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| | Announcements | |
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| | 2012 Annual Conference Discover TTLA, June 6-8 at the Hyatt Lost Pines, Bastrop | |
| | Join TTLA for our biggest event of the year, complete with 2 days of CLE programs, parties, receptions, committee meetings, Board of Directors meeting and our annual awards luncheon. Nestled in the tranquil Central Texas countryside, this year's Annual Conference also offers family-friendly activities, a golf tournament, tennis tournament and more! Click on the headline to learn more! | | TTLA is accepting nominations for the Making a Difference Award. | |
| | TTLA, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, presents the Making a Difference Award to recognize and honor those clients whose cases demonstrate the critical role of the civil justice system in protecting the rights of Texas families. Any client (past or present) of a current TTLA member is eligible for this award. Click on the headline to learn more and download the nomination form. | | Products | |
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| | Faulty Welding Prompts Honda CR-V Recall | |
| | Honda Motors has issued a recall of 1,316 CR-V SUVs due to a faulty part that can cause the car to lose control. The car maker said the front-right control arm - part of the suspension - on some of the vehicles "were improperly welded and could break, which could affect vehicle handling. There have been no crashes or injuries reported in association with the recalled vehicles. James R. Healey, USA Today 03/25/2012 | | Read Article: USA Today | | Laws/Cases | |
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| | Supreme Court Rules Witnesses Shielded From Lawsuits Over Lies to Grand Juries | |
| | The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that witnesses who lie to a grand jury are protected from civil lawsuits, giving them the same protection that witnesses get at trials. The justices ruled against Charles Rehberg, an accountant who was indicted three times involving charges that he harassed doctors affiliated with a south Georgia hospital system. Associated Press, The Washington Post 04/03/2012 | | Read Article: The Washington Post | | LA High Court Upholds Medical Liability Damages Cap | |
| | The Supreme Court of Louisiana has reaffirmed the state’s $500,000 limit on total medical liability damages, declaring the cap constitutional. Under the law creating the cap enacted in 1974, doctors who contribute to the state’s Patients’ Compensation Fund are responsible for the first $100,000 of a liability judgment. The fund covers the remaining $400,000, with no limit on future medical expenses. Alicia Gallegos, American Medical News 04/03/2012 | | Read Article: American Medical News | | Judge Dismisses Suit Against Bellaire Officers | |
| | A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit against two Bellaire police officers involved in the controversial, racially charged shooting of an unarmed black man in the driveway of his Bellaire home on the last day of 2008. Robbie Tolan was shot and seriously injured by a white Bellaire police sergeant in a chaotic scene in the middle of the night outside his house. Tolan and his family sued Sgt. Jeffrey Wayne Cotton and Bellaire police officer John C. Edwards as well as the Bellaire Police chief and the mayor, among others, claiming their civil and constitutional rights were violated. Tony Freemantle, Houston Chronicle 04/03/2012 | | Read Article: Houston Chronicle | | Issues | |
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| | Damage Claims Hit City One a Day | |
| | The Express-News obtained data from the city's Risk Management office for nearly 5,400 insurance claims involving city vehicles since January 2000. The claims are a litany of the trivial and the tragic. The city spent $102 on a woman who complained that a garbage truck dented her mailbox. The city is also dealing with a complaint about a garbage truck that ran over a man in a wheelchair. His injuries were so severe that his legs had to be amputated. John Tedesco, San Antonio Express News 04/03/2012 | | Read Article: San Antonio Express News | | Civil Jury Trials Plummet in Texas | |
| | Civil jury trials are becoming rare in Texas. The right to have disputes decided by a panel of fellow citizens is cited in the Declaration of Independence and explicitly confirmed in the constitutions of Texas and the US. But new statistics show that the right to “trial by jury” is quietly and steadily disappearing thanks to a mixture of tort reform laws and Texas appellate court decisions that have made it more difficult for parties in a lawsuit to have their disputes decided by juries. In addition, lawyers and judges say the expenses of litigation, including discovery and increased attorneys’ fees, have made getting a lawsuit to a jury cost prohibitive. The result is that the system has made it so procedurally and financially onerous that individuals and even many companies can no longer have their peers judge their disputes. MARK CURRIDEN, The Texas Law Book (http://texaslawbook.net), The Dallas Morning News 04/03/2012 | | Read Article: The Dallas Morning News | | Class Action | |
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| | Groupon to Settle Class-Action Lawsuit for $8.5M | |
| | Groupon Inc. agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging the expiration dates on its coupons are illegal. Customers who bought Groupon vouchers before Dec. 1, 2011 can either redeem these past their expiration date or, if they are unable to do so, obtain a refund from the $8.5 million fund, according the proposed settlement filed March 29 in federal court in San Diego. Residents in some states can seek refunds only for vouchers sold after Aug. 22, 2010, according to the filing. Edvard Pettersson -, Bloomberg 04/03/2012 | | Read Article: Bloomberg | | Labor/Employment | |
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| | Teacher Suspended in Michigan Fights Back | |
| | A Michigan teacher's aide has challenged her suspension from the elementary school where she worked because she refused to give school administrators her Facebook password. The woman says the district superintendent demanded her password be handed over so he could view a picture she posted of a co-worker after the school received a complaint. When she refused, she was suspended. The issue is set to go to arbitration next month. Staff Report, United Press International 04/02/2012 | | Read Article: United Press International | |
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