TTLA Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Seminar | Oct 22-23 | Royal Sonesta, Houston | Be a part of something REAL! Click the headline for more information on the Texas Pharmaceutical Seminar. Even bigger and better this year, TTLA's 3rd Annual Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Seminar is sure to be a sell-out. And all you need to do to experience something REAL is click to register. Real Torts. Real Talk. Real Time. | TTLA Annual Meeting & Advanced PI CLE Seminar December 2-4 | Mark your calendar and register today! TTLA Annual Meeting & Advanced PI CLE Seminar, December 2-4, Four Seasons Hotel, Houston. CLE speakers are confirmed and the program agenda is set. Registration is now open. Hotel room rate of $195 per night expires November 10. Reserve your room today using promo code CI1215LA or call 800-734-4114 and mention the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Click on the headline to learn more. | San Antonio Car Wrecks CLE Seminar, November 5, 2015 | Earn up to 7.25 hours MCLE credit including 1.0 hr ethics credit. TTLA's Car Wrecks CLE Seminar features practical, in-depth tips and strategies to help you WIN YOUR CASES. Come away with the tools you need to compete in the courtroom! Click on the headline to learn more and register. | Texas Tribune Daily Brief | | Johns Hopkins Study Links Fracking and Premature Births | | New research from Johns Hopkins University suggests pregnant women living near hydraulic fracturing wells in Pennsylvania are more likely to give birth prematurely or have high-risk pregnancies. "Now that we know this is happening we'd like to figure out why," said Brian Schwartz, lead researcher and a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Is it air quality? Is it the stress? They're the two leading candidates in our minds at this point." Sean Cockerham, McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS, Houston Chronicle 10/09/2015 | Read Article: Houston Chronicle | Company Can't Identify Chemicals in Pasadena Blaze | | A fire at Schutz Container Systems which injured two firefighters is raising more questions about the safety of workers and the public. Workers couldn't tell first-responders Wednesday night what materials ignited, what was stored in the facility or where their records were, Pasadena Fire Marshal David Brannon said. It complicated both treating the injured and extinguishing the fire. "The folks that were exposed - we didn't even know how to decontaminate them," Brannon said. Matt Dempsey and Mark Collette, Houston Chronicle 10/09/2015 | Read Article: Houston Chronicle | Texas Sues Volkswagen Over Emissions Cheating | | The state announced Thursday it is suing Volkswagen in connection with the German automaker's admitted use of software that allowed its vehicles to circumvent emissions limits. AG Ken Paxton announced two separate lawsuits against Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. and subsidiary Audi of America, alleging violations of the state's consumer protection laws and clean air standards. Kiah Collier and Jim Malewitz, Texas Tribune 10/09/2015 | Read Article: Texas Tribune | Walter Scott Family Reaches $6.5M Settlement With City | | The family of Walter Scott, a black South Carolina man shot and killed by a police officer who is now facing murder charges, has reached a $6.5 million settlement with city officials. The North Charleston, S.C. city council approved the settlement Thursday night at a hearing attended by Scott's family and their attorneys. Yamiche Alcindor, USA Today 10/09/2015 | Read Article: USA Today | Judge Gives Final Approval for $338M Oil Train Settlement | | A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Friday approved a $338 million settlement fund for victims of the fiery 2013 oil train derailment that claimed 47 lives in Quebec, clearing the way for payments to victims by year's end. Judge Peter Cary announced his approval after Canadian Pacific dropped its objection to the settlement plan and after a Canadian judge gave conditional approval Thursday. He praised attorneys for working together to get a substantial settlement in place as quickly as possible. DAVID SHARP, AP, Houston Chronicle 10/09/2015 | Read Article: Houston Chronicle | Uber Sued Over Alleged Rapes by Drivers | | Two women who claim they were sexually assaulted by Uber drivers have filed a lawsuit claiming Uber Technologies Inc. allowed the crimes by putting "profits over safety." The women, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, were assaulted in Boston and Charleston, South Carolina, according to the complaint. Both drivers are accused of taking the women to a secluded area, locking the car doors, and forcing themselves on their passengers. Marisa Kendall, The Recorder 10/09/2015 | Read Article: The Recorder | Woman Files Suit Over Fatal Duck Boat Crash | | A woman has filed a lawsuit after being injured in a fatal crash on a duck boat in Seattle. The crash took place when the duck boat operator lost control of the vehicle, sending the plaintiff flying outside of the bus. The lawsuit alleges that the woman suffered fractures on both her hands, a head injury, and severe bruises as a result of the crash. Five people were killed in the crash. The lawsuit alleges that the duck boat company was negligent in failing to address a mechanical defect. Staff Report, WJLA TV - ABC 7 10/06/2015 | Read Article: WJLA TV - ABC 7 | Lawsuit: Oregon Woman Died When Murphy Bed Collapsed | | A lawsuit has been filed this week over the death of an Oregon woman who was killed when the Murphy bed she was sleeping in collapsed. The 76-year-old woman was struck in the head and the torso when the bed frame fell on her, according to the lawsuit filed in Jackson County Circuit Court by her estate. The lawsuit states that "the frame and mattress assembly locked in the closed position, trapping [the woman] inside and causing her death." The lawsuit names as defendants Westcott Designs of California and Beds for Less, which improperly installed the wall bed. Aimee Green, The Oregonian 10/08/2015 | Read Article: The Oregonian | | |