Legal News

Keep a Record of Overtime

Posted on December 16, 2008
Spartanburg, SC: Mark W. knows he can't file a lawsuit against his former employer for overtime pay, but he does know the federal overtime laws and wants to advise others who may find themselves in a similar situation as he was—paid a salary when he shouldn't have been classified as exempt and not getting paid overtime--to keep a record of all overtime worked.

Are All Helicopter Medical Transports Really Necessary?

Posted on December 16, 2008
Baltimore, MD: Helicopter accidents are never easy to hear at the best of times—but helicopter crashes involving medical helicopters are the worst, as they involve patients who have already suffered. Now, helicopter accident news has included the revelation that there have been so many downed aircraft, that medical personnel are starting to balk at flying.

Tenants in Common Bankruptcy Causing Problems for Investors

Posted on December 16, 2008
Boise, IA: Investors with money in tenants in common (TIC) agreements through DBSI are frantically trying to determine what their next move should be. Since they suffered TIC losses, related to DBSI's bankruptcy filing, they are now hiring advisors to help them figure out how and if they can regain their lost funds...

Taser Death Cries Out for Public Inquiry

Posted on December 15, 2008
Vancouver, BC: On December 12, the Crown announced that no charges would be laid against four RCMP officers in the Taser death of Robert Dziekanski. At the same time, the BC Criminal Justice Branch spokesperson disclosed that the Polish immigrant was Tasered 5 times and not twice as the RCMP initially reported.

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One Baby's Heart Defect, Courtesy of the SSRI Lexapro

Posted on December 15, 2008
Bernie, MO: Ann has a healthy girl, and she was born with absolutely no health problems whatsoever. But Ann suffered from depression after her baby's birth, so her doctor put her on the antidepressant lexapro. Then Ann found out she was pregnant. But she stopped taking this SSRI as soon as she found out her son was born with a heart defect.

Train Lawyer Jerome Ringler

Posted on December 15, 2008
Los Angeles, CA: It happened in just seconds. As hundreds of people aboard an LA commuter train headed home late on the afternoon of September 12th, the engineer at the throttle of a Metrolink commuter train ran a red light. In the blink of an eye, it collided head on with a Union Pacific freight train...

Semi Truck Accidents are Nightmares on Wheels

Posted on December 15, 2008
Kansas City, MI: Semi truck accidents add new meaning to the phrase, "go big or go home." Not only is a trucking accident that involves a big rig massive in sheer size, but also massive in scope with regard to the carnage that can ensue. And to be fair to the trucking industry, it's not always the fault of the truck driver...

SJS Ibuprofen "Haunting Me"

Posted on December 14, 2008
Chicago, IL: Charlene took ibuprofen for strep throat but just a few days later she developed a rash, which turned into blisters, on her feet. She didn’t think too much of it until the rash moved up her legs. Being a woman, Charlene was worried that it was going to spread to her face so her doctor prescribed a steroid but it didn't help—he didn't recognize the early stages of SJS ibuprofen...

FDA Under a Hail of Heparin Fire

Posted on December 14, 2008
Washington, DC: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been called to answer for delays in seizing lots of tainted heparin from a manufacturer in Ohio, adding to the ongoing frustration with regard to the heparin contamination saga. Heparin injection is vital to numerous surgical procedures and medical treatments, and the tainted heparin recall of contaminated heparin from China becomes even more complex when recall delays at the local level has the potential to further compromise safety.

State Laws Aimed at Further Protecting Cyclists in Kentucky

Posted on December 14, 2008
Louisville, KY: There are various laws that govern the conduct of motor vehicles, together with bicycles on public thoroughfares. While observing these statutes goes a long way in helping to avoid bicycle crash injury, there is always room for improvement—and lawmakers in Kentucky are considering just that, in an effort to prevent the next bicycle accident from happening...

Mother with SJS put into a Coma

Posted on December 14, 2008
St. John's, NL: On November 27, 2008 Kim Oake was put into an induced coma in the ICU unit because the pain of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis, also known as TEN, is too excruciating to bear. Kim had an allergic reaction to a run-of-the-mill antibiotic...

Five ETHEX Drug Recalls "Excessive"

Posted on December 14, 2008
Bullhead City, AZ: When Fletcher W. received a notification that his medication, made by ETHEX Corporation, was recalled, he realized that his chest pain had been caused by the isosorbide mononitrate he was taking. Like many people who were put at risk of an ETHEX Corporation drug overdose, Fletcher suffered some side effects from his medication...

Zonolite Asbestos Mesothelioma

Posted on December 13, 2008
Belvidere Mountain, Vermont: Asbestos made the news recently—big time—regarding a tentative settlement of $140 million to be paid to by W.R. Grace, the company that mined asbestos and produced Zonolite—a do-it-yourself home insulation. The company faced a class action suit brought by hundreds of people who had used the insulation and developed asbestos related illnesses.

Car Accident: Don't Settle for Less

Posted on December 13, 2008
Saint Cloud, FL: Sometimes it doesn’t pay to accept a car crash settlement right away. Ann and her son were involved in a rear-end collision that didn't seem like a serious car accident at the time, but they are both feeling the repercussions two years later...

Patient Regrets Surgery with Shoulder Pain Pump

Posted on December 13, 2008
Tampa, FL: If you're like some patients who had a shoulder pain pump implanted after shoulder surgery, you may regret ever having had the surgery at all. Todd D. certainly does. His minor shoulder injury required surgery, but that shoulder surgery, which involved a pump for pain management, may have created even more problems for Todd.

