Announcements | | | TTLA Annual Meeting & Advanced PI CLE December 1-2, Hotel ZaZa Houston | | Formerly the TTLA Annual Conference, our December event is now the Annual Meeting & Advanced PI CLE! We've streamlined this event and we're now offering a one-day Advanced PI CLE, along with the Annual Membership & Board Meeting, President's Luncheon, and a spectacular Holiday Party at the home of Steve and Amber Mostyn. Topics include: Trucking, Immigration, Insurance Bad Faith, Discovery, Cross Examination And More! | AAJ Report: Do As I Say, Not As I Sue | | The Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), an arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has the sole mission of restricting the ability of individuals harmed by negligent corporations to access the civil justice system. According to the multinational corporations that finance ILR, American businesses are hindered by too many lawsuits. Yet these same corporations show no hesitation in liberally using the courthouse themselves. Click on the headline to read more. | Products | | | BMW Recalls 32,000 Vehicles due to Fire Hazard | | BMW North America has recalled a total of 32,084 vehicles model years 2008-2011 due to a problem with the circuit boards that could result in fire. The recall covers BMW 5 Series, 5 Series Gran Turismo, 7 Series, and X5 and X6 sport utility vehicles. The company said "a circuit board for the electric auxiliary water pump can overheat," which can lead to fires. Jonathan Welsh, WSJ Blogs 10/31/2011 | Read Article: WSJ Blogs | Laws/Cases | | | Regional Discrimination Suits Filed Against Walmart | | Female Walmart employees have filed a lawsuit in Texas against the retail giant, accusing the company of discriminating against women in pay and promotions. The suit, similar to one filed last week in California, is a the second regional suit filed against Walmart since the nationwide class action suit against the company was thrown out by the Supreme Court this summer. The suit says the company "paid women at lower rates than men for similar work and kept them from being promoted to management-track jobs." Moira Herbst, Reuters 10/29/2011 | Read Article: Reuters | Murdered Pizza Delivery Man Sparks Lawsuit | | A lawsuit has been filed against Domino's Pizza and Deutsche Bank by the family of a delivery man who was murdered while delivering pizza. The suit accuses Domino's of failing to implement policies to protect its drivers and that Deutsche, which owned the condemned building at which the murder occurred, had not secured the building. Police have arrested three individuals believed to be involved in the murder. John R. Ellement, Boston Globe 10/26/2011 | Read Article: Boston Globe | Issues | | | Records Shows Boy Scout Officials Failed to Report Leader who Molested Children in CA | | Boy Scout officials in the U.S. and Canada not only failed to stop an admitted child molester in their ranks, but sometimes helped cover his tracks, according to confidential records, court files and interviews with victims and their families. A LA Times and Canadian Broadcasting Corp. investigation finds scout leader Rick Turley molested at least 15 children over nearly two decades, most of whom he met through American and Canadian Scouting beginning in the 1970s. Those files have come to light in recent years in lawsuits by former Scouts, accusing the group of failing to detect abuses, exclude known pedophiles, or turn in offenders to authorities. The Oregon Supreme Court is now weighing a request by newspapers, a wire service and broadcasters to open about 1,200 more files in the wake of a nearly $20-million judgment in a Portland sex abuse case last year. The Scouts’ handling of sex-abuse allegations is similar to that of the Catholic Church in the face of accusations against its priests, some attorneys told the Times and the CBC. Associated Press, The Washington Post 10/31/2011 | Read Article: The Washington Post | Healthcare | | | Sports Medicine Said to Overuse M.R.I.’s | | Eminent sports medicine specialists are taking a stand against what they see as the vast overuse of magnetic resonance imaging in their specialty. M.R.I.’s can be invaluable in certain situations. They also can make money for doctors who own their own machines. And they can please sports medicine patients, who often expect a scan. But scans are easily misinterpreted and can result in misdiagnoses leading to unnecessary or even harmful treatments. GINA KOLATA, The New York Times 10/31/2011 | Read Article: The New York Times | The C-section Boom | | Public health officials warn that the US caesarean rate, now 33 percent, is alarmingly high. One obstetrician explores why hospitals’ rates can vary so widely – from 15 percent to 45 percent in Massachusetts –?and whether anyone should care. Subscription Required. Dr. Adam Wolfberg, Boston Globe 10/31/2011 | Read Article: Boston Globe | | | | |