Operation PAC 100 | Operation PAC 100: Inspired by Past President Mike Gallagher’s $100,000 matching challenge, the TTLA Advocates formed Operation PAC 100 to amplify our members’ collective political voice through the TTLA PAC. Be one of the PAC 100, by contributing $1000 or any amount you can. Help give our legislative team the tools needed to protect the civil justice system in the 2015 legislative session and beyond.Click on the headline to learn more. |
Texas Tribune Daily Brief | | Should TX Adopt a 3-Strikes Law for Negligent Nursing Homes? | | The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission recommended lawmakers crack down on negligent nursing homes by forcing facilities with a history of abuses to shut their doors. The proposal asks lawmakers to pass a law requiring the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services revoke the license of any nursing home with three or more of the most egregious kinds of offenses over a two-year period. Under current state law, the agency undertakes regular inspections of nursing homes and has the power to issue corrective plans and revoke licenses. There also are rules for emergency license suspension or forced closure, but they remain vague and do not carry a clear-cut mandate. Lauren McGaughy, Houston Chronicle 08/14/2014 | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
Fracking Probe: Oil and Gas Companies Illegally Injected Diesel | | Oil and gas companies illegally injected 9,173 gallons of diesel while fracking wells in Colorado, and 32,950 gallons nationwide, according to a report unveiled Wednesday by an attorneys' environmental group. Fracking with diesel without a permit has been illegal since at least 1997, and industry groups have said companies no longer do it. Colorado ranked second to Texas (12,808 gallons) in total volume of diesel injected between 2010 and 2014, the Environmental Integrity Project found. Bruce Finley, Denver Post 08/14/2014 | Read Article: Denver Post |
Family of Slain Woman Sues City of Dallas, Phone Company & 911 Operator | | The family of a Dallas woman who was heard choking on a 911 call and was found slain in her home days later has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Dallas, two cellular companies and a 911 call taker. The suit — filed nearly two years after Deanna Cook was found dead in her Rylie home — alleges a total breakdown among the different entities wrongfully led to her death. Cook called 911 during an apparent struggle on Aug. 17, 2012, but officers didn’t visit the home until 50 minutes after the call, and left when there was no answer. Her family broke into her home days later and found her dead. TRISTAN HALLMAN, The Dallas Morning News 08/14/2014 | Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
Another Lawsuit Filed Against Yelp Seeking Wages | | Another lawsuit has been filed against Yelp by reviewers who claim they are owed wages for contributing to the site's reviews of restaurants and other establishments. The lawsuit was filed by the same lead plaintiff who filed a lawsuit against Yelp which was dismissed in February. The new lawsuit alleges that the compensation that reviewers already receive, such as invitations to exclusive parties, is not enough. It contends that Yelp elite members should be paid for their reviews, just as Yelp Scouts and Ambassadors are paid. The lawsuit was filed last week in Los Angeles federal court. Kristen V. Brown, San Francisco Chronicle 08/13/2014 | Read Article: San Francisco Chronicle |
Orlando Man Files Suit Over Sexual Abuse by Priest | | An Orlando, Florida man has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was sexually abused by a priest in the 1970s. The 52-year-old man filed the lawsuit in response to a call by Pope Francis to make reparations to victims of sexual abuse. The lawsuit contends that the plaintiff was sexually abused by a priest between 1976 and 1978 while he was an altar boy at All Souls Catholic Church in Sanford. The lawsuit names as defendants the Orlando Catholic Diocese and the head of the diocese. The priest accused of molesting the plaintiff admitted molesting boys while a priest and was removed from the ministry in 1985 and left the priesthood in 1986. Jeff Kunerth, Orlando Sentinel 08/13/2014 | Read Article: Orlando Sentinel |
Fla. Supreme Court to Hear Case Over UCF Player's Death | | The Florida Supreme Court will consider arguments in a lawsuit over the death of a football player for the University of Central Florida. The football player died after offseason conditioning drills in March 2008 and the lawsuit was filed by his parents, who were awarded $10 million in damages by an Orlando jury in June 2011. The decision was appealed by UCF Athletics Association because it claimed "the organization should be treated as a state agency and be eligible for the state's sovereign-immunity clause capping payouts at $200,000." The court has decided to hear the case and the ruling could have an impact on other public universities throughout the state. Iliana Limón Romero, Orlando Sentinel 08/13/2014 | Read Article: Orlando Sentinel | |
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