Announcements | 
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TTLA Annual Conference has moved to June 1-3 in Austin |
| We’ll be hosting all the events you’ve come to expect from our December conference. Between the 2-day CLE, parties, meetings, legislative update & special events, you’ll leave the live music capital of the world feeling energized, connected, and bad to the bone! Check out the CLE program agendas for Wednesday and Thursday, which include a live video presentation with David Ball plus family friendly events to make this a true vacation opportunity. Click on the headline to register! |
Products |
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8 Manufacturers Recall Pool, Spa Drain Covers |
| Eight manufacturers have voluntarily recalled about one million pool and in-ground spa drain covers because of incorrect water flow ratings. The CPSC announced the recall Thursday. The manufacturers are Arizona-based A&A Manufacturing and Color Match Pool Fittings, California-based AquaStar Pool Products Inc. and Waterway Plastic, Georgia-based Custom Molded Products, New Jersey-based Hayward Pool Products, North Carolina-based Pentair Water Pool and Spa and Tennessee-based Rising Dragon USA. Associated Press, The Washington Post 05/27/2011 | Read Article: The Washington Post |
Laws/Cases |
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2 Lenders to Settle Charges of Improper Foreclosure Military Personnel |
| Two mortgage lenders will pay more than $22 million combined to settle federal civil charges that they improperly foreclosed on 178 military personnel, some of whom were serving in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. Subsidiaries of Bank of America Corp. and Morgan Stanley failed to obtain court orders before imposing the foreclosures between 2006 and 2009, the Justice Department said Thursday. The cases will result in an average of $125,562 in payments per person. The foreclosed homes were in 22 states. Associated Press, The Washington Post 05/27/2011 | Read Article: The Washington Post |
Judge: Texas Foster Care Lawsuit Can Proceed |
| A judge says she will allow a lawsuit challenging Texas' foster care system to proceed as a class action. U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack said during a hearing Thursday that she will grant class certification for the suit initiated by the advocacy group Children's Rights. The suit contends that the Texas system is unconstitutional and should be reformed. It was filed in March on behalf of nine children between the ages of nine and 16. Associated Press, Houston Chronicle 05/27/2011 | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
Theye Ordered to Pay $6.2 Million for Scheme |
| The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said it had won a court order requiring Richard D. Theye of Austin to pay more than $6.2 million in a commodity Ponzi scheme. In June 2010, the commission filed a fraud complaint against Theye and his company, Micind Capital Management, in connection with the scheme. He was indicted, pleaded guilty last July to nine counts and was sentenced to 144 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin entered an order requiring Theye to pay $5.7 million in restitution and $560,000 in civil penalties for defrauding investors, the commission said Thursday. , Austin American Statesman 05/27/2011 | Read Article: Austin American Statesman |
Atlanta Pastor Resolves Sex Coercion Lawsuit |
| Atlanta megachurch pastor Eddie Long has "resolved" a lawsuit filed against him by four male members of the congregation who claimed Long "coerced them into sexual relationships." The lawsuit was filed last September, and Long vehemently denied the charges. Neither side has discussed the details of the lawsuit resolution, sources said. David Beasley, Chicago Tribune 05/26/2011 | Read Article: Chicago Tribune |
Dialysis Company Settles Whistleblower Suit |
| Kidney dialysis provider Fresenius Medical Care AG has been ordered to pay $82.6 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit accusing the company of overcharging Medicare. The lawsuit claimed Fresenius and two of its subsidiaries overbilled Medicare between 1999 and 2005 for home support dialysis supplies. David Voreacos and Margaret Cronin Fisk, Bloomberg 05/26/2011 | Read Article: Bloomberg |
Lawsuit Filed Against Chicago Over Model's Death |
| The father of a model from Bosnia has filed a lawsuit against the city of Chicago over her drowning in the Chicago River. The model's car crashed through barricades on Blackhawk Street and into the river on May 12, the Chicago Tribune reported. The suit claims the city allowed the barricades to "fall into disrepair" and failed to warn drivers about the "dangerous condition" of the city-owned area. The suit is seeking unspecified damages. William Lee, Chicago Tribune 05/26/2011 | Read Article: Chicago Tribune |
Issues |
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FDA Cracking Down on Tobacco Marketing |
| The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued 11 warnings to various online retailers over illegal practices of marketing tobacco products as able to "reduce harm or the risk of tobacco-related disease." Terms such as "Light," "Low," "Mild," "Less toxic," or "Safer" are violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and have not been proven in lab testing, the agency said. These false advertising words may lead to increased use in tobacco, which can do more harm to users. Staff Report, The Sacramento Bee 05/25/2011 | Read Article: The Sacramento Bee |
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