Kugel Mesh Ordeal "Stressful"

Posted on December 12, 2008
Searcy, AR: In the months following the implantation of a Kugel Mesh hernia patch, Louise [not her real name] had several surgeries to try to repair complications that arose. The main complication Louise dealt with was a continual infection. That may not seem like a major problem, but it meant that she underwent 7 surgeries in a fairly short time...

How Will Neuberger Sale Affect Mutual Funds?

Posted on December 12, 2008
New York, NY: Now that the dust has settled and Lehman Brothers' Neuberger Berman group has been sold, investors are left wondering what effect the sale will have on their mutual funds. While Neuberger officials say that Neuberger mutual funds and other investments are stable, investors are left to wonder if that really is the case, or if they are just being handed another line.

Investors Hoping Stock Market Losses Turn Around

Posted on December 12, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA: Lauren H. (not her real name) says she and her husband have suffered more in stock market losses than they could afford. In fact, their stock losses so far are at around $63,000, and that may not be the end of it. After all, the stock market crisis appears far from over...

More Options for Victims of Discrimination in the Pipeline

Posted on December 12, 2008
Washington, DC: Employment discrimination happens in every sector. No one is immune. In fact, workplace discrimination is, sad to say, fairly common. Racial discrimination may not be as pronounced as it might have been at one time, but the combined basket of discrimination paradigms will continue to overflow, so long as there are employers who prefer to ignore the law and basic moral judgment, and do what they want—playing God in the process.

The Defective Saturn and the New GM: What's in the Cards?

Posted on December 12, 2008
Detroit, MI: It will be interesting to view the forthcoming marriage of automotive law as it pertains to the defective car, and the new economic realities facing auto manufacturers. Case in point: Saturn, and the auto defect issue surrounding its failed "Vti" transmissions.

How One Tenant In Common Organization Fell Apart

Posted on December 11, 2008
Boise, ID: If you got into tenants in common investments thinking they were completely safe, you might be shaking your head right now. With recent news that DBSI, one of the largest TIC companies in the US, was filing for bankruptcy, you can be forgiven for wringing your hands with worry and calling your financial advisor to find out what is going on...

Home is Where the Institution is, in Illinois

Posted on December 11, 2008
Chicago, IL: A groundbreaking case in Illinois has paved the way for citizens with developmental disabilities to claim their civil human rights in the achievement of choice with regard to where they live. Civil rights law is the guarantee that every American will be treated fairly and without discrimination...

Laying Out Ortho Evra in Layman's Terms

Posted on December 11, 2008
Raritan, NJ: New Ortho Evra patch lawsuits continue to be filed. Public Citizen continues to push for a ban. And the Ortho Evra birth control patch continues to pose a risk for women, and even children who have been put on birth control. And yet the Ortho Evra birth control patch continues to be marketed.

IKEA Candles Defective, Consumers Get Burned

Posted on December 11, 2008
Washington, DC: Product liability is something that every manufacturer, and every retailer has to keep top-of-mind, especially during the Christmas season. Defective product personal injury is one of the worst kinds of injury: you didn’t bring it on yourself, and you trusted a product that should not have been defective...

Ketek—What is it Good For? Absolutely Nothing!

Posted on December 11, 2008
Washington, DC: When it comes to Ketek, the FDA has proven yet again that it is incapable of policing the drug industry. The antibiotic ketek has been linked to potentially lethal side effects, from liver failure to Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS). Although several SJS ketek cases have been reported, the drug maker Sanofi Aventis is only now "discussing" whether to strengthen the existing warning about allergic reactions to include the potential for "skin events", meaning SJS.

AARP Making Money Off Royalties

Posted on December 11, 2008
Detroit, MI: If you signed up for AARP Insurance because you were told that you would save money, it may have come as a surprise to you that you may be paying more than the average person for your insurance policies. In fact, some AARP health insurance and other insurance, including auto insurance, could be well above the norm...

From a minor infection to Heparin Contamination

Posted on December 11, 2008
Scott's Bluff, NE:Robin's Dad stepped on a nail while renovating his home; it got infected and the infection spread to his artificial hip. "He wound up in hospital for 45 days and was given heparin injections as well a pic line [a form of intravenous access] with a saline-heparin mix," says Robin...

Automotive Company Downsizes-- California Labor Law Violation?

Posted on December 10, 2008
Sacramento, CA: Sean worked in the auto parts business 8 years for Chrysler with no complaints against him but he was just laid off. "In reality I have been wrongfully dismissed and I think my boss laid me off to avoid a wrongful dismissal lawsuit," says Sean, who believes that the Chrysler company violated the California Labor Law in an underhanded and unfair way.

Plane Crash Widower Forgives Pilot

Posted on December 10, 2008
San Diego, CA: The man whose family was killed when a plane crashed into their home says he has forgiven the pilot of that doomed plane. Although the pilot survived the plane crash the man's wife, 2 children and mother-in-law did not survive. Now, questions are being raised as to what caused the plane crash and whether residential areas near military bases really are safe areas.

Paxil Birth Defect Warnings too Late For Two Little Boys

Posted on December 10, 2008
Hendersonville, N.C: April has 3 children; 2 were born with complications, quite possibly Paxil-related birth defects. April had taken the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) Paxil, also known as paroxetine, during both pregnancies.

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