Legal News

Unum Arbitrarily says "You're Done"

Posted on November 14, 2008
Syracuse, NY: Leigh was involved in a horrific accident and collected disability payments from Unum Provident (now called Unum or First Unum). Two years later, Unum's independent medical examiner determined that Leigh was no longer disabled and cut her off long term disability benefits on Christmas Eve, just to add insult to injury...

Helicopter Accident News Too Often Grim

Posted on November 14, 2008
West Palm Beach, FL: It's a sad commentary that doing a simple search engine query for helicopter crashes—dated today—and you get literally dozens of pieces of helicopter accident news. Some people die horrid deaths in helicopter accidents. Some, like the increasing prevalence of medivac crashes, are heartbreaking for the injured patients who have already suffered enough...

ERISA Lawsuit Filed Against Fannie Mae

Posted on November 14, 2008
Minneapolis, MN: In addition to a variety of financial problems, Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association) now faces a lawsuit alleging the company violated ERISA laws. The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, was filed on behalf of all those who were participants in or beneficiaries of the company's Employee Stock Ownership Plan between April 17, 2007 and now.

Truck Driver Training a Serious Safety Issue

Posted on November 14, 2008
Olympia, WA: They drive massive vehicles in and out of traffic for hours on end, sometimes carrying hazardous material, but are truck drivers really receiving enough training time? That question came up once again after a truck accident in Olympia, Washington took the life of a new truck driver.

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Understanding Variable Annuities

Posted on November 14, 2008
Chicago, IL: Perhaps you've purchased a variable annuity but are not entirely sure of what that entails. Or perhaps you have purchased variable annuity life insurance but are second-guessing that decision, thinking it may not be a suitable investment for you...

Consumer Fraud Not Affected by Economic Slowdown

Posted on November 13, 2008
Worthington, OH: Consumer fraud is rampant in this country, and will continue to be so as long as people are too busy, too distracted or perhaps too naïve to do anything about it. And as morally wrong as it is, the pursuit of the almighty buck takes no prisoners when it comes to moral fortitude...

Heparin Contamination: FDA Says One Thing, then Does Another?

Posted on November 13, 2008
Washington, DC: The seizure earlier this month of various lots of tainted heparin is a telling symptom of the apparent apathy towards the public good. Celsus Laboratories, based in Cincinnati, had been asked by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to physically recall heparin products sold by the manufacturer to its' clients, but it allegedly failed to comply...

The Hidden Danger of Children’s Motrin

Posted on November 13, 2008
West Hollywood, CA: Like millions of parents, attorney Brian Witzer occasionally gave his 8-year-old daughter a common pain medication for minor aches and fevers, but not anymore. “Children’s Motrin is off limits in my family,” says Witzer. It has been “off limits” in the Witzer household since his firm began investigating the link between a number of commonly used drugs, including Children’s Motrin, and a terrifying and life threatening skin disorder called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome...

Bike Accident Experts, Part 1: Motorists and Cyclists

Posted on November 13, 2008
Los Angeles, CA: A lot of cyclists assume they don't have recourse when it comes to bike accidents, but Charles Finkel of Magana, Cathcart & McCarthy has handled--and subsequently won—countless cases in bicyclists' favor. In this three-part series, Finkel and other experts will discuss types of cases that involve cyclists; firstly, automobile and bike accidents; secondly, roadway defects (such as slippery or hazardous roads, dangerous conditions on roadways and bikeways) and last, dangerous and/or defective products.

FAA Strengthens Warnings to Prevent Plane Crashes

Posted on November 13, 2008
Seattle, WA: Amid concerns about recent international plane crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has strengthened its warnings for pilots of Boeing 737 aircraft. The updated warning includes a reminder that pilots not ignore their cabin pressure warning horn, orders preflight briefings and orders changes in operations manuals.

Death from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) caused by Dilantin

Posted on November 12, 2008
Fort Meyers, FL: More than 10 years ago, Cindy's Mum was given Dilantin because her doctor thought she had suffered a stroke. But a stroke was the least of her concerns: To this day, Cindy is sickened and disgusted with the makers of Dilantin for causing her mother to die a horrific and painful death after developing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Patient Loses Belly to Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch

Posted on November 12, 2008
San Antonio, TX: When patients have hernia repair surgery, they do not expect that down the road they will be in worse shape than before surgery. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to some patients who received Kugel Mesh Hernia Patches. Yvonne G...

Asbestosis and the Naval Shipyards

Posted on November 12, 2008
Norfolk, WV: John signed up for the Navy when he was just a teenager, and he remained in the Navy until he retired decades later. John worked around asbestos insulation and it took its toll. He died of asbestosis after years of suffering. Now his granddaughter would like to know why the Navy doesn't have to answer for this.

Car Accident Death Blamed on Cell Phone Distraction

Posted on November 12, 2008
Joliet, IL: In an effort to improve on car crash safety, many cities and municipalities are working on removing something from the car to make them safer, not adding to them. Cell phones, which come into play in more car crashes the more they are used...

Causeway Mutual Fund Losses Cause for Concern

Posted on November 12, 2008
Los Angeles, CA: When the Causeway investment fund closed itself off to most new investors on February 28, 2005 the management of the Fund stated they believed it was prudent to limit asset flows into the Fund before it reached asset capacity, in order to preserve the Fund's investment flexibility and integrity...

