Texas Trial Lawyers Association

Announcements

2013 TTLA Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Seminar, April 25-26

Join WILLIAMS KHERKHER, CLARK, LOVE & HUTSON, G.P. and FIBICH, HAMPTON, LEEBRON, BRIGGS & JOSEPHSON, L.L.P. in Houston on April 25-26, 2013 for a ground-breaking new seminar. For the first time ever, these three law firms will join forces with TTLA to present a seminar dedicated solely to the fast-paced, ever-changing world of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Litigation. This uniquely-structured seminar will feature updates on the hottest torts, panel discussions by leading mass tort attorneys, and speeches by TTLA legends Michael Gallagher, Tommy Fibich, John Eddie Williams and Ernest Cannon. The program is full of resources and networking opportunities for everyone, so join us for the newest TTLA seminar devoted to the trials and challenges of the mass tort lawyer. Click on the headline to learn more.  

Big Thanks to TTLA's Business Partners!

We appreciate our 2013 preferred partners and are grateful for their support. We encourage our members to support these companies when they are in need of legal services and products. Click on the headline to learn more!  

Laws/Cases

Suit: Custodians Tied, Gagged Four Students

A group of New Jersey parents have filed a $30 million lawsuit against the Long Branch Public School system and its board of education, claiming their children were "tied, gagged and photographed by custodians" in a school bathroom. The lawsuit also claims that when notified of the event, school officials called it a "joke gone bad" and failed to react appropriately.
Wire Report, San Francisco Chronicle 03/07/2013   

Read Article: San Francisco Chronicle    

Franklin, Tenn., Settles Discrimination Lawsuit

The city of Franklin, Tenn., has agreed to settle a discrimination lawsuit with a husband and wife team of police officers over allegations that they were harassed for being an interracial couple. The couple accused the city and department of "harassment, discrimination and retaliation." The suit initially sought $350,000 in damages, but the terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
Kevin Walters, Tennessean 02/27/2013   

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Jail Responsible for Veteran's Death, Suit Says

Two wrongful death lawsuits have been filed against workers and a doctor at the Richmond, Va., Jail over the death of a mentally ill veteran. The suits claim jailers and the doctor "withheld appropriate treatment" and did nothing when the victim stopped eating. The victim died from acute kidney failure; the lawsuit is seeking $10.4 million in damages.
Staff Report, United Press International 03/07/2013   

Read Article: United Press International    

Issues

As Fracking Increases, So Do Fears About Water Supply

The amount of water used in hydraulic fracturing — roughly 4 million to 6 million gallons per oil or gas well — has stirred concerns around Texas as the drought wears on and the drilling boom continues. Studies say that fracking consumes less than 1 percent of the total water used statewide, far less than agriculture or even watering lawns. But in some drilling hotbeds like Dimmit County, the proportion of water used for fracking has reached the double digits and is growing along with the oil boom. Companies are springing up to offer recycling, and some drillers are able to use brackish water, but those technologies are often not cost-effective.
KATE GALBRAITH, Texas Tribune 03/08/2013   

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Healthcare

What Surgeons Leave Behind Costs Some Patients Dearly

More than a dozen times a day, doctors sew up patients with sponges and other supplies mistakenly left inside. The mistake costs some victims their lives. Such mistakes are considered so egregious and so preventable that they're referred to in the medical world as "never events." They simply are not supposed to happen. But they do, about a dozen times a day. Thousands of patients a year leave the nation's operating rooms with surgical items in their bodies. And despite occasional tales of forceps, clamps and other hardware showing up in post-operative X-rays, those items are almost never the problem. Most often, it's the gauzy, cotton sponges that doctors use throughout operations to soak up blood and other fluids, a USA TODAY examination shows.
Peter Eisler, USA Today 03/08/2013   

Read Article: USA Today    

Wrongful Death

Wrongful Death Suit Filed over Woman's Vanishing

The estate of a Florida woman who disappeared in 2011 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the woman's ex-fiancé, the only suspect in her disappearance. The family's attorney told the Orlando Sentinel that there is evidence that may prove wrongful death, including texts from the defendant. No charges have been filed against the defendant.
Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel 03/08/2013   

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Family Members File Suit over Child's Death

An Arizona family has filed a $3 million notice of claim against the state, the Glendale Police Department and Child Protective Services over the wrongful death of 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley. The plaintiffs, family members of the child, believed the girl's mother was mistreating her and reported it to police and CPCS, but nothing was done until the girl went missing in October 2011. The girl's mother has been arrested and indicted in the child's death.
Cecilia Chan and Kim Covington, Arizona Republic 03/06/2013   

Read Article: Arizona Republic