Legal News

California Labor Law: Contractors Who Don't Play By the Rules

Posted on June 05, 2008
Los Angeles, CA: So you're a construction worker in California. And you've been following the news reports about the construction crane accidents in Manhattan, and even though you're not working on, or anywhere near a crane you wonder if everything is on the up-and-up with your employer...

Asthma Drug Affects My Son’s Behavior

Posted on June 05, 2008
White Oak, SC: Nikki’s eight year old son has asthma—he was diagnosed with the respiratory illness when he was just five years old. Since that time he’s been on albuterol, but it seems to be making things worse, not better.

Icy Hot: Hot Enough to Take Your Skin Right Off

Posted on June 05, 2008
Chattanooga, TN: People have bad dreams of running away from a fire, but not being able to run. Your legs are heavy and slow. You strain desperately to move but can't, while the flames get closer. Some have likened the Icy Hot pain patches to such a scenario...

Botox Patient Not Warned of Risks

Posted on June 04, 2008
San Francisco, CA: Shelly has been diagnosed with Cervical Dystonia—a disorder of the neck muscles—and treatment comprises a series of Botox injections. But she recently heard of its dangerous side effects and worries that the risk might outweigh the temporary relief that Botox provides her.

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FDA Investigating Remicade, Enbrel, Humira and Cimzia Link to Cancers

Posted on June 04, 2008
Rockville, MD: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday issued an Early Communication release stating that it is investigating a possible association between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers and the development of cancers in children and young adults...

California Unpaid Overtime: Employee Stands Up for his Rights

Posted on June 04, 2008
Bakersfield, CA: Stan's employer thought he was exempt because he was paid on commission along with a base salary. "My boss figured since we were on commission, he could do whatever he wanted," says Stan (not his real name pending his lawsuit), including working 12-hour days without meal breaks, without overtime pay...

Truck Accident: Tragic Tangle with a Tractor-Trailer

Posted on June 04, 2008
Charlottesville, VA: She was a soccer player—caring, and fun-loving. When a classmate's dog died, she baked the grieving owner cookies. That's the type of person Sydney Aichs was. And that's why so many friends and loved ones are mourning her death to a truck accident after her small car was rammed by a tractor-trailer running a red light...

Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada: More Hepatitis C Tests Positive

Posted on June 04, 2008
Las Vegas, NV: The largest patient notification in US history that centered around the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada continues to worry current and former patients of the facility, that they might be next to receive a positive test for hepatitis C.

Wrongful Death Lawsuits Filed

Posted on June 04, 2008
Denver, CO: Wrongful death lawsuits can be filed as a result of another person's negligence, malpractice or failure to act. People who have had loved ones die as a result of another person's action, or inaction, often file wrongful death lawsuits to hold the guilty party responsible for the death.

Digitek Recall: How Long Were Patients Overdosed?

Posted on June 03, 2008
Spokane, WA: Joanne C. wants to determine how long she had been taken double doses of Digitek before it was recalled. Neither her pharmacist nor doctor has the answer. And it is unlikely that Actavis--the manufacturer--even knows, since it seemed to have minimal control over its operations in China...

Cell Phone Use and Cancer: The Debate Continues

Posted on June 03, 2008
Atlanta, GA: The recent discovery of, and surgery for a brain tumor located in the cranium of beloved Senator Ted Kennedy has refueled the debate over the link to cell phone use and cancer. Senator Kennedy's diagnosis of glioma relates to a tumor that critics have long associated with cell phone use.

Defective Products Cause Harm

Posted on June 03, 2008
Toledo, OH: When consumers purchase products, they believe those products have already passed all the necessary safety tests and have proven not to be defective. Unfortunately, a quick glance at the news gives the appearance that there are more and more defective products on the market...

PPH: “I’d take Gastric Bypass Surgery over Fen-Phen”

Posted on June 03, 2008
Lexington, KY: In the early 90s, Lynn S. turned to Fen-Phen to lose weight. Now she is turning to a lawsuit against the diet drug that caused her mitral valve regurgitation, heart problems and potentially PAH—formerly known as primary pulmonary hypertension, or PPH.

Unum: Healthy Employees, Unhealthy Practices

Posted on June 02, 2008
Mt. Pleasant, SC: A company with a reputation for denying legitimate claims and throwing the lives of well-meaning policy holders into chaos has again been honored with an award recognizing its commitment to the health of its employees. Unum took home a Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award from the National Business Group on Health this month, its third such win.

Paxil and Other Drugs to Get Labeling Change

Posted on June 02, 2008
Rockville, MD: The FDA has determined that current labeling for drugs like Paxil is too confusing. The organization has now proposed a change to drug labeling to make it more clear which drugs are safe for women who are pregnant and/or breastfeeding...

RBC Auction Rate Securities: Canada's Largest Bank Hit with Class Action Lawsuit

Posted on June 02, 2008
New York, NY: The implosion of the auction rate securities market has caught up with Canada's largest bank, after Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) was hit with a potential class-action lawsuit that has been filed in New York. The allegation is that RBC conveyed to its clients the assurance that auction rate securities were safe, short-term opportunities for investors with a minimum of $25,000 to play with.