As Financial Elder Abuse Goes, This Story Could be a Movie

Posted on November 12, 2008
Cloverdale, CA: A remarkable financial elder abuse case in California has ended with a settlement before the case had the chance to go to trial, with no admission of wrongdoing on the parts of the various defendants in the case. Defendants in the financial abuse case all said that it would have been too expensive to take the case to trial, and all allegedly lacked the resources to do so...

Digitek Inadvertently Caused Broken Ribs

Posted on November 11, 2008
Arlington, VA: William P. says he has just about recovered from taking the double dose Digitek and his heart beat is back to normal. But William still has a sensitive chest: he was so dizzy it caused him to fall and break 4 ribs—dizziness is one symptom of a Digitek overdose, also known as digitalis toxicity.

Shoulder Pain Pump "Not Completely Necessary"

Posted on November 11, 2008
Ozark, MO: Like many people who used a shoulder pain pump following their surgery, Sarah C. thought at first that the strange sensations in her shoulder would go away. However, more than 2 years after her surgery, the problems still exist and Sarah is worried that her shoulder will just get worse as time goes on.

Patient won't have Zimmer Hip Replaced Again

Posted on November 11, 2008
Willaimsport, MD: Having one hip replacement can be tough, having two can be an ordeal. Having both hips replaced with Zimmer hips and then learning you may have to have both surgeries redone can be absolutely devastating. Trish M. (not her real name) is concerned that the hips she was given during her surgeries are defective and says she does not want to go through that surgery again.

Father Wonders if Paxil caused Two Holes in Daughter's Heart

Posted on November 11, 2008
Lebanon, IN: Mark's daughter was born with two holes in her heart. Although his wife was not taking Paxil during her pregnancy, he was. He wonders if the heart defects, which match the Paxil-related birth defects, may be related to his use of the antidepressant...

Wisconsin Man Launches 9-Count Lawsuit over Asbestos Mesothelioma

Posted on November 10, 2008
Madison County, WI: It just keeps happening, like a runaway train. Asbestos cancer, and diagnoses of asbestos mesothelioma from asbestos exposure appears to be a daily occurrence, with no sign or letting up. People are getting sick, and people are dying from asbestos involvement that happened so long ago…

Long Term Care Insurance Expert Consultant Weighs In

Posted on November 10, 2008
Sandpoint, ID: Martin McBirney has almost 20 years of experience in the long term care insurance (LTCI) industry. He started out in this field as an actuary and subsequently did product development, marketing and lobbying. In the past 8 years, he has worked as an independent consultant and for the last 2 last two years he has focused on expert consulting work for plaintiff's attorneys regarding unfair claim denials and excessive rate increases...

Defective Cars Still on the Road, Recall Notices in the Glove Box

Posted on November 10, 2008
Detroit, MI: Driving a defective automobile is generally a recipe for disaster—a defective car is more likely to be in an accident, or cause an injury that can be linked to an auto defect. The latter can be due to poor design, or workmanship. However, the bottom line is startling: there are millions of defective vehicles on the road, and nobody is doing a whole lot about it.

Why Bother with Byetta?

Posted on November 10, 2008
El Dorado, AR: Verdia was diagnosed with diabetes four years ago and her doctor prescribed a drug that caused her to gain even more weight—Verdia says she has always had a weight problem. Then Byetta came along, and with it the promise of controlling diabetes and weight...

Never Mind Overtime Pay: Too Much Work Can Kill You

Posted on November 10, 2008
Irvine, CA: A scientific study done in California a few years ago concluded that working long hours can raise hypertension risk by 29 percent. In other words, working long hours can be bad for your health. That's one of the reasons why overtime laws exist, to ensure that workers who work more hours than the standard work week receive overtime pay according to an overtime pay rule observed by most States and the federal government.

Semi Truck Drops From the Sky, Kills One

Posted on November 10, 2008
Toronto, ON: It's not often that a truck falls from the sky—but that's exactly what happened in Canada's largest city earlier this month: a truck accident involving a major highway as the first crush of cars were competing for pavement along the busy Queen Elizabeth Expressway (QEW)...

Levaquin Made Me Hurt so Bad

Posted on November 09, 2008
Blountville, TN: "I went into the hospital this past August with double pneumonia," says Bob. "I was given Levaquin for the infection and during my stay I also got a staph infection—both infections caused me to stay in hospital for 19 days, and 15 of those days were in the intensive care unit...

FDA Turns to Federal Agents to Seize Raw Heparin

Posted on November 09, 2008
Cincinnati, OH: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water—or, in this case get a shot of heparin for various reasons—it has been learned that a small company in Cincinnati had contaminated heparin manufactured in China still kicking around its facility almost a year after the heparin scare first broke.

Variable Annuities Not For Everybody

Posted on November 09, 2008
Passaic, NJ: If you've purchased variable annuities, you need to ask yourself whether or not you actually need them. As it turns out, not many people benefit from investing in variable annuities. In fact, according to a study conducted a few years ago by Charles Schwab, only long-term investors that are in high tax brackets and have already filled every other retirement option need variable annuities.

TASER International Finally held Accountable for Death

Posted on November 08, 2008
Salinas, CA: In June 2008 the first lawsuit was successfully won against TASER International—the first out of at least 70 suits against the Arizona company that manufacturers M-26 taser guns. This lawsuit is extremely important because more than 300 deaths have occurred since 2001 where Tasers were involved...

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