Free Speech Suit in Mississippi Can Go Forward | 
| A federal judge in Mississippi has given approval to a Lee County Sheriff's Office employee to pursue a wrongful termination lawsuit. In the suit, the officer claims he was terminated after responding to a local newspaper's question about the status of a Mississippi State University football player, who had been arrested after a bar fight. Department heads say they have a policy of "employee termination for releasing information without authorization," but the plaintiff claims his actions should have been protected under the First Amendment right to free speech.
Wire Report, The Jackson Clarion-Ledger 06/30/2013    | Read Article: The Jackson Clarion-Ledger |
Suit: Woman Discriminated Against After Surgery |
| A Long Island woman has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, the Atlantic Automotive Group, claiming she was fired from her job after donating a kidney. The lawsuit claims that her employers failed to make even the simplest of accommodations for the plaintiff after her surgery, forcing her to carry heavy objects and not allowing her to use the bathroom without permission. The suit is citing violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and is seeking unspecified damages.
John Marzulli, New York Daily News 07/01/2013 | Read Article: New York Daily News |
Judge Tosses Three Sexual Abuse Lawsuits |
| A federal judge has dismissed three lawsuits against Kevin Clash, the former puppeteer of Elmo from "Sesame Street," ruling the statute of limitations had expired on the plaintiffs' claims of sexual abuse. In his ruling, the judge wrote that the statute of limitations began when the alleged abuse occurred, not when the plaintiffs connected psychological injuries to the events. A similar lawsuit against the puppeteer was withdrawn in April.
Elizabeth Jensen, The New York Times 07/01/2013 | Read Article: The New York Times |
Hyundai to Pay $14 Million in Airbag Lawsuit |
| A jury has awarded $14 million to a Virginia man who suffered a brain injury in a car accident when the side airbags in his Hyundai Tiburon failed to deploy. The jury found that a defect in the car's airbags were the main cause of the man's injuries. The lawsuit filed against Hyundai claimed the airbags did not deploy because the sensors were put in the wrong location.
Jessica Dye, Reuters 07/02/2013 | Read Article: Reuters |
Filing a Nonsuit Tolls Limitations for Expert Report |
| The TX Supreme Court has written so many decisions about the mandatory expert reports required in medical-malpractice claims, it is seemingly exhausted with the subject. Yet, in a recent unanimous decision, the court made clear that the 120-day clock for filing those reports stops when plaintiffs nonsuit their claim. The decision, CHCA Woman's Hospital D/B/A The Woman's Hospital of Texas and Woman's Hospital of Texas v. Scott and Angela Lidji, issued on June 21, is an important one, because it means plaintiffs won't lose their medical-malpractice claims if, for example, they nonsuit a case while searching for a doctor to write the statutorily mandated expert report a College Station attorney who represents the plaintiffs in the case.
John Council, Texas Lawyer 07/02/2013 | Read Article: Texas Lawyer |
60 Patients of Indiana Nose Doc to Be Compensated |
| The final 60 patients who have pending medical malpractice claims against a former northwestern Indiana nose surgeon who disappeared while vacationing in Greece and was captured five years later on an Italian mountainside will receive compensation through a settlement. A Lake County judge has approved a $55 million settlement involving 282 former patients of Weinberger. In a separate criminal case, Weinberger pleaded guilty to 22 counts of health care fraud last year. He is serving a seven-year sentence in federal prison.
Associated Press, Insurance Journal 07/02/2013 | Read Article: Insurance Journal |
Three Juvenile Justice Dept Employees Arrested in Edinburg |
| Three Texas Juvenile Justice Department employees were arrested at the Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg last month on charges ranging from official oppression to tampering or fabricating physical evidence. Juvenile Corrections officers Juan Tamez and Julian Fuentes have been charged with official oppression after the department's office of inspector general received complaints of excessive use of force at the facility June 10. Fuentes also was named in later allegations of using excessive force against juveniles by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Drew Joseph, San Antonio Express News 07/02/2013 | Read Article: San Antonio Express News |
Ford Issues Recall over Child Lock Problems |
| Ford Motors has issued a recall of more than 13,000 2013 Ford Explorer, Taurus and Lincoln MKS models over problems with the child safety locks. The company said the locks on the vehicles' rear doors may not work properly. There have been no accidents or injuries reported in association with the recalled vehicles.
Joseph Lichterman, Reuters 06/28/2013 | Read Article: Reuters |
Florida Man Files Suit Against Cracker Barrel |
| A Florida man has filed suit against Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, claiming he was discriminated against by his boss because he is gay. In the suit, the plaintiff says he "experienced harassment and discrimination because of his sexual orientation," including a situation where a manager told other staff members that a customer "might be afraid he'll catch AIDS" from the plaintiff.
Wire Report, Naples News 07/02/2013 | Read Article: Naples News |
Suit Filed over Woman Electrocuted to Death |
| The death of a woman at Lake Sinclair in Eatonton, Ga., has prompted a lawsuit against the owner of a lake dock by where the woman was electrocuted. The dock flooring had recently been replaced and an outlet box and bare wire had been left exposed. The suit claims that while the woman was swimming, she came in contact with the wire or the box and was electrocuted. The suit is seeking unspecified damages.
Amy Leigh Womack, Macon Telegraph 07/01/2013 | Read Article: Macon Telegraph |
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