 7 more surgeries for hernia-related infections. He has undergone repeated surgeries to try to determine what went wrong with his hernia repair...

When Mean Girls Lurk in the Nursing Home

Posted on December 18, 2008
Albert Lea, MN: They appear to be just your average teen, pictured smiling and bedecked in a sports jersey and sweater. In contrast, a horrific story of nursing home abuse is emerging at the hands of two teenage girls, and a collection of minors too young to be legally identified for their alleged role in nursing home negligence...

DUI in Ohio: Influence Takes on a Whole New Meaning

Posted on December 18, 2008
Mansfield, OH: Driving while under the influence is, of course, morally reprehensible and all the clichéd adjectives apply: foolish, stupid, dangerous, irresponsible. However, if you are ever pulled over for drunk driving, just hope that it's in Ohio, where State regulators have adopted, in principle, a machine that is facing lawsuits in several other states as being unreliable...

Unum Provident Goes Against ERISA Rights

Posted on December 18, 2008
Elizabethtown, PA: Jay had an Unum Provident policy with his employer and received short term disability for five months (in July 2006) before he qualified for Unum's long term disability benefits. After six months receiving health insurance benefits from Unum, he was told to apply for social security—the insurance company expected him to return to work but he wasn' t ready—he had been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and excessive stress.

It's Buyer Beware with Variable Annuities

Posted on December 18, 2008
Thornton, CO: Marjorie S. (not her real name) thought she was clear with her stockbroker when she said she wanted the safest investments possible; she did not expect that her money would be put in something as unsafe as variable annuities. Like many people with money in variable annuity investments, Marjorie has learned that the money is now locked in, and there is nothing she can do about it.

With Friends Like AARP, Who Needs Enemies?

Posted on December 17, 2008
Miami, FL: If you are a senior citizen, or someone approaching retirement, you are probably quite worried about what the future holds for you. After all, your pension may not be secure, your investments have likely lost value and even lobby groups that are supposed to protect you—organizations like AARP, which not only lobbies on behalf of seniors but also sells AARP insurance—may actually be taking advantage of you...

The Pain Pump Shouldering the Blame for Debilitating PAGCL

Posted on December 17, 2008
Lake Forest, CA: The watchword these days is actually a series of three words: 'reduced recovery time.' Anything to get the patient out of the hospital and back on his feet sooner. However, with the shoulder pain pump, shoulder injury has resulted from just that—the striving to reduce recovery time following shoulder surgery...

FDA Tags Entire Class of Drugs for Risk of Suicide

Posted on December 17, 2008
Washington, DC: As if the current economic morass America finds itself in isn't enough to drive people to despair, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that patients prescribed antiepileptic drugs could face the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors...

Zombie Debt Collectors – Lower ‘n a Snake’s Belly

Posted on December 17, 2008
New York, NY: These are tough times and as many as one million Americans will experience the pain and shame of going through personal bankruptcy this year. Unfortunately, it also makes them a perfect mark for fraud artists. New York bankruptcy attorney and all round good guy, Charles Juntikka says he gets at least one call a day at his New York office from former clients that are being tapped by phony debt collectors...

Institutions not above the California Labor Law

Posted on December 17, 2008
Fairfield, CA: Caroline is a photographer and has been working off-contract at the University of Davis Medical Center for four years. She says they are chronic about not paying on time and don't pay late fees. I am insulted that they think they are above the California labor law, she says...

Bernard Madoff: Investors Entrusted Billions to This Con Artist

Posted on December 16, 2008
New York, NY: His website, once a proud stop on the virtual financial services highway, today features just one paragraph:

Zimmer Hip Meant to be a Lifesaver

Posted on December 16, 2008
Seattle, WA: The Zimmer Hip replacement was supposed to be a lifesaver for patients suffering from serious hip pain. The Zimmer Durom Cup was meant to eliminate hip pain and provide patients with a new freedom—the freedom to once again move normally, without any pain...

Ortho Evra Patch Side Effects— from Headache to Pulmonary Emboli

Posted on December 16, 2008
Washington, DC: Women who wear the Ortho Evra patch may want to pay more attention to minor side effects, such as headaches and leg aches. In Lisa's case, going to the emergency room because she had respiratory problems may have saved her life. "It was discovered after testing that I had pneumonia, and after additional X-rays they found pulmonary emboli," she says.

Woman Found Guilty of Financial Elder Abuse

Posted on December 16, 2008
Lakeport, CA: In a move that shows how horrified the public is about financial elder abuse, a jury convicted a woman of one count of felony financial abuse and one count of felony elder abuse and neglect. The victim's story shows how far some people are willing to go to make money off those who cannot care for themselves...

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