All Topics

• Beware of "Gastric Bypass Pill" Puffing

  Staff Writer | May 31, 2006 3:51 PM | 2 CommentsChicago, IL

  Watch out for ads about Zetacap, which is being touted as a gastric bypass pill, far cheaper than surgery. The pill does not require a doctor's prescription because it contains all-natural ingredients which have nothing to do with weight loss. The company who makes Zetacap claims it contains a secret they call "visco-fiber" whic supposedly fills up your stomach, and can transform a person's...

• Doctors' Lawyers Want Web Site Shut Down

  Ben Glass | April 20, 2006 4:49 PM | 2 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  I could not have made this story up!. My friend, New York Medical Malpractice Attorney Gerry Oginski has a terrific consumer oriented medical malpractice website. He, like I, use our web site to fight our little battle agains the MILLIONS of dollars spent by the insurance industry to get mis-information out there about insurance claims, medical malpractice lawsuits and the like. His website is...

• So what is an MDL?

  Staff Writer | April 19, 2006 9:31 AM | 2 CommentsDenver, CO

  Many folks have recently seen or perhaps heard of the Vioxx, Celebrex, Bextra, Ortho Evra, Guidant and Medtronic "MDLs" in the media. So what is an "MDL"? Well, its shorthand for multidistrict litigation. The first thing you need to know about multidistrict litigation is that its not the same thing as a class action. A class action is a lawsuit where a few people sue on behalf of themselves and...

• An "Unnamed Associate" Who Defends Trial Lawyers Slandered By Outrageous Billboards

  Bob Carroll | April 06, 2006 5:32 PM | 2 CommentsPinellas, FL

  The Unnamed Associate has a post at Legal Underground that caught my eye. She starts off saying "I'm going to complain about people complaining about lawyers." To which I respond, "You go, girl!"...there's a giant billboard depicting a man in a suit with wads of cash stuffed into his mouth. The caption reads, "Please don't feed the trial lawyers," and the billboard is sponsored by the...

• Family Dollar Hit With $33.2M Penalty in Overtime Pay Suit

  Clint Gilbert | April 05, 2006 12:13 PM | 2 CommentsDallas, TX

  A jury last month ruled that discount chain Family Dollar owed $19.1 million for systematically classifying some employees as "salaried managers," thus making them ineligible for overtime pay. A federal judge in Alabama has now increased the award to $33.2 million.The increased award comes after the court found that Family Dollar knew it was violating employment laws when they sat up the...

• Jurors Sometimes Ask

  Ben Glass | April 02, 2006 6:36 AM | 2 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  Here is a question we sometimes here from juries:I was on a medical malpractice jury recently. Although we wanted to find for the plaintiff we were afraid that our verdict would destroy the doctor financially. His wife was sitting in the courtroom during closing arguments and we really felt sorry for them. Will a doctor be destroyed by a medical malpractice verdict?We often see the doctor's...

• Cardiac Death At Gym Without Defibrillator

  Bob Carroll | April 01, 2006 6:33 AM | 2 CommentsPinellas, FL

  As a result of some recent litigation our health clubs, gyms and other exercise facilities may be safer. Among the treadmills and weights there may be a defibrillator. Why a defibrillator? Because it can save a life. Because gyms now know it should be part of their safety equipment and service.Overlawyered feels gyms do not need defibrillators:Gym didn't have defibrillator...so a Florida...

• How Would You Like to Start Your Day with a Cup of Coffee and 50,000 Volts?

  Staff Writer | March 06, 2006 9:50 AM | 2 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  If you are a member of the United States Military, you can have your cup of coffee but do not expect to be stunned by a 50,000 volt Taser non-lethal weapon as a part of any training exercise. A new study released recently by the Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers recently concluded that Taser stun guns are more powerful and potent weapons than originally envisioned. The...

• U.S. District Judge Approves a Kmart Settlement Involving 401(k) Investments

  Staff Writer | February 17, 2006 2:46 PM | 2 CommentsDallas, TX

  A federal judge gave preliminary approval to a class-action settlement between investors and Kmart executives. Shareholders accuse the company of investing 401(k) savings plans in Kmart stock, which became worthless after the company filed for bankruptcy back in 2002. The agreement would pay nearly $11.75 million to those who invested in securities between March, 1999 and May, 2003. An estimated...

• Long Shadow Inn Fails Its Residents

  Bob Carroll | February 10, 2006 5:27 AM | 2 CommentsPinellas, FL

  My father lived for more than four years at the end of his life at an assisted living facility in Palm Harbor. He received excellent and compassionate services in a setting that was safe and properly supervised. That same facility has now been shut down by state officials because of health and safety violations. What could have caused the changes at the Long Shadow Inn in the years since my...