TTLA 2013 Annual Conference - Reinventing The Rules With Rick Friedman | June 12 - 14, Sheraton Downtown Hotel - Austin Register Now! The TTLA CLE Committee is proud to have Rick Friedman present Reinventing the Rules during the Annual Conference. Additionally, we are fortunate to have Paul Begala as a Keynote Speaker for the June 14th Annual Conference Luncheon. A Texas native, Paul is a Democratic strategist and most of you know him as a Special Contributor to CNN. You will want to reserve the date and book early as we expect that this will be the most heavily attended seminar in TTLA history and space will be limited. Click on the headline to learn more! | Georgia Drug Treatment Center Accused of Fraud | | A class action lawsuit has been filed against a Church of Scientology-affiliated clinic in Georgia by five parents of former patients. Narconon of Georgia, which recently lost its operating license and settled a wrongful death lawsuit, is now facing charges of fraud, negligence, and breach of contract. Although the families claim they were duped by the facility, Narconon claims the suit lacks merit and is an “attempt to obtain money from a non-profit dedicated to helping address the nation’s drug epidemic.” Christian Boone, Atlanta Journal-Constitution 06/04/2013 | Read Article: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Suit Filed Against Columbus, OH School District Moves Forward | | An Ohio man filed suit against the Columbus school district accusing them of "deceiving the public about schools' true academic standing." The district filed a motion to dismiss the suit in January, but both sides have recently filed witness-disclosure lists. The district is arguing that Ohio law does not hold them liable for mistakes employees made that may have caused state report cards to reflect inaccurate student-achievement gains. Charlie Boss and Jennifer Smith Richards, Columbus Dispatch 06/05/2013 | Read Article: Columbus Dispatch | Okla. Supreme Court Invalidates Civil Justice Law | | In a 7-2 decision, Oklahoma's highest court declared that the law, known as the Comprehensive Lawsuit Reform Act of 2009, violated the single-subject rule in the Oklahoma Constitution and amounted to unconstitutional logrolling, or the passing of legislation that contains multiple subjects. "The bill is unconstitutional and void in its entirety," the 10-page decision concludes. The 2009 law made sweeping changes to the way Oklahomans file lawsuits. Tim Talley, AP, Amarillo Globe-News 06/05/2013 | Read Article: Amarillo Globe-News | Recall Issued for 390,000 Ford Vehicles | | Ford has issued a recall for the 2013 Fusion, Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Police Utility and Interceptor, and Lincolns because the fuel tanks can leak and cause fires. The recall affects 390,000 vehicles in the United States and about 77,000 additional vehicles in other markets. So far, no fires or crashes have been reported because of the leaks. David Undercoffler, LA Times 06/03/2013 | Read Article: LA Times | Chrysler Rejects Regulator’s Request to Recall Jeeps | | In an escalating confrontation with regulators, Chrysler said on Tuesday that it would not recall 2.7 million Jeeps that the government contends are defective and prone to fires in the event of rear-impact collisions. Chrysler said it did not agree that the vehicles, among its most profitable models, were unsafe, adding that fire-related accidents involving the vehicles were rare and not related to a defective design. The refusal has ignited a rare public battle between Chrysler, the nation’s third-largest automaker, and federal regulators. BILL VLASIC, The New York Times 06/05/2013 | Read Article: The New York Times | Coastal Homeowners Upset with Insurers | | From Cape Cod to the southern tip of Texas, rates for homeowner coverage have risen sharply since 2003, pinching homeowners financially, forcing them to take greater risk by accepting higher deductibles and sparking outrage as insurance companies report profits higher in many coastal states than inland. Insurers say the increases are necessary to offset the risk they take in insuring millions of homeowners in harm’s way, but their increasingly angry customers question how they calculate rates and whether state officials in charge of balancing public and corporate interest are being too favorable toward the companies. Jeff Amy, Insurance Journal 06/05/2013 | Read Article: Insurance Journal | | |