The 2013 Making a Difference Recipient Dustin Strelsky | The 2013 Making a Difference Recipient Dustin Strelsky, who in 2013 who was involved in efforts to reform the subrogation process, competed on Saturday in the first ever boys' wheelchair track events at the UIL State Track & Field meet in Austin. Dustin won both the the boys' 100 and 400. Congratulations!! Click on the headline to learn more about Dustin's journey. | COLLABORATE! TTLA’S 2014 ANNUAL CONFERENCE! | COLLABORATE! Join TTLA President Mike Guajardo at TTLA’s 2014 Annual Conference in Austin, June 11-13. ALL MEMBERS are invited and encouraged to attend a very important meeting of our Board of Directors Meeting on June 12th. In addition, the CLE Committee has once again planned three dynamic programs. We’ll start things off with The Jury Bias Model™ - From Car Wrecks to the Complex Case presented by Greg Cusimano and David Wenner on June 11th, followed by a ½-day CLE on June 12th with some of TTLA’s brightest stars sharing their best tips. The conference will wrap up with our Annual Med Mal program with all the latest updates and insights, before closing with an evening of Magic and Music. Click here to see all we have planned for you! Two days. Three great seminars. TTLA’s 2014 Annual Conference. Click on the headline for more information and to register. | 9 Studies Linking Quakes and Drilling Activity in Texas | | To see the evidence that there’s a link between that oil and gas activity and the rapid increase in earthquakes in Texas, you don’t have to look far. There’s plenty of peer-reviewed scientific studies already making a link between quakes and certain drilling activities, including wastewater disposal, oil and gas extraction, and enhanced oil recovery. While the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates the oil and gas industry in the state, maintains that these links are hypothetical, the number of scientific studies showing that link continue to grow. Terrence Henry, StateImpact Texas, Texas Tribune 05/13/2014 | Read Article: Texas Tribune | Dairy Giant Named in Animal, Workers' Rights Lawsuit | | A lawsuit has been filed against one of the largest dairy producers in the country by a group of consumers who accuse the dairy of violating workers rights and milking cows who are sick and injured. The lawsuit contends that cows are milked despite illness or swollen udders and that "workers are denied the most basic labor protections, such as drinkable water, lunch rooms, meal and rest periods and an environment free of discrimination." The lawsuit was filed last week in U.S. District Court in San Francisco and seeks unspecified damages. Lynne Terry, The Oregonian 05/08/2014 | Read Article: The Oregonian | Judge Owned Stock in Company, Lawsuit Reopened | | A federal discrimination lawsuit in the state of Alabama that was dismissed in 2009 has been reopened after an investigation revealed that the judge owned stock in the company facing the lawsuit. A months-long investigation conducted by the Center for Public Integrity revealed that the 11th Circuit Judge "bought up to $15,000 worth of stock in [the company] several months before ruling in favor of the international construction giant, violating court rules." The lawsuit alleged that the plaintiff, an African-American woman, was fired from her position at the company while white managers were allowed to keep their jobs. A new 11th Circuit panel will be selected as the case goes back to court. Brian Lawson, AL.com 05/12/2014 | Read Article: AL.com | Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Abuse by Now-Deceased Priest | | Two former altar boys for a Roman Catholic church in Massachusetts have filed a lawsuit alleging that they were sexually abused by a priest. The lawsuit contends that the two boys were sexually abused by the now-deceased priest beginning when they were 9 and 10 years old in the 1970's and that the former bishop did nothing to stop it. According to the plaintiffs, the bishop did not properly supervise the priest accused of sexually abusing them. The lawsuit was filed in Hartford, Conn. in January but came to light on Monday. Wire Report, San Francisco Chronicle 05/13/2014 | Read Article: San Francisco Chronicle | Settlement Persued in "Intentional" Dentist Injury Case | | A lawsuit alleging that an Oregon dentist intentionally injured one of his patients during a tooth extraction is close to being settled. A board of commissioners will vote on Thursday whether to allow the defendants to pursue a settlement with the plaintiff. During a tooth extraction procedure, a nerve in the plaintiff's tongue was severed, causing her permanent injury. According to the lawsuit, the severing of the nerve was a "deliberate, intentional act performed with the knowledge that Plaintiff would suffer injury as a result." The lawsuit seeks $786,000 in damages. Kelly House, The Oregonian 05/12/2014 | Read Article: The Oregonian | Federal Suit: $49K Total for All Plaintiffs | | A jury Monday awarded four men who claim they were brutalized by Galveston police officers about $49,000, a sum that fell far short of the amount sought by 12 plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit. The mixed verdict determined that four officers used excessive force against the members of a 2008 wedding party on the island. But jurors deadlocked on questions about whether the Galveston Police Department had a custom of using and underreporting excessive force. ALEX MACON, Galveston County - The Daily News 05/13/2014 | Read Article: Galveston County - The Daily News | GM Crash Victim's Family Files New Lawsuit, Claims Company Lied | | A Georgia couple who settled with General Motors Co last year over their daughter's fatal car crash linked to a faulty ignition switch has filed a new lawsuit against the automaker. In a complaint filed in state court in Marietta, Georgia, on Monday, Ken and Beth Melton accused GM of fraudulently concealing critical evidence and allowing a company representative to lie under oath. They claimed that a lead design engineer for Cobalt ignition switches repeatedly testified that he did not know of any design change to the switches, and that GM affirmed those statements. Terry Baynes, Reuters 05/13/2014 | Read Article: Reuters | Former Players Near Deal With NCAA on Concussion Lawsuit | | An attorney for the plaintiffs in a concussion lawsuit against the NCAA says that settlement negotiations resulted in a term sheet in February that "will provide a medical monitoring program to all current and former student-athletes." Rachel Axon, USA Today 05/13/2014 | Read Article: USA Today | | |