Injury & Accident Law

10-Partner Firm Fights Tort Reform Laws

The law firm fighting tort reform laws doesn’t mention the word “tort” or “trial lawyers” in its name. The Center for Constitutional Litigation has 10 partners who seek to overturn state and federal laws that cap damages or otherwise limit recovery for injured plaintiffs. The center currently has about 40…

Dec 17, 2007 2:42 PM CST

Wacky Warning Label Contest Winners

An annual contest to identify the wackiest warning labels has come up with some doozies. The winner was a “Danger: Avoid Death” label on a small tractor. However, other strong contenders included a label for an iron-on T-shirt transfer, “Do not iron while wearing shirt,” and a warning that a…

Dec 14, 2007 6:42 PM CST

$2.5M Settlement in Rare Clery Act Case re Murdered Student

Eastern Michigan University has agreed to pay a $2.5 million settlement to the family of a murdered student apparently slain in her dorm room, in an unusual case related to violations of the federal Clery Act due to non-disclosure of campus safety information. EMU and the family of Laura Dickinson…

Dec 14, 2007 12:56 AM CST

Junk Science Rx

Tennessee Judge W. Neil Thomas III readily admits that sifting through scientific evidence and parsing medical jargon in medical-malpractice cases can be like an English major performing brain surgery.

Dec 1, 2007 8:27 PM CST

Judge Rejects Firm’s FOIA Request for Bridge Collapse Data

A Minnesota judge has rejected a law firm’s bid to obtain data about the massive I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Hennepin County District Judge Herbert Lefler ruled that National Transportation Safety Board regulations that control the release of investigation documents trump state law that might have allowed the firm’s consultants…

Nov 29, 2007 10:30 PM CST

Judge: Explosion Victims Can Voice Objections to BP Settlement

Victims of a deadly BP PLC plant explosion two years ago south of Houston will have a chance to complain about a plea agreement, a judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal says victims of the 2005 disaster that killed 15 and injured another 170 can submit additional information…

Nov 29, 2007 6:44 PM CST

Tests Reveal Lawyer’s Fellow Air Travelers Free of TB

Tests reveal no one was sickened with tuberculosis while flying alongside an Atlanta trial lawyer in May. About 250 passengers from the Atlanta-to-Paris Air France flight were tested, the Associated Press is reporting, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Canadian health officials reportedly made similar findings…

Nov 29, 2007 12:03 AM CST

Ford Agrees to 4-State Rollover Settlement

Ford Motor Co. has struck a rollover settlement deal that applies to some 1 million people in four states. The litigation involved Ford Explorers that plaintiffs in California, Connecticut, Illinois and Texas, claimed were prone to rollovers, the Associated Press reports. The AP reports that vehicle owners will be allowed…

Nov 28, 2007 11:45 PM CST

Bus Accidents Lucrative for Conn. Lawyer

A Connecticut lawyer has found that bus accidents are a thriving practice area with guaranteed wins. Edward Jazlowiecki of Bristol has practiced in the area for 20 years and recovered millions of dollars in settlements, the Connecticut Law Tribune reports. Jazlowiecki gets many of his cases through referrals. He also…

Nov 27, 2007 3:57 PM CST

Health Plans More Aggressive in Seeking Legal Recoveries, Thanks to High Court

Some people who are injured and receive a settlement or verdict are getting a big surprise: More litigation from the health plan that paid their benefits and now wants the money back. Employee health plans are getting more aggressive about enforcing subrogation clauses that permit recovery of the money, buoyed…

Nov 20, 2007 11:55 AM CST

Payouts Unclear in $4.85B Vioxx Settlement

The expected payout to plaintiffs in a $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement may not be high enough to satisfy some of their lawyers. The deal allows Vioxx maker Merck & Co. to pull out of the settlement if 85 percent of the plaintiffs do not agree to it. Boosting that prospect…

Nov 12, 2007 2:44 PM CST

$60M Ford Rollover Verdict Overturned

A Florida appeals court has overturned a $60 million verdict against Ford Motor Co. in an SUV rollover case. The 3rd District Court of Appeal ruled (PDF) the judge improperly allowed jurors to hear about rollover accidents involving Ford Explorers without establishing similarities to the case they were hearing, the…

Nov 8, 2007 4:20 PM CST

Asbestos Doc, Now a Defendant, Is Missing

An asbestos doctor accused in a lawsuit of manufacturing asbestos claims is missing, according to the company that is suing him. The suit by CSX Transportation Corp. claims West Virginia radiologist Ray Harron helped manufacture asbestos claims for the railroad’s employees, the New York Times reports. The complaint alleges Harron…

Nov 7, 2007 3:11 PM CST

CA Jury Gives 6 Banana Workers $3.3M

A California jury has awarded $3.3 million to six Central American laborers who say they suffered health problems as a result of a pesticide used by the American company in the 1970s on the banana plantation on which they worked. However, another six laborers among the plaintiffs in the groundbreaking…

Nov 6, 2007 12:30 AM CST

Former PI Colleagues Now Battling in Buffalo

A rancorous split of a small Buffalo, N.Y., personal injury firm has pitted three trial attorneys against the boss, and it isn’t yet clear who will prevail when the dust settles. The three, who recently left to form their own firm, say they did so because of excessive work piled…

Nov 2, 2007 3:05 AM CDT