Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| Texas is Figuring Out How to Spend $209M From Volkswagen Settlement |
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Texas is owed $209 million as its share of the multibillion-dollar settlement with carmaker Volkswagen, which harmed public health by lying about how much their cars pollute. Now, state environmental officials must decide how to spend that windfall. The TCEQ said Monday that officials would come up with a plan and let the public weigh in. Gov. Greg Abbott previously designated the TCEQ as the state agency managing Texas' portion of the settlement. The money must be used to reduce smog-creating nitrogen oxide emissions. That pollutant was released in higher-than-reported levels by Volkswagen vehicles that were programmed to trick emissions testing equipment.
Jeff Mosier, The Dallas Morning News 12/05/2017    |
| Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
| Schools Using Statute of Limitations to Avoid Paying Sexual Assault Victims |
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The New York Times reports that many times when prep schools are confronted with claims of sexual assault, they will use laws limiting when lawsuits can be filed in order to avoid paying victims. Statutes of limitation are devised to protect people and institutions from false allegations that are impossible to prove due to old evidence; however, as more schools face allegations of sexual assault, many are using the limitations to avoid payments to alleged victims. According to legal experts, while abuse victims may receive millions in compensation for a sexual assault claim, once the statute of limitations runs out, they are likely to receive little to nothing at all.
Elizabeth A. Harris, The New York Times 12/04/2017 |
| Read Article: The New York Times |
| Monsanto Still Facing San Diego Water Pollution Lawsuit |
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Monsanto continues to face a lawsuit by the city of San Diego over water pollution. The city is seeking tens of millions of dollars from the company to clean up local waterways polluted with a class of cancer-linked chemicals, known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. Following the implementation of tighter federal and state regulations on chemical pollutants, the city says it has paid millions of dollars to clean up the chemicals. According to the lawsuit, Monsanto knew for decades before the federal government banned PCBs in 1979 that the chemical would cause damage to the environment and be harmful to human health.
Joshua Emerson Smith, San Diego Union Tribune 11/28/2017 |
| Read Article: San Diego Union Tribune |
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