TTLA EClips

line

TTLA HomeSearch Litigation BankAbout

February 06, 2012

spacer image

Gulf Oil Spill Blame is Focus of New Orleans Court Case

$2 Million Awarded in California Police Shooting

Suit: Cancer Researcher Violates Property Rights

Harvard, Princeton Discriminate, Complaint Says

Arkansas Court Rejects Expert Witness Provision in Medical Liability Cases

Jury Gives $975K to Woman who Gave Birth Alone in Jail

Defense Lawyers Complain Judges Rarely P unished

Law Firm Insurance Costs Rise as Malpractice Suits Increase

Audio: In Texas' Drilling Boom, a Human Toll

After Claims that State Doctors Had 'Good Work Histories,' Records Show Otherwise

 

 

This Service Sponsored Exclusively by
The James Street Group

A Member Service of
Texas Trial Lawyers Association

 

line

Announcements

line

spacer image

 

New TTLA List Server Tools

spacer image

You may have noticed your TTLA list server messages look a little different. That’s because we’ve implemented some enhancements to the list server that we think you’ll find valuable. Click on the headline for a video explaining the changes.  

 

Best Kept Trial Secrets: What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas

spacer image

Don't gamble with your cases. 48 hours in Vegas can change your practice forever! Join some of TTLA's battle-tested veterans and emerging superstars in Las Vegas for a CLE experience that'll change your luck in the courtroom. February 23-25, 2012, Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, 8 hrs. MCLE w/ 1 hr. Ethics  

 

Laws/Cases

line

spacer image

 

Gulf Oil Spill Blame is Focus of New Orleans Court Case

spacer image

Feb. 27 is the day the massive trial over liability in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is scheduled to begin in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier. Assuming the case doesn't settle -- the parties to this case have said they're going to trial -- the event is expected to be the largest environmental litigation in history and the biggest event ever held at federal court in New Orleans alongside the levee breach litigation.  Rebecca Mowbray, New Orleans Times-Picayune  02/06/2012

Read Article: New Orleans Times-Picayune    

 

$2 Million Awarded in California Police Shooting

spacer image

A California jury has awarded a Stockton family $2 million over the fatal shooting of their 21-year-old son by highway patrol officers in 2008. The man's truck had spun out into a ditch after a short pursuit; as two officers approached, the man began to drive his car forward, prompting both officers to open fire, killing the man. Police say the car was coming toward them, but attorneys for the plaintiff said reenactment animations show the car was moving slowly toward the officers' left.  Jennie Rodriguez-Moore , Modesto Bee  02/05/2012

Read Article: Modesto Bee    

 

Suit: Cancer Researcher Violates Property Rights

spacer image

A lawsuit has been filed against the CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for allegedly "using research he helped develop at another cancer institute to start his own company." The lawsuit claims Dr. Craig Thompson took his research conducted as an employee of the Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and used it to found the Sloan-Kettering center. The lawsuit accuses the CEO of violating intellectual property rights of his former employer.  Andrew Dunn, Bloomberg  02/06/2012

Read Article: Bloomberg    

 

Harvard, Princeton Discriminate, Complaint Says

spacer image

An Asian-American high school student in California has filed a complaint against both Harvard and Princeton Universities, claiming the schools discriminate against Asian-Americans in admissions. While the schools claim they review each applicant individually and holistically, the complaint alleges Asian-American students are held to a higher admissions bar. Some experts say data shows that Asian-Americans need to score 140 points higher on standardized testing than white to be admitted into private colleges.  Daniel Golden, Bloomberg  02/02/2012

Read Article: Bloomberg    

 

Arkansas Court Rejects Expert Witness Provision in Medical Liability Cases

spacer image

The Supreme Court of Arkansas has struck down a key provision of the state's tort reform law, ruling that expert witnesses in medical liability lawsuits no longer must practice in the same specialty as defendant doctors. The decision is another setback for physicians who have seen most reform measures overturned by the courts since the law's 2003 enactment.  Alicia Gallegos, American Medical News  02/06/2012

Read Article: American Medical News    

 

Jury Gives $975K to Woman who Gave Birth Alone in Jail

spacer image

A federal jury on Friday awarded nearly $1 million to a severely mentally ill homeless woman who gave birth alone on the floor of a King County Jail cell 14 years ago. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Seattle deliberated for nearly three full days before finding that Imka Pope's constitutional right to medical care while in custody was violated by King County Jail staff. Pope was awarded $850,000 for her pain and suffering and $125,000 in punitive damages.  Christine Clarridge, Seattle Times  02/06/2012

Read Article: Seattle Times    

 

Issues

line

spacer image

 

Defense Lawyers Complain Judges Rarely P unished

spacer image

Six months after a judge admitted in a public courtroom that he scratched up a neighbor's car, he was disciplined by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. It was a warning. The case illustrates the inertia and toothless sanctions that the agency policing the state's judges is known for, according to Houston's association of defense lawyers. "Nothing ever happens, no one is ever disciplined and there's no accountability back to anyone for anything," said Earl Musick, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. Less than 4 percent of the 1,192 complaints that were wrapped up in fiscal year 2011 ended with discipline, according to the agency's recently released annual report.  Brian Rogers, Houston Chronicle  02/04/2012

Read Article: Houston Chronicle    

 

Law Firm Insurance Costs Rise as Malpractice Suits Increase

spacer image

One of the biggest expenses for law firms is professional liability insurance, after paying employees and office rent. And it's getting bigger, as malpractice suits, driven by the difficult economy, increase both in number and the scope, requiring insurers to mount a more expensive defense even in cases in which the law firm prevails, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Martha Neil, American Bar Association Journal  02/06/2012

Read Article: American Bar Association Journal    

 

Audio: In Texas' Drilling Boom, a Human Toll

spacer image

The oil and gas drilling boom continues to benefit the Texas economy, but it's coming at a human price. Dave Fehling of StateImpact Texas reports on the disturbing number of workers in the industry who are getting injured, or worse, on the job.  Dave Fehling , Texas Tribune  02/06/2012

Read Article: Texas Tribune    

 

Healthcare

line

spacer image

 

After Claims that State Doctors Had 'Good Work Histories,' Records Show Otherwise

spacer image

Despite assurances from officials that three state hospital psychiatrists once disciplined for sexual misconduct had "good work histories" at the facilities, public records show that one of those doctors was suspended last year for verbally and emotionally abusing a patient. n December, a Statesman investigation revealed that the state employed three male psychiatrists who had been punished by the Texas Medical Board for inappropriate sexual relationships: Kula, Alejandro Munoz and Larry Hawkins. Kula and Munoz were sanctioned by the board in the 2000s, after they were accused of having sexual relations with adult patients they treated before working at the state hospitals. Hawkins had his license temporarily restricted after he pleaded no contest in a Blanco County court to sexual indecency with a child in the 1980s.  Andrea Ball, Atlanta Journal-Constitution  02/06/2012

Read Article: Atlanta Journal-Constitution    


The Plaintiff's Resource

line

Published by TRIALSMITH, Litigation Tools for Trial Lawyers
5113 Southwest Parkway, Suite 285, Austin, TX 78735
You received this email because you are subscribed to this service from your trial lawyers association.
• Unsubscribe  • Search National Litigation Bank  • 800-443-1757