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 | |
People Near 'Fracking' Wells Report Health Woes | | People living near natural-gas wells were more than twice as likely to report upper-respiratory and skin problems than those farther away, says a major study Wednesday on the potential health effects of fracking. "This is the largest study to look at the overall health of people living near the wells," says lead author and University of Washington environmental health professor Peter Rabinowitz, who did the research while at Yale. The study focused on Washington County, part of the Marcellus Shale where hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is widely used to extract natural gas. Wendy Koch, USA Today 09/10/2014 | Read Article: USA Today |
Common Anxiety Medications May Increase Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease | | In the global effort to understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, another culprit emerges: Benzodiazepines. This class of drugs includes the widely prescribed anti-anxiety medications Ativan (lorazepam), Xanax (Alprazolam), Valium (diazepam), and Klonopin (Clonazepam). Researchers from France and Canada report in The British Medical Journal that prolonged use of the drugs – for three months or more – may significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease years later. The drugs have been associated with short-term cognitive impairment, but the connection to Alzheimer’s has been less clear. Now, the new study finds a convincing, and apparently strong, link between benzodiazepines and Alzheimer’s disease. Alice G. Walton, Contributor, Forbes 09/10/2014 | Read Article: Forbes |
Uber Faces Lawsuit Over Refusal to Transport Service Dogs | | A lawsuit has been filed against transportation service Uber alleging that some of the company's drivers discriminate against blind passengers by refusing to transport service dogs. The National Federation of the Blind along with a blind author filed suit against the company on Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco. The lawsuit seeks in injunction requiring the company to ensure that its drivers do not illegally refuse to transport blind passengers and their service animals. Staff Report, San Francisco Examiner 09/10/2014 | Read Article: San Francisco Examiner |
Suit Accuses Home-Health Care Aides of Abusing 99-Year-Old Man | | The family of a New York man who died at the age of 99 has filed a lawsuit alleging that the home-health aides charged with caring for the man neglected and abused him. The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan state Supreme Court and alleges that the elderly man was subjected to various forms of abuse, including aides refusing to help him up after a fall and pushing him down. Video footage collected through cameras installed in the now-deceased man's home show evidence of the multiple instances of abuse. The family is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit. Frank Donnelly, Staten Island Advance 09/09/2014 | Read Article: Staten Island Advance |
Texas Employers can Legally Lie to Workers | | Dozens of La Porte workers who claim they were blatantly deceived by the their former employer have no right to damages in Texas. That was the ruling of our state's highest court and a decision some pundits view as a legal green light for lying to employees. Texas Supreme Court says under Texas law "at will" workers arn't legally entitled to keep a job and consequently can't claim fraud if the job is taken away. Greg Groogan, myfoxhouston.com 09/10/2014 | Read Article: myfoxhouston.com |
Boston Scientific Ordered to Pay $73M Over Implant | | Boston Scientific Corp. was ordered to pay $73 million to a woman who said a defectively designed vaginal-mesh implant (Obtryx sling) left her in constant pain, in the first award against the device maker over its incontinence slings. A Dallas jury found Boston Scientific liable for Martha Salazar’s injuries and awarded her about $23 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages. The jury found Boston Scientific’s sling suffered from a faulty design. The panel also found company officials failed to properly warn patients and doctor’s about the insert’s health risks. Jurors said Boston Scientific’s handling of the slings amounted to gross negligence. Jef Feeley , Bloomberg 09/10/2014 | Read Article: Bloomberg |
Lawsuit Filed Against Home Depot Over Data Breach | | Home improvement retailer Home Depot Inc. has been sued over data breach by a customer, saying the company failed to properly safeguard customer data from hackers, a lawsuit filed in a Chicago federal court showed on Tuesday. The lawsuit comes a day after Home Depot confirmed that its payment security systems have been breached, potentially impacting its customers in stores across the US and Canada. Shailaja Sharma, Insurance Journal 09/10/2014 | Read Article: Insurance Journal |
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