IMPORTANT: AAJ Action Items | John Eddie Williams, Jr., AAJ Governor, requested that we share a list of AAJ Action Items with the TTLA membership. Items include: 1. Proposed Changes to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; 2. Forced Arbitration & the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; 3. The Toxic Substances Control Act; 4. "Loser Paysâ€; and 5. Generic Drug Regulation. Click on the headline to access more information (requires login.) | First Plaintiff to ID Himself in Priest Abuse Suit | | A 27-year-old Chicago man, who filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against a former Roman Catholic priest and convicted sex offender, is the first to identify himself in a string of allegations against the priest. The plaintiff, who was allegedly sexually abused by the priest as a child between 1994 and 1996, says he has identified himself in an effort to fight "the culture of secrecy" involving sexual abuse. The priest plead guilty to criminal sexual abuse charges in 2007 involving five victims and is currently in a mental health facility while a judge decides whether to commit him indefinitely as a sexually violent person. Manya Brachear Pashman, Chicago Tribune 12/11/2013 | Read Article: Chicago Tribune | Suit Claims Michigan DOC Failed to Prevent Sexual Abuse | | A lawsuit has been filed which alleges that Michigan prison staff members coerced a teenager into having sex and ignored other instances of sexual and physical abuse. The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in Washtenaw County Trial Court, names the Michigan Department Of Corrections, several officials in the department and the governor as defendants. According to the lawsuit, the Michigan Department of Corrections has failed to separate teenage and adult inmates, which is required by law and often leads to cases of abuse. Kyle Feldscher, MLive 12/12/2013 | Read Article: MLive | Lawsuit: Marine's Heart "Harvested" During Illegal Autopsy | | The family of a U.S. Marine whose heart was "harvested" during an illegal autopsy has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, the U.S. government and the Greek government. After the Marine committed suicide in Athens, Greece in 2012, an illegal autopsy was performed in which his heart was removed and never put back. The family did not find out about the heart until after the Marine was already buried. The lawsuit alleges negligence, emotional distress and mistreatment of the Marine's body. Vince Lattanzio, NBC 10 Philadelphia 12/11/2013 | Read Article: NBC 10 Philadelphia | Wal-Mart Contractor Settles Worker Abuse Lawsuit | | A Wal-Mart contractor has agreed to pay $4.7 million to settle a lawsuit against them over the alleged abuse of warehouse workers. According to the lawsuit, which was filed by 568 Southern California warehouse workers, employees were shorted on overtime and regular pay and denied breaks to rest and eat. It also accused managers of altering employee time cards to deny them pay that was earned. The contractor has been named in a second lawsuit in which Wal-Mart is also listed as a defendant. Stuart Pfeifer, LA Times 12/11/2013 | Read Article: LA Times | Feds Shut 52 Unsafe Bus Companies | | Federal bus safety regulators have shut down 52 companies in what they describe as a major nationwide crackdown on unsafe outfits, including lines whose drivers had suspended licenses or worked routes of more than 800 miles without rest. The companies aren't just low-cost, fly-by-night carriers - some have transported school bands, Boy Scouts or senior citizens, according to Anne S. Ferro , administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press , KHOU-TV 12/12/2013 | Read Article: KHOU-TV | | |