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| | Volvo Fined $1.5 Million for Failing to Report Defects | |
| | The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (N.H.T.S.A) has fined automaker Volvo $1.5 million to settle claims over recall delays in 2010 and 2012. The agency said Volvo failed to report problems with approximately 32,000 vehicles. Federal regulations require manufacturers to report defects to the N.H.T.S.A. within five days of discovering a safety problem. Christopher Jensen, The New York Times 07/03/2012 | | Read Article: The New York Times | | Amid Cattle Deaths in Central Texas, an Agricultural Mystery | |
| | The sudden death of 15 cows on a Central Texas pasture in May was more than a tragedy for the rancher. It marked the beginning of a search for answers that has pointed directly to the grass on which the cows were grazing. Mose Buchele, StateImpact Texas, Texas Tribune 07/09/2012 | | Read Article: Texas Tribune | | Laws/Cases | |
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| | Couple Killed by Train Derailment, Lawsuit Filed | |
| | The death of a Chicago couple, crushed by a train that had derailed, has prompted a lawsuit against Union Pacific. The lawsuit claims Union Pacific failed to maintain the track where the train derailed on a bridge crossing; the bridge collapsed on the victims' car as it drove under. The suit is seeking unspecified damages. Jonathan Bullington, Jennifer Delgado and John Keilman, Chicago Tribune 07/07/2012 | | Read Article: Chicago Tribune | | Suit: Jailer 'Brutalized' Mentally Ill Inmates | |
| | A group of mentally ill and impaired inmates in the Tarrant County Jail have filed a lawsuit against a local deputy, accusing him of "brutalizing" inmates. In their suit, the plaintiffs say the jailer forced the inmates to "do 'sexual type acts' to others, sexually touched inmates and kicked inmates in sexual areas." The defendant is currently the target of a criminal investigation by the Sheriff's Department surrounding the allegations. Deanna Boyd, Ft. Worth Star Telegram 07/09/2012 | | Read Article: Ft. Worth Star Telegram | | Court Rules on Fees, Third-Party Communications | |
| | The Texas Supreme Court in June issued two opinions that may prompt some lawyers to change their everyday practices about documenting their work time and communicating with third parties about cases. In El Apple I Ltd. v. Myriam Olivas, the high court ruled that parties must submit detailed lawyer time records to courts when seeking to recover attorneys' fees from an opposing party. Angela Morris, Texas Lawyer 07/09/2012 | | Read Article: Texas Lawyer | | Agents Are Accused of Abusing Border Crossers | |
| | Brenda Vasquez is suing Customs and Border Protection Port Director Michael Freeman, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the CBP agent who she says bullied her into signing a false statement and who is named in a scathing complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union that details similar incidents. Though she lives and works in Mexico, Vasquez says she was born in the Rio Grande Valley and, until February, was allowed to cross the border with her birth certificate, a Social Security card and a Texas ID — all confiscated by federal agents after what she describes as an abusive interrogation that lasted for hours. Lynn Brezosky, San Antonio Express News 07/09/2012 | | Read Article: San Antonio Express News | | Issues | |
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| | Traffic Deaths Soar in Eagle Ford Shale Areas | |
| | In the past six months, Karnes County alone has seen 12 people die in traffic accidents. That's 12 times the number of fatalities reported to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2008, just as oil and gas drilling started to take off. So many people were killed on Texas 239 southeast of Kenedy - five since March 1 - that it's now known as the "death trap." Karnes is one of more than a dozen counties inundated with traffic from the Eagle Ford Shale energy boom. In the counties most directly affected by Eagle Ford drilling, the biggest jump in fatal traffic accidents has involved commercial vehicles, according to an analysis of TxDOT numbers, increasing from six in 2008 to 24 last year. Hailey Konnath, Houston Chronicle 07/09/2012 | | Read Article: Houston Chronicle | | S. TX Oil Waste Haulers Find Breaking the Law Not so Slick | |
| | A law enforcement focus that didn't exist a year ago is now bringing illegal oil field waste haulers to justice in Jim Wells County. It's also helping reduce oily slicks that can cause wrecks and pose environmental hazards, said Hector Zertuche, the county's environmental crimes officer. Twenty-one people pleaded guilty in court June 27, eight requested a trial, and nine accused illegal dumpers failed to show, prompting County Judge Arnoldo Saenz to issue warrants for their arrest, Zertuche reported.The misdemeanor convictions, for charges including disposal of oil field waste on a public road and hauling without a permit, carried fines and court costs ranging from $400 to $800. Perhaps a larger impact is seen on the roads and highways around the county, where reports of dangerous oily slicks once came at least weekly. Mark Collette, Corpus Christi Caller Times 07/09/2012 | | Read Article: Corpus Christi Caller Times | | Healthcare | |
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| | Texas Docs Cut Back on Poor Patients | |
| | The number of Texas doctors willing to accept government-funded health insurance plans for the poor and the elderly is dropping dramatically amid complaints about low pay and red tape, showed a survey by the Texas Medical Association provided to The Associated Press on Sunday before its Monday release.Only 31 percent of Texas doctors said they were accepting new patients who rely on Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled. In 2010, the last time the survey was taken, 42 percent of doctors accepted new Medicaid patients. In 2000, that number was 67 percent. CHRIS TOMLINSON, Associated Press, Austin American Statesman 07/09/2012 | | Read Article: Austin American Statesman | | Labor/Employment | |
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| | Racial Discrimination Suit Settled by Trucking Co. | |
| | A trucking company has agreed to pay $11 million to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by dozens of former and current employees in the Chicago area. A group of African-American employees said they found "hangman's nooses and racist graffiti, comments and cartoons at the now-closed Chicago Ridge terminal," where they worked. More than 320 employees may be eligible for part of the settlement. Staff Report, United Press International 07/06/2012 | | Read Article: United Press International | | Wrongful Death | |
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| | Girl's Drowning on Lake Erie Brings Lawsuit | |
| | Two Ohio men are named in a lawsuit over the drowning of a former Akron high school student during a party on Lake Erie in 2010. The lawsuit accuses the two men, one of whom was operating the boat, of becoming "increasingly intoxicated" to the point of not being able to operate the boat "in a safe manner." The suit believes the girl drowned while going for a swim. Ed Meyer , Akron Beacon Journal 07/05/2012 | | Read Article: Akron Beacon Journal | |
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