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  December 10, 2012

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The Plaintiff's Resource

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11
Dec

Creating and Maintaining a Paperless Office

12
Dec

From First Consult to Complaint: Basic Tips for Representing a Client With a Sexual Harassment Claim

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Dec

Opening Arguments

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Dec

Medicare, Medicaid and Self-Funded ERISA Solutions

Laws/Cases


 

 

Yelp Comments Spur Defamation Lawsuit

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A Washington, DC, contractor has filed a $750,000 defamation lawsuit against a Virginia woman who wrote him a scathing review on Yelp.com over work his firm did on her home. According to the suit, the plaintiff claims the woman's accusations "were false and sent customers fleeing" and cost him nearly $300,000 in business. At the heart of the issue is free-speech rights versus the lingering affect comments can have when posted on the Internet.
Justin Jouvena, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 12/09/2012   Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn Icon

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Suit: KY Police Officer Raped Woman

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A Kentucky woman has filed suit against a Lexington police officer, claiming he sexually assaulted her last year. According to the suit, the officer arrested the woman in December 2011 for "an alleged public intoxication violation," but instead of taking her to jail, he drove her to a remote location and forcibly raped her. The suit is seeking unspecified damages.
Josh Kegley, Lexington Herald-Leader 12/07/2012   Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn Icon

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Settlement Talks with Sandusky Victims are Fraught Process

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Talks of financial settlement between the university and 24 Sandusky accusers continue, with attorneys for both sides saying they are unlikely to be resolved by the end of the year. And the negotiations have already raised a series of thorny questions. How much financial responsibility does the university bear for Sandusky's crimes? Can one victim's abuse be judged worse than another's and thus more deserving of compensation? And, ultimately, can any dollar amount make up for years of emotional turmoil? "It's not one of those things where you plug A, B, and C into a calculator and it spits out an amount," said a Harrisburg attorney representing multiple Sandusky accusers. "Our goal is to focus on what each specific client needs in order to find closure." Three former Penn State officials, including former president Graham B. Spanier, face charges of covering up early allegations against Sandusky, who was convicted in June of molesting 10 boys, many of them on the university's campus.
Jeremy Roebuck, Philadelphia Inquirer 12/10/2012   Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn Icon

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Issues


 

 

Texas Regulators Prepare Major Drilling Rule Changes

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The Texas Railroad Commission is updating its rules to address the broad process of drilling, from the drilling itself to cementing and completing an oil or gas well. The latest version of the proposed rule changes is expected this week. So far, the commission’s work is winning qualified praise from environmentalists and some in the oil industry.
Kate Galbraith, Texas Tribune 12/10/2012   Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn Icon

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Editorials/Columns/Letters


 

 

Editorial: Question of Honor, Fairness and PTSD

 

Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars have benefited from a growing, if still incomplete, understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder. The government has gotten better at recognizing the affliction and giving them the medical care and benefits they deserve. Vietnam veterans are not always so lucky. A class-action lawsuit filed this month in Federal District Court in Connecticut seeks justice for Vietnam veterans with PTSD who say they have been doubly victimized. The lawsuit was brought against the military branches by an Army veteran, John Shepherd Jr., and the Vietnam Veterans of America on behalf of possibly tens of thousands of veterans.
Editorial Board, The New York Times  12/10/2012  Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn icon

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Wrongful Death


 

 

Jury Awards $109 Million in Power Line Death

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A Pennsylvania jury has awarded $109 million to the family of a Pittsburgh woman who was burned to death by a power line that fell in her backyard. The lawsuit accused West Penn Power Co. of failing to properly train workers to maintain the lines; the victim's husband also allegedly notified the company two months before the incident that he was concerned about the safety of the lines, which had failed twice previously.
Wire Report, The Jackson Clarion-Ledger 12/08/2012   Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn Icon

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Bus Accident at Miami Airport Prompts Lawsuit

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A lawsuit has been filed against a Miami bus service over a fatal accident at Miami International Airport earlier this month that killed two passengers. The lawsuit claims the driver "negligently" drove the 11-foot tall bus into an 8-foot-6-inch overpass at the airport, fatally injuring the victim. The family of the victim names the bus driver, Miami Bus Service Corp. and Miami Bus Service II Corp. as defendants.
Staff Report, The Sacramento Bee 12/07/2012   Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn Icon

Read Article: The Sacramento Bee