All Topics

• Fireworks Injure Bystanders, Not Just Users

  David Lowe | July 05, 2007 8:56 AM | 2 CommentsMilwaukee, WI

  Millions of Americans enjoyed fireworks displays yesterday. But I suspect that some families today are struggling with the aftermath of injuries from fireworks. It's not just those foolish enough to buy and use these products themselves. It's the danger of fireworks to bystanders that gives cause for concern. Bystanders are more often injured by fireworks than operators themselves. A...

• Allstate Insurance Company Driven by Greed

  Ric Davis | June 30, 2007 3:56 PM | 2 CommentsGreenville, SC

  Allstate Insurance Co.'s phenomenal growth in profits is directly tied to its drastic reduction in claims payments: The insurer offers paltry sums for legitimate claims, counting on its customers' unwillingness to slog through drawn-out litigation. That's no dark secret or allegation. It's a company policy called "Claims Core Process Redesign," devised by powerhouse corporate consultants...

• Tahoe Burning and More Homes Threatened

  Steve Klearman | June 25, 2007 12:27 PM | 2 CommentsReno, NV

  I occasionally detour from the law.Last week my wife and I mountain biked up Angora Lakes Road in South Lake Tahoe, California. Straight up a long hill, beautiful views of Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe with two idyllic lakes at the very top and Desolation Wilderness even further above. This week the entire area is evacuated by a fire that has burned more than 2000 acres and South Lake is...

• Girls Feet Amputated After Six Flag Ride Fails

  Jamie G. Goldstein | June 22, 2007 4:57 PM | 2 CommentsChicago, IL

  A thirteen year old girl's feet were amputated after a ride at Kentucky's Six Flags theme park malfunctioned. The Superman ride at the theme park raises riders into the air 154 feet and drops them at a rate of 54 miles per hour. The ride stops just 20 feet before the riders hit the ground. It is believed that a cable broke during the ride and became wrapped around the girl's feet causing them...

• Middle School "No Touch" Rule is Nuts

  Ben Glass | June 20, 2007 6:13 AM | 2 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  OK, OK, this might not be directly related to the law but it is about life, so I'm writing about it. It's bad enough when schools ban dodgeball, soccer, football and the like. My seven year old tells me that when they play kickball, they can't throw the ball at the runnner to get them "out." (Those games on Jayhawk Street in Annandale would have gone on forever without being able to throw the...

• Avandia Hearing - FDA Exposed as Negligent

  Susy Owen | June 17, 2007 12:52 PM | 2 CommentsSanta Clarita, CA

  Avandia is a type 2 diabetes drug that has been taken by a millions of people all over the world. According the IMS Health, a medical tracking firm, in 2006 alone, US doctors wrote 13 million Avandia prescriptions. It is known that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ignored repeated warning pertaining to increaded cardiac risks associated with this drug for years. The numbers are really...

• Former Trial Lawyer John Edwards on Medical Malpractice - Calls For End To Frivolous Lawsuits

  Mike Ferrara | June 16, 2007 5:22 PM | 2 CommentsCherry Hill, NJ

  Presidential candidate John Edwards, a former North Carolina trial lawyer and former United States Senator, has set forth his position on the topic of medical malpractice reform. In a positon paper released to today he called for an end to frivolous lawsuits. Edwards will require lawyers to have an expert testify that actual malpractice has occurred before bringing a suit. There will be...

• How Would Tort Reform Affect the Quality of Emergency Healthcare?

  Staff Writer | June 14, 2007 7:00 AM | 2 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  In 1975, the California State Legislature passed the California Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) which placed a cap on damages for medical malpractice claims. According to this Act, an injured plaintiff cannot recover non-economic losses in excess of $250,000. This tort reform statute has been in effect in California for thirty-two years. Because this California law has been in...

• Woman Dies On Floor Of Hospital After Calling 9-1-1

  April Armani | June 13, 2007 6:38 PM | 2 CommentsDenver, CO

  Woman dies at hospital after calling 9-1-1.A woman died of a perforated bowel at King0Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles on May 9th after 9-1-1 refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility. In 9-1-1 tapes released today by the Los Angeles Times, the woman's husband is heard pleading with the 9-1-1 dispatcher to send help. Help never arrived and the woman died after...

• Judge Sets Reduced Award in Vioxx Case

  Harold Christian | June 12, 2007 2:14 PM | 2 CommentsGreenville, SC

  Last year a jury awarded a Plaintiff 51 million dollars in damages against Merck because it's Vioxx painkiller was blamed for the heart attack of a former FBI agent. As reported in the New York Times, Judge E. Fallon, who is a federal district judge in the District Court of New Orleans and is responsible for overseeing all Vioxx litigation in federal courts, had previously granted a new trial...