Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| Texas Giant Fatality Could Bring Change |  | The Texas Giant at Six Flags was closed on July 19, 2013 after Rosa Esparza, 52, had fallen out of the Giant to her death. The accident brought attention to Texas' hands-off inspection system for amusement rides and the potential dangers faced by riders with larger body types. Although Esparza's death has not inspired major industry changes, some Texas legislators said reform is possible. Ride inspections are performed by contractors hired by the parks' insurance companies. Texas Department of Insurance's main job is collecting proof of insurance and inspection, but it doesn't have enforcement authority.
JEFF MOSIER, The Dallas Morning News 07/21/2014    | | Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
| Liability Issues Unanswered in Malaysia Flight 17 Crash | | | Crash investigators have been met with challenging circumstances at the scene of last week's downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in the Ukraine. Determining liability in the incident - let alone achieving reparations for the victims' families - will likely be just as arduous, experts say.
Mike Snider, USA Today 07/21/2014
| | Read Article: USA Today |
| Judge Declares Mistrial in $1B Trinity Guardrail Case | | Trinity Industries Inc.'s courtroom defense of the safety of its highway guardrails prompted a federal judge to declare a mistrial because of "serious concerns" about a company witness's truthfulness. U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap in Marshall, Texas, ruled yesterday that both sides of the whistleblower trial, through "sharp practices or inadvertent error," created an environment in which the jury couldn't reach a fair verdict. As much as $1 billion is at stake in the case, a company lawyer said in May. Trinity is accused of making secret, money- saving changes to one of its highway guardrail products that caused them to impale rather than slow vehicles.
Patrick G. Lee , Bloomberg 07/21/2014 | | Read Article: Bloomberg |
| Florida Jury Awards $23 Billion Against RJ Reynolds | | A Florida jury has awarded the widow of a chain smoker who died of lung cancer 18 years ago record punitive damages of more than $23 billion in her lawsuit against the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Cynthia Robinson of the Florida Panhandle city of Pensacola sued the cigarette maker in 2008 over the death of her husband, Michael Johnson, claiming the company conspired to conceal the health dangers and addictive nature of its products. The jury returned a verdict granting compensatory damages of $7.3 million to the widow and the couple's child, and $9.6 million to Johnson's son from a previous relationship. The same jury awarded Robinson the additional sum of $23.6 billion in punitive damages, according to the verdict forms.
Barbara Liston, Reuters 07/21/2014 | | Read Article: Reuters |
| Dallas Teen Files Lawsuit Against General Motors | | | A Dallas man severely injured in a 2011 car crash has filed a nine-count civil lawsuit against GM and a GM dealership in Erie, alleging the Pontiac he was driving had a defective ignition switch. Damon Szatkowski, 20, and his mother, Karen, filed the suit Monday in Luzerne County Court, PA. Szatkowski, then 17, suffered severe and permanent brain and physical injuries when the 2006 Pontiac Solstice he was driving suddenly veered into a retaining wall on Dec. 3, 2011.
Edward Lewis, Times Leader 07/21/2014
| | Read Article: Times Leader |
| Exam Pictures Cost Johns Hopkins $190M | | Lawyers say Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has agreed to a $190 million settlement with more than 8,000 patients of a gynecologist who secretly photographed and videotaped women's bodies in the examining room. Authorities say Dr. Nikita Levy used a pen-like camera he wore around his neck. He committed suicide a year and a half ago while under investigation and was never charged.
JULIET LINDERMAN, AP, Yahoo News 07/21/2014 | | Read Article: Yahoo News |
| A Translator Who Talked | | Toyota Motor Corp. has subpoenaed a former translator-turned-whistleblower, hoping to discover how she secured access to hundreds of confidential documents that she posted on an online blog, including information relating to computer code it considers its "crown jewels." The translator, a former subcontractor named Betsy Benjaminson is providing internal Toyota documents to news organizations including CNN and Corporate Counsel, an affiliate of The National Law Journal, involving alleged defects that caused Toyota's cars and trucks to suddenly accelerate out of control.
Amanda Bronstad, The National Law Journal - $$ Subscription Required 07/21/2014 | | Read Article: The National Law Journal - $$ Subscription Required($) |
| GM Halts Sales of Some Cadillac CTS Sedans | | GM has told its dealers to halt the sale of some Cadillac models, mostly used cars, because the company doesn't yet have a fix in place for a defective ignition switch. The automaker issued an urgent order dated July 8 to its dealers to stop delivery of 2014 Cadillac CTS sedans that use a standard key ignition. The order didn't apply to the newest models with a push-button start.
Edmund Lee and Jeff Plungis, Bloomberg 07/21/2014 | | Read Article: Bloomberg |
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