Injury & Accident Law

Hungry for Change

The feds consider a steady diet of stronger regulation to help fix the U.S. food safety network

Sep 2, 2009 4:30 AM CDT

The Wrath of Grapes

106 The number of slip-and-fall cases filed since 2005 that blame errant grapes for the cause of the plaintiff’s injuries.

Sep 2, 2009 3:30 AM CDT

In Loco Parentis?

When offspring repay concern with contempt, some moms and dads might wish they had stand-ins

Sep 2, 2009 12:40 AM CDT

Medical Spas Face Increasing Litigation for Treatments Gone Wrong

Cosmetic procedures that cause scarring and other problems are prompting more lawsuits against medical spas. Many of the suits are for laser hair removal that causes burning, scarring and pain, the National Law Journal reports. In another suit, a North Carolina woman obtained a $500,000 judgment in January for a…

Sep 1, 2009 1:32 PM CDT

Ex-Toyota Lawyer Alleges Destruction of Evidence in Rollover Suits

The former managing counsel for Toyota Motor Sales USA has filed a lawsuit against his former employer alleging the automaker destroyed evidence in hundreds of rollover suits, leading to his mental breakdown and firing. The racketeering suit by Dimitrios Biller claims Toyota destroyed evidence in a “ruthless conspiracy” to keep…

Aug 31, 2009 1:43 PM CDT

Splashing Dolphins Blamed in Slip-and-Fall Suit

A Chicago woman is blaming splashing by dolphins for the slippery floor that caused her fall and injuries at Brookfield Zoo in suburban Chicago last August. The suit by Allecyn Edwards says zookeepers “recklessly and willfully trained and encouraged the dolphins to throw water at the spectators in the stands,…

Aug 20, 2009 3:55 PM CDT

Va. Tech Gunman Never Treated Despite Court Order, Mental Health Records Show

Mental health records released today for the gunman who massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech in April 2007 before killing himself show that he was never treated by the school’s counseling center despite multiple “triage” evaluations and a court order requiring that Seung-Hui Cho receive treatment. The records had been…

Aug 19, 2009 11:21 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyers Get 20-25 Years for Bilking Fen-Phen Clients of $94M

A federal judge in Kentucky today sentenced to ex-lawyers to 20- and 25-year prison terms for bilking their former clients out of $94 million in fen-phen settlement money. U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves also ordered Shirley Cunningham Jr. and William Gallion to pay $127.7 million in restitution to 421 ex-clients…

Aug 17, 2009 10:29 PM CDT

Addicted Surgical Technician May Have Infected at Least 23 Patients With Hepatitis

Addicted to a powerful painkiller, Kristen Diane Parker admittedly stole fentanyl from empty operating rooms at the Denver, Colo., hospital in which she worked. But by substituting syringes of saline solution for syringes of fentanyl, the 26-year-old surgical technician didn’t just put patients at risk of inadequately treated pain, according…

Aug 17, 2009 6:56 PM CDT

Pfizer Agrees to Pay $75M to Settle Nigerian Drug-Test Case

Without admitting liability, Pfizer has agreed to pay $75 million to settle criminal and civil cases in Nigeria alleging that the world’s largest drug company illegally tested the antibiotic Trovan on children there during a 1996 meningitis epidemic. The drug allegedly killed 11 children and disabled dozens more; however, Pfizer…

Jul 30, 2009 7:26 PM CDT

Reopen Va. Tech Probe, Add Gunman’s Medical File Info, Families Urge

Following news last week that the long-missing mental health file had been found for the gunman who massacred 32 people in a 2007 shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, injured survivors and family members of those who died are urging that an investigation be reopened. They are calling on Va. Gov.…

Jul 28, 2009 10:51 PM CDT

Chartering Plane to Take Patient Home Could Cost Hospital Big Bucks

During the three years he lived at a Florida hospital after suffering a severe brain injury in an automobile accident, Luis Jimenez racked up a $1.5 million medical bill. But now the uninsured illegal immigrant could potentially cost Martin Memorial Medical Center a lot more. In closing arguments today in…

Jul 23, 2009 6:06 PM CDT

Wis. Supreme Court Rejects Lead Paint ‘Defective Design’ Suit

In a victory for lead paint manufacturers, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that the presence of lead in paint is not a design defect. The court affirmed dismissal of the defective design claim by Ruben Baez Godoy, a boy who contracted lead poisoning from the paint in his Milwaukee…

Jul 14, 2009 4:31 PM CDT

Story on Motion to Compel Appropriate Shoes Caused Mistrial

A newspaper column about a motion to compel defense counsel to wear appropriate shoes at trial resulted in a mistrial after one juror read the article to others. Judge Donald Hafele of Palm Beach County declared the mistrial in an auto negligence case, but allowed jurors to render an advisory…

Jul 14, 2009 2:13 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Lucky Shoes Spur Motion to Compel Appropriate Footwear

A Florida plaintiffs lawyer who doesn’t like the holes in his opponent’s tasseled loafers has filed a “motion to compel defense counsel to wear appropriate shoes at trial.” The motion, filed in Palm Beach County, was denied, the Palm Beach Post reports. Bill Bone of Larmoyeux & Bone claimed in…

Jul 10, 2009 6:41 PM CDT