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Announcements
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2011 Reel Justice Fishing
Tournament, Sep 30 - Oct 1 in Port Aransas
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Join the TTLA Advocates for our first Annual Reel Justice
Fishing Tournament, and see who gets bragging rights as TTLA's fishing
champion! The fun starts Friday evening with a Welcome dinner, where
you'll meet your guide and pick up your tournament materials. Saturday
morning at first light, it's ON! Registration fee includes boat, guide,
Welcome dinner on Friday, breakfast, lunch & snacks on Saturday,
tournament t-shirt, and other goodies!
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Products
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30,000 Jettas Recalled in the U.S.
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Volkswagen has issued a recall of 2011 and 2012 Jetta
sedans due to exhaust pipes that caused leg burns. The recall covers
30,294 cars. The company said "some of the cars came with
stainless steel exhaust tips may extend beyond the length of the
original factory-installed exhaust pipes." This increases the risk
of unintentional contact and burns. The recall, which was instituted
after a number of consumer complaints to the company, will begin in
November. Jonathan Welsh, WSJ Blogs 09/13/2011
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Read Article: WSJ Blogs
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FDA Warns of Serious Risk with
Recalled Medtronic Drug Pumps
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The FDA are warning patients that drug pumps recalled by
Medtronic may fail to deliver drugs used to treat chronic pain, spasms
and other conditions. The FDA classified the action as a class-one
recall Monday, meaning the defective devices could cause serious harm.
The agency says the malfunction is caused by a film that forms on the
battery. The recall affects SynchroMed II implantable pump models
8637-20 and 8637-40, distributed between 2004 and July 2011. As with
most implantable device recalls, the manufacturer is not recommending
patients have the pumps removed. Instead patients should contact their
doctor if they experience symptoms are hear the device alarm. Associated
Press, The Washington Post 09/13/2011
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Read Article: The Washington Post
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Safety Regulators Probe Headlight
Failures on Minivans
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Federal safety regulators have opened an investigation
into Dodge and Chrysler minivans from the 2005 model year because the
headlights can fail without warning. The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration said on its website that 622,817 Dodge Caravan
and Chrysler Town and Country minivans could be affected by the
problem. The agency says more than 1,500 owners have complained to
Chrysler or the government. Two crashes and one minor injury were
reported to Chrysler. In addition, 14,208 warranty claims that may be
related to the problem have been reported by Chrysler. Associated
Press, The Washington Post 09/13/2011
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Read Article: The Washington Post
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Laws/Cases
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LA Firefighter Awarded $400,000 in
Lawsuit
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A former Los Angeles County firefighter has been awarded
$400,000 in a lawsuit he filed against the county and department over a
retaliatory firing. The lawsuit claims the plaintiff was retaliated
against after testifying against another employee during a sexual
harassment case. He claims he was threatened by supervisors and
transferred to another station that was 65 miles away from his home.
Bill Hetherman, Contra Costa Times 09/13/2011
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Read Article: Contra Costa Times
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Suit: Employer Shows Bias Against
Pregnancy
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A Vice President at Deutsche Bank has filed a lawsuit
against the company claiming she she was discriminated against by the
company after taking maternity leave. According to the lawsuit, upon
her return, the company "directed bigger accounts to a male colleague,
slashed her bonus" and tried to demote her. The lawsuit is seeking
punitive and compensatory damages. Jonathan Stempel, Reuters
09/12/2011
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Read Article: Reuters
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3,500 in W.Va. Enrolled in DuPont
Monitoring Plan
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DuPont says some 3,500 West Virginians who believe
long-term exposure to a former zinc smelter has increased their risk of
illness are currently enrolled in a medical monitoring program set to
begin Nov. 1. The 30-year program may help people who lived near the
Spelter smelter in Harrison County to detect and treat disease early.
The smelter in north-central West Virginia produced more than 4 billion
pounds of slab zinc and 400 million pounds of zinc dust for use in
rustproofing products, paint pigments and battery anodes. By 1971, a
toxic waste pile stood 100 feet tall and covered nearly half of the 112
acres. Associated Press, The Washington Post 09/13/2011
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Read Article: The Washington Post
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Issues
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Feds Add Teeth to Offshore Safety
Rule
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The government today moved to boost the safety of offshore
drilling by adding teeth to one-year-old requirements that oil and gas
companies systematically identify risks at every stage of their work.
The proposed changes build on the workplace safety rule the agency
imposed last October. Under the year-old rule, companies must identify
risks at every stage of offshore exploration and then take steps to
minimize those human errors and organizational hazards. That regulation
for the first time forced companies operating in U.S. waters to
establish safety and environmental management systems like those
already required in the North Sea. Companies have until Nov. 15 to
comply. Jennifer A. Dlouhy , Houston Chronicle 09/13/2011
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Read Article: Houston Chronicle
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Texas Jurors' Stipend to Diminish
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Jury pay will be another casualty of state budget cuts
this month. Trial jurors get $6 from Harris County for their first day
of service. For each day served after that, they get $40 - $34 from the
state and $6 from the county. The state budget passed earlier this year
will see Texas' contribution drop from $34 to $28 per day on Sept. 28.
Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle 09/13/2011
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Read Article: Houston Chronicle
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U.S. Targets Drug Executives
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U.S. authorities are stepping up enforcement of a
little-used law—the so-called "responsible corporate officer
doctrine"—to hold executives personally and criminally responsible
for corporate violations of U.S. food and drug laws. The development
has triggered a new wave of worry among defense lawyers representing
health-care executives. Congress authorized criminal sanctions against corporate
officers in 1938 under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The Supreme
Court has since interpreted the law to allow prosecutions without
evidence that executives knew a crime was committed because of the
potential for health-care and food products to cause death. VANESSA
O'CONNELL AND MICHAEL ROTHFELD , Wall Street Journal - $$ Subscription
Required 09/13/2011
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Read Article: Wall Street Journal - $$ Subscription Required($)
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Insurance
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State Farm Move Could Mean Less
Homeowner Coverage
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State Farm is proposing changes to home insurance
deductibles that consumer advocates warn would reduce the amount
consumers could collect on claims. As part of a notice to TDI that it
plans to hike homeowner rates an average 9.6% in October,and also said
it plans to move all current customers to a minimum 1% deductible
starting in December. That means deductibles would be charged as a
percentage of the home's insured value rather than a flat dollar
amount. For example, the owner of a house insured for $200,000 with a
flat $1,000 deductible and a $10,000 claim would collect $9,000 from an
insurer. With a 1% deductible, however, the homeowner would only
recover $8,000 because the 1% deductible translates to $2,000. With a
5% deductible, the same homeowner would collect nothing from the
insurance company. Purva Patel, Houston Chronicle 09/13/2011
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Read Article: Houston Chronicle
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