Legal

The Legal section covers court rulings, statutory changes, liability trends, and key developments in Alabama and federal law that shape personal-injury claims. We explain how case law and regulation affect claims strategy, statutes of limitations, damages, and the rights of injured people pursuing justice.

Replacing Gas Pipes Reduces Leaks, Lessens Explosion Risk

Billions of dollars have been spent on pipeline replacement programs over the last decade to prevent invisible gas leaks from aging or damaged pipelines, and it is having a dramatically positive impact on leaks, according to a newly released study in the journal Environmental Science…

By Billy Cunningham

/ 17 Sep 2015

Brought to You By the 7th

Preparing for jury trials is like sending a family member off to college. You spend an extended period of time preparing them, worrying over which is the best direction to point them in, while also providing the tools, wisdom and knowledge you think they’ll need.…

By Dottie Perry

/ 8 Jul 2014

Hobby Lobby and Religious Right Victory in the Supreme Court

The opinion issued today in support of businesses’ (legal entities – not people) religious rights is here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf. The court’s vote on the case was split 5-4. The majority opinion was written by Justice Samuel Alito. Voting against the majority we

By Dottie Perry

/ 30 Jun 2014

HITECH: Your Medical Records are Your Property

I often have discussions with clients about their medical records. Most clients are unaware that they can request copies of those records for their personal use. It’s a relatively straight-forward request under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the HITECH Act),

By Dottie Perry

/ 27 May 2014

Alabama’s Hangout Music Festival – I Fought the Law and the Law Won

At Alabama’s sandy-white intersection of I-59 and Beach Boulevard, HO-MF, LLC hosts Gulf Shores’ Hangout Music Festival every Spring. The wide variety of musicians in the lineup draws crowds from far and wide, in the tens of thousands. Many of the concert-goers wake to more…

By Dottie Perry

/ 16 May 2014

Amazon Drones: Flying Blind Into Danger

On a recent episode of 60 Minutes Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that his company has plans to have drone “octocopters” deliver products to customers within 30-minutes of ordering. If you haven’t seen the promotional Amazon video for the service to be called Amazon Prime Air,…

By Clay Rossi

/ 5 Dec 2013

The Danger of Flying Hotdogs

Currently before the Missouri Supreme Court is a case destined for inclusion in torts casebooks for years to come. The facts, courtesy of Slate, are as follows: On Sept. 8, 2009, Robert Coomer, 50, was sitting in the stands with his dad watching the Royals…

By Clay Rossi

/ 26 Nov 2013

Mistakes of the 1980s: New Coke, Suzuki Samurais, and The Old Rule 11

There’s a biblical proverb that comes to mind: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” Here the dog is Congress and the vomit is a revival of the draconian strictures of the 1983 version of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure…

By Clay Rossi

/ 19 Nov 2013

Mentoring in the Legal Profession

I read this article today, written by a female corporate lawyer, and it set me back a moment. The article distinguishes between mentors and role models by describing the latter as someone who looks like you do. It probably should have resonated more with me, but…

By Dottie Perry

/ 13 Nov 2013

Are Smart Meters Safe Meters?

They are called smart meters. In essence, a smart meter is an electronic utility meter which sends wireless (RF) data transmissions in order to save utility companies the costs of using human meter readers. While cost effective for power, water, and natural gas providers, there…

By Clay Rossi

/ 12 Nov 2013

Monsanto vs. The Rule of Law

Ever notice that there is very little news about Monsanto in the press even though the company is doing things that are very worthy of coverage, like promoting corporate immunity with the Monsanto Protection Act. Thanks in large part to U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., the…

By Clay Rossi

/ 5 Nov 2013

D.C. Appellate Court Rules Against Contraceptive Mandate in Affordable Care Act

A divided Federal court in the District of Columbia sided with more business owners who brought suit to challenge the Affordable Care Act (“ObamaCare”) birth control mandate today. The court’s order expressly provided “a temporary reprieve from the mandate.” The plaintiff business owners complained

By Dottie Perry

/ 1 Nov 2013