| | Register NOW for our Annual President’s Meeting & Advanced PI CLE! | | Online registration is now open for our year-end conference, featuring an innovative and interactive Advanced PI CLE (Dec 4th) and our Annual Board & Membership Meeting (Dec 5th). Register now to attend at the Sheraton Hotel in Austin. Other events include the Advocates Annual Meeting, Awards Reception, and PAC event. Click on the link above to learn more and register. Watch for updates on Twitter @ttla_ #ttlaannual. |
| Advanced PI Seminar Agenda Released! | | Check out the agenda for our innovative new Advanced PI CLE seminar. This year's program includes new topics, new speakers, and interactive break-out sessions. December 4 in Austin. Click on the headline to access the agenda. |
| Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| Plant Where Workers Died Reported Recent Violations | | 
| | The DuPont chemical plant in La Porte where four workers died early Saturday after a chemical leak has a record of safety violations that dates back several years, a Texas Tribune review of state records shows. he workers died after an estimated 100 pounds of the chemical methyl mercaptan leaked due to a faulty valve, the company told local media. Methyl mercaptan, a primary component of Lannate, can cause nausea, vomiting, fluid buildup in the lungs and other symptoms; even in small amounts, exposure to it can be deadly.
Neena Satija, Texas Tribune 11/17/2014    | | Read Article: Texas Tribune |
| Investigators to Probe DuPont’s Deadly Texas Chemical Leak | |
| | Federal investigators descended on La Porte, Texas, Sunday to probe an accident at a DuPont Co. chemical plant that left four workers dead. The federal Chemical Safety Board dispatched a team to analyze the causes of the accident, which killed an unusually high number of people for an incident that didn’t involve a fire or explosion. One focus is likely to be how the accident occurred despite a thicket of federal regulations.
DANIEL GILBERT, Wall Street Journal - $$ Subscription Required 11/17/2014 | | Read Article: Wall Street Journal - $$ Subscription Required($) |
| Air-Bag Settlements Keep Details From Other Victims | |
| | Confidential settlements over defective Takata air bags are sealing off relevant information that other victims could use to pursue injury claims. Five of a dozen lawsuits reviewed by Bloomberg News were settled before information could be revealed in courts. One of the cases is being reviewed for a possible settlement, while one is in mediation and another was dropped. None has gone to trial. The lack of information deepens the confusion surrounding an escalating crisis. Recalls of more than 7 million vehicles by at least 10 carmakers have left drivers unsure about whether they’re at risk. Police documents and lawsuits describe Tokyo-based Takata’s air bags deploying with so much force that their metal housing became shrapnel. The exact causes are still unclear and NHTSA is investigating whether high humidity plays a role.
Jeff Green and Margaret Cronin Fisk , Bloomberg 11/17/2014 | | Read Article: Bloomberg |
| BP Asks Judge to Cap Spill Penalties at $12B | |
| | BP wants a federal judge to cap its potential oil-spill pollution fines at a maximum of $12.3 billion, a move that would cut away nearly a third of the penalties U.S. prosecutors are seeking for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The British oil giant argued in court papers Friday that the judge, in determining its fines, should disregard the higher penalties in Environmental Protection Agency and Coast Guard regulations because, it claimed, neither agency has the authority to raise maximum penalties above Congress’s $3,000-per-barrel cap for environmental liabilities under the Clean Water Act.
Collin Eaton, Houston Chronicle 11/17/2014 | | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| Deadline Extended for G.M. Accident Claims | |
| | The families of people killed or injured in crashes involving General Motors cars that had a deadly ignition switch defect will have an extra month to submit claims for payment under G.M.’s victim compensation program. Kenneth R. Feinberg, who administers the compensation fund, has decided to extend the deadline to Jan. 31 to give more time to families who might not be aware of the program. Mr. Feinberg said the decision to extend the deadline was intended to give more time to the hundreds of thousands of people just receiving notices about the program.
DANIELLE IVORY and RACHEL ABRAMS, The New York Times 11/17/2014 | | Read Article: The New York Times |
| Ford: Mustang Driver Injured by Air Bag Fragment in NC Crash | |
| | Ford Motor Co said on Sunday night it was cooperating with U.S. safety regulators investigating a report the driver of a 2007 Ford Mustang was injured in August by a metal fragment from the car’s air bag. The 2007 Mustang was part of a June recall of millions of cars from nine manufacturers because air bag inflators made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp could rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin.
Paul Lienert, Reuters, Yahoo News 11/17/2014 | | Read Article: Yahoo News |
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