Articles

Workers' Compensation

• Workers' Compensation Lawsuit Grows to More Than 100,000 Business Owners
  What had previously been a small lawsuit filed by seven Ohio companies seeking restitution from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation was expanded when Judge Richard McMonagle reclassified the lawsuit as a class-action suit. This ruling expands the lawsuit - San Allen Inc. dba Corky and Lenny's v. BWC - to include an estimated 100,000 small businesses.
• Ohio Lawmaker Wants to Deny Workers' Compensation to Illegal Immigrants
  Courts in recent years have upheld the workers' compensation rights of injured immigrant employees, regardless of legal status. Only one state - Wyoming - excludes illegal immigrants from the workers' compensation system. Ohio may become the second.

Class Action

• Class Action Suit Filed Against Urban Active Health Club
  A class action lawsuit was filed yesterday, alleging unfair and deceptive business practices, seeks restitution for consumers harmed by Urban Active health clubs.

Nursing Home Negligence

• Mickey Rooney Steps Up Against Elder Abuse and Public Awareness

  Senate hearing to give his account of elderly abuse at the hands of his stepson. Beloved Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Mickey Rooney at age 90 spoke out about the atrocities done to him by a family member. His courage to speak out sparked public awareness about the prevalence of elder abuse in this country.

• Study Shows Elder Abuse Racial Divide

  The University of Pittsburgh recently released a new study indicating African American seniors are twice as likely to suffer psychological mistreatment and five times more likely to suffer financial exploitation than other seniors.

• Fighting Mandatory Ohio Nursing Home Arbitration Clauses
  It does not get much more stressful than the experience of admitting a cherished family member to a nursing home. Unfortunately, this experience is all too common in Ohio and across the U.S., with nearly 1.5 million patients currently in long-term care facilities. A family member already grieving for the declining health and independence of his or her loved one faces the challenge of finding the rare opening in a decent care center, and of getting through all the red tape of the admissions process.
• Nursing Homes, in Bid to Cut Costs, Prod Patients to Forgo Lawsuits
  There is a growing trend for the nursing home industry to write binding arbitration clauses into their standard contracts in an effort to reduce legal costs. Nursing homes have been adopting arbitration strategies in large numbers since a wave of large jury awards against them in the late 1990's. Arbitration can reduce the number of big punitive judgements for neglect and wrongful death as each award is determined by an independent arbitrator and not a jury.
• At Many Homes, More Profit and Less Nursing. The New York Times September 23, 2007
  Investors of nursing homes earn millions after dramatically cutting costs of 49 homes. Half of the registered nursing staff was cut as well as many nursing supplies, activities for the residents, and many other services. One daughter of a resident says "They've created a hellhole." Her mother passed because a bedsore was infected with feces.
• Carlyle Must Solve Problems in Manor Care Homes. December 21, 2007
  Carlyle Group owns Manor Care and must improve care for their residents. Staffing must be increased and deficiencies must be addressed. Advocates, regulators, and law makers are concerned about profit-driven private companies acquiring nursing homes and the effect on the fragile seniors.
• An In-Depth Look at State Nursing Home Regulations
  NHRegsPlus provides state regulations related to nursing homes. This site can be used to: "learn about regulations governing a particular state, or learn about how a particular topic is handled nationwide, or consult federal regulations and codes."

• Democrats Seek Info on Bad Nursing Homes
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a list of 54 nursing homes that were named the worst in their state. Democrat lawmakers are pushing the Bush Administration to release the names of more troubled nursing homes.

Product Liability

• Fixodent Denture Cream Linked to Neurological Problems More than 100 plaintiffs recently filed a class action lawsuit against Proctor & Gamble, the manufacturers of Fixodent denture cream. Allegedly, the product causes serious, irreversible neurological damage to users.

• Product Scares Bring Attention to FDA's Lack of Recall Power
  Every week there is seemingly a new product recall of some sort in the news. Whether it's automobiles or baby toys, a product is being removed from market shelves across the country. Many people may fail to realize, however, that when it comes to pulling defective food and drugs off market shelves, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has no authority to order companies to recall their products. In light of two recent recalls, Congress is proposing bills to reconsider this.

• Popular Painkillers Davon and Darvocet Pulled From Market In November 2010, Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc. voluntarily pulled two of its popular prescription pain medications from the market - Darvon and Darvocet. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested the pharmaceutical company recall the medications in light of a recent study showing that individuals who use propoxyphene are at risk of developing potentially life-threatening heart rhythm abnormalities.

Car, Motorcycle and Truck Accidents

• Gooding Settlement Notice
  A Legal Notice of a class action settlement involving bodily injury claims under Grange auto policies with Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist coverage. This settlement includes everyone: (1) who submitted a bodily injury claim under the UM/UIM provisions of a Grange auto policy from January 1, 1999 through December 12, 2007; (2) who received payment from Grange for the UM/UIM bodily injury claim; and (3) the COLOSSUS software was consulted by Grange in the resolution of the UM/UIM bodily injury claim. The settlement includes these Grange property and casualty insurers: Grange Indemnity Insurance Company, Grange Insurance Company of Michigan, Grange Mutual Casualty Company, Grange Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Integrity Mutual Insurance Company, and Trustgard Insurance Company.
• Study Reveals Texting Bans may Actually Increase Crashes
  In hopes of reducing accidents caused by distracted drivers, states and cities nationwide are moving quickly to enact laws banning texting while driving. In Ohio, a statewide ban is currently being debated in the Senate. And some communities across the state, including Cincinnati, Toledo, Columbus and Cleveland, have already taken proactive measures. However, despite the initiation, some say these measures may be futile. A new study indicates that texting bans may actually make the roads more dangerous.