Asbestos Mesothelioma: A Death Sentence Has Its Price

Posted on June 02, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA: The family of a pipe fitter who has since died from an asbestos-related disease is launching a second lawsuit against a collection of 35 companies. The lawsuit was filed in May, and states that the defendants should have warned workers and consumers about the dangers of asbestos, and asbestos mesothelioma.

Morgan Keegan: Allegations of Fraud Leading to Huge Losses

Posted on June 01, 2008
Memphis, TN: As the fallout from a bear market reverberates through the investment community, and the pieces from the sub-prime mortgage implosion are gingerly salvaged or discarded, investors are taking exception to the inability of Morgan Keegan to see writing on the fall...

MRI Health Risks Have Little To Do With Magnetic Personality

Posted on June 01, 2008
Washington, DC: As important as the MRI is in detecting disease and abnormalities deep within the human body, the process carries certain risks that have only recently come to light. Risks from imaging agents such as gadolinium, and recent concern over the long-term impact of the magnetic fields associated with Magnetic Resonance Imaging, can pose serious health risks for some patients, sometimes resulting in death.

Zurn Pex Plumbing: A Cautionary Tale

Posted on May 31, 2008
Starkville, MS: People who have experienced the horror of having a plumbing fitting, like the Zurn Pex fittings, fail know all too well what an ordeal that can be. In addition to damage to floors, walls and ceilings, there can be mold growth and other health risks to deal with...

New York City Crane Collapse Update: A Bad Weld May be at Fault

Posted on May 31, 2008
New York, NY: In the aftermath of the latest construction crane collapse in New York City that claimed two lives yesterday, focus is being placed on a potentially faulty weld in an integral part of the crane structure.

Overdosing on Digitek

Posted on May 31, 2008
Kissimmee, FA: Paul's wife had a heart attack in '95 but made a remarkable recovery and started taking Digitek. But she experienced other problems: coincidentally, she suffered the same complications listed on Digitek's website, namely nausea, fatigue and irregular heartbeats...

Yamaha Rhino Rollovers: Two Die in Two Separate Rollovers on the Same Day

Posted on May 30, 2008
Marshall, TX: An all-terrain vehicle that may be more familiar to people lying on its side than on all four wheels is the subject of yet another lawsuit alleging a dangerous design, as users of the popular Yamaha Rhino ATV continue to suffer serious injuries, or even death.

What Led to the Black Box Warning on Asthma Drugs?

Posted on May 30, 2008
Washington, DC: Two years ago the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the asthma drugs Advair Diskus, Advair HFA, Foradil Aerolizer, Serevent Diskus must carry black box warnings - - the most severe warning the FDA can issue. Most recently Symbicourt, Performist, (formoterol fumarate), and Brovana inhalation solution were added to list of asthma medications to carry this warning.

California Software Developers Overtime: We Feel Your Pain

Posted on May 30, 2008
San Francisco, CA: Okay, so you're a California software developer. You love what you do, and you make a decent living at it. You reside in one of the most glorious places on earth—but you don't necessarily love your life. That's because you also love your wife and your kids, and your hobbies, but you have no time for them because you're spending 80 hours a week staring bug-eyed into a computer monitor...

Railroad Worker Injuries: Life and Death on the Rails

Posted on May 30, 2008
Steelville, IL: Life on the railroad can be tough, and is anything but the romanticized image of big, tough men (and women) happily slugging it out with a smile on their face and coal dust in their lungs. Given the dynamics of the tracks, the size of the trains and the various substances, dusts and chemicals inherent with running, and maintaining a rail service, life is anything but easy and ones' health is anything but assured given the risks associated with railroad worker safety.

California Labor Law: 'At-Will' Recourse?

Posted on May 30, 2008
Sacramento, CA: California is an "at-will" state, meaning that most employees can be terminated with or without cause or even advance notice. Terri thought her job was secure: "Like a slap in the face, I was here one day, and gone the next, with no warning," she says.

Second Construction Crane Toppled in Two Months, One Person Killed

Posted on May 30, 2008
New York, NY: A second construction crane accident in New York City in two months is raising questions about the safety of building, and infill construction practices in city centers and highly populated areas. Early reports say one person was killed when a construction crane toppled in New York City this morning, and the incident is eerily similar to an event that happened earlier this Spring when a huge construction crane toppled to the ground in New York, killing seven people, injuring dozens of others and scaring an entire city half to death.

Digitek Manufacturer Cited for Quality Controls Two Years Ago

Posted on May 30, 2008
Little Falls, NJ: The recent recall affecting all lots of Digitek digoxin (digitalis) due to a manufacturing defect raises a whack of questions as to just how a double-thickness tablet can get by the quality-control department. Pills that are twice as thick as normal, and therefore potentially carrying twice the dosage of digoxin, pose a serious health risk for patients that could lead to death.

AMO Complete MoisturePlus Recall: Many Missed the Memo…

Posted on May 29, 2008
Santa Ana, CA: The problem with a product recall is that it's only as effective as the communication between the manufacturer, and the end user. In the case of James Millard Wilson, he didn't get the message. The young art student from Baltimore had been having trouble with his eyes, and had no idea that his AMO Complete MoisturePlus Contact Lens solution had been recalled.

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