The large and powerful companies in Corporate America (sometimes referred to as “Fat Cats”) have always had ready access to the seats of power at the national level, and that has also been the case in almost every state capitol in America. In recent years that access has become much easier. Lobbyist
Approximately 14,000 employers have been notified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that injury and illness rates at their worksites are higher than average and that assistance is available to help them fix safety and health hazards. OSHA has explained to these employers th
A Texas construction contractor faces a proposed fine of $108,500 following a trenching accident that claimed a worker’s life, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Utility Contractors of America LLC, Lubbock, Texas, a construction company headquartered in Wolfforth, Texas,
Beasley Allen recently reached a settlement of $4 million dollars with David Bulger, Inc., a trucking company, in a highway construction project death case. The settlement, which was partial in nature, was only for the claim against that company. We still have a claim pending against Wiregrass Const
A California state jury awarded $3.7 million in damages to a family that suffered injuries during a crash involving vehicles owned by Harris Ranch Beef Co. and FedEx Ground Package System Inc. The jury found that California-based Harris Ranch should pay 80% of the damages and that Pittsburgh-based F
Transportation fatalities in the United States increased last year, according to preliminary figures released last month by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Deaths from transportation accidents in the United States in 2005 totaled 45,636, up from 45,092 in 2004. Based on our firm’s e
Yamaha Motor Corp. is recalling around 190,000 motorcycles because the passenger seat can fall off the rear fender, federal safety regulators and the company said Friday. The recall affects XV250, XVS11, and XVS65 motorcycles from the 1988-2005 model years. The mounting hardware that connects the se
Ford Motor Co. approved replacement tires for its Explorer sport utility vehicle that made it just as likely to roll over as the originals that Ford had blamed for more than 200 deaths. Ford’s test results of replacement tires, introduced as evidence in an Explorer trial in Mississippi, will support
I was shocked to learn that medication errors harm 1.5 million people and kill several thousand each year in the United States, costing the nation at least $3.5 billion annually. While I knew that the error rate was fairly high, I certainly didn’t realize how bad it actually was. The Institute of Me
An increasing number of lawsuits against the nation’s top three credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian allege they are “damaging credit worthiness” of consumers through inaccurate credit reports. Various consumers and lawyers agree that erroneous reports are best handled through litigatio
The 2004 approval of the antibiotic Ketek, is a “mistake,” according to FDA safety official Dr. David Graham. Graham suggested immediate withdrawal of the controversial antibiotic, citing its toxicity and lack of adequate safety research. Over five million prescriptions have been written for Ketek,
An unidentified whistleblower filed suit in Federal District Court against medical device manufacturer Medtronic. The suit claims the company’s spinal-plant division gave doctors kickbacks to encourage the use of its products. The company settled the first of two similar lawsuits for $40M.