| | | | | Announcements | | | STUDY: REASONS FOR REVERSAL IN THE TEXAS COURTS OF APPEALS | | The study published in the Houston Law Review (www.houstonlawreview.org/) conducted by Lynne Liberato and Kent Rutter who are partners in the Houston office of Haynes and Boone, reviewed 1,832 opinions issued from Sept. 1, 2010 to Aug. 31, 2011. The appellate law experts read each case and determined who had won and why. Unlike the Texas Supreme Court, which has discretion to hear appeals, the lower appellate courts must consider all that are filed. Click on the headline to access the study. | FOX 4 DFW News Station Investigation: TX Medical Board | | Top secret meetings, back-door deals and confidential complaints are all a part of the Texas Board of Medical Examiners. The state board is supposed to be policing doctors and protecting the public but some patients complain the system is a prescription for failure. In 2003 Texas lawmakers put caps on medial malpractice lawsuits but promised to keep a tight rein on doctors by beefing up the Texas board. Fox 4 has been looking into the board's practices for some time but late Monday afternoon we found another example of why some patients question who the board really protects. | "1K Pays Your Way" TTLA Annual Conference | | Earn your registration fee for the 2012 TTLA Annual Conference by recruiting new TTLA members! Simply recruit $1,000 worth of new TTLA memberships, and earn free registration to the Annual Conference CLE at Hyatt Lost Pines – an $875 value. Clip on the headline to learn more. | Laws/Cases | | | Abbott Agrees to $1.6 Billion Settlement Over Marketing of Depakote | | Global pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay federal and state governments $1.6 billion in criminal and civil fines for illegally promoting unapproved uses of its drug Depakote, including to sedate elderly patients in nursing homes, officials announced Monday. The settlement, which includes an agreement to plead guilty to a criminal misdemeanor, is the second-largest in a string of multimillion-dollar payouts in recent years resulting from stepped-up enforcement by the Justice Department and state investigators against drugmakers that “misbrand” their products. N.C. Aizenman, The Washington Post 05/08/2012 | Read Article: The Washington Post | Labor/Employment | | | $5 Million Awarded in Religious Discrimination Suit | | A Jackson County, Mo., jury has awarded a local woman $5 million in her discrimination lawsuit against AT&T, her former employer. In her suit, the woman claimed after she converted to Islam in 2005 she was subjected to intense harassment about her religion. Co-workers made comments about her head scarf and insinuated she was a terrorist, the suit stated. Wire Report, Kansas City Star 05/08/2012 | Read Article: Kansas City Star | Studies/Reports | | | Study: Passengers Increase Chance of Teen Driver Fatalities | | Using federal fatality statistics, the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety provided that data that will support parents who have forbidden their teenage children from driving with other teenagers. “We know that carrying young passengers is a huge risk, but it’s also a preventable one,” said AAA foundation President Peter Kissinger. “These findings should send a clear message to families that parents can make their teens safer immediately by refusing to allow them to get in the car with other young people, whether they’re behind the wheel or in the passenger seat.” Ashley Halsey III, The Washington Post 05/08/2012 | Read Article: The Washington Post | Personal Injury | | | Ford Settles Accident Caused by Defective Tires | | Ford Motors has settled a lawsuit over allegations that defective tires on the Ford Bronco II were the main cause in a 2003 wreck that left a Montana man paralyzed. In the suit, the man argued his accident was one of many caused by tread belt separation in the specific type of tire equipped on the vehicle. The tire company and the dealership the victim bought the car from settled out of court. Staff and Wire Report, Detroit Free Press 05/08/2012 | Read Article: Detroit Free Press | Business Litigation | | | Abbott Pays $1.6 Billion for Off-Label Drug Marketing | | Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay $1.6 billion to settle claims that the company improperly marketed its neurological medication Depakote. The drug, approved to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and migraines, was allegedly marketed to treat schizophrenia, dementia and autism, a group of whistle-blower lawsuits claimed. The suits also said the company gave illegal kickbacks to doctors for talking about the off-label uses. Peter Frost, LA Times 05/07/2012 | Read Article: LA Times | Wrongful Death | | | Suit Filed Against UVA over Girl's Murder | | The mother of the University of Virginia lacrosse player who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend has filed a lawsuit against the university, saying individuals at the school ignored the ex-boyfriend's "erratic and aggressive" behavior toward women. The suit claims the school, athletic department and men's lacrosse coach did nothing to curb, punish or report his "potential risk of violence." The mother has also filed a $30 million suit against the boyfriend, who has been convicted of murder. Stephanie Rabiner, Reuters 05/05/2012 | Read Article: Reuters | | | | | | 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 | |