Texas tort reform is again in the news, thanks in part to the recent Ebola crisis. Legal news analysts have been assessing the case of Thomas Eric Duncan, the deceased Dallas Ebola patient. Texas Presbyterian Hospital has admitted that Duncan should have been tested for Ebola upon his first visit to the emergency room, but […]
On November 20, 2013, a seventh grade girl in Nevada used her school’s website to report that her friend, Hailee Lamberth, was being relentlessly bullied by another girl at school. Under Nevada law, school officials should have informed Hailee’s parents, Jason and Jennifer Lamberth, within 10 days of the report. But no one ever contacted […]
At the end of October, Louisiana joined the growing number of states that have banned any new installations of the ET-Plus highway guardrail. The guardrail has been linked to numerous deaths since 2005, when a design change produced a deadly malfunction. According to numerous reports, the new design caused a piece of metal that normally […]
The slide in oil prices has continued into December, but Texas oil companies and boom towns say they aren’t too concerned. According to reports in USA Today and the Texas Tribune, many in the oil and gas field feel that Texas is prepared to weather the ups and downs of oil prices. Texas has experienced […]
In June of 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked Fiat Chrysler to recall millions of Jeep Liberty and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles because of a deadly problem with fuel-tank fires. Fiat Chrysler refused to acknowledge any problem with the fuel tanks, but after pressure, they decided to recall some, but not all, […]
In November, a toxic gas leak at a DuPont plant in LaPorte killed four workers. According to news reports, the plant does not have a perfect safety record, having amassed more than 50 safety violations in five years. Still, experts say that this kind of major error is rare for DuPont, and agencies are now […]
A $248 million lawsuit was filed today against GTECH Corporation, operator of the Texas Lottery. A group of 520 lottery players sued to collect their winnings from the controversial Fun 5’s scratch-off game. The suit alleges that GTECH programmed its computers to reject winning tickets as losers even though the tickets met all the requirements […]
Families of people killed or injured in crashes involving General Motors cars that had a deadly ignition switch defect will have an extra month to submit claims for payment under G.M.’s victim compensation program. The administrator of the compensation fund, Kenneth R. Feinberg, decided to extend the deadline to Jan. 31 to give more time to families who […]
The CEO of Spinal Solutions amassed a $22 million fortune by selling surgical screws for use in spinal fusions. At one point, his company owned three corporate jets and flew spinal surgeons to Vail, Co. and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico for all-expense paid vacations. The company was known for its lavish strip club spending […]
A federal judge in Pennsylvania who has overseen a sprawling, multidistrict litigation has made an important ruling on whether Jones Act plaintiffs can seek punitive damages. Merchant marine workers and their survivors are suing ship owners, alleging that exposure to ship-born asbestos scarred their lungs and/or contributed to their deaths. They are suing under the […]