| | 2013 Making a Difference Award | | TTLA is now accepting nominations for the Making a Difference Award which is periodically awarded at the discretion of the TTLA Executive Committee and recognizes a client (past or present) of a TTLA member whose actions demonstrates the critical role of the civil justice system in protecting the rights of Texas families. Nominees should demonstrate a desire to promote the public good through the civil justice system and best exemplify the attributes of a true advocate. Nomination deadline is November 1, 2013. Click on the headline to download the nomination form. |
| 2013 Legends CLE: "Tales From the Crypt" October 30 - 31 in Austin | | Back by popular demand, our Second Annual Legends Seminar brings you "Tales From the Crypt," October 30 - 31, 2013 in Austin at the Four Seasons Hotel. This year's underwriters - Fibich, Hampton, Leebron, Briggs & Josephson; The Gallagher Law Firm; Payne Mitchell Law Group and Watts Guerra - dug deep to bring you the power of over 800 years of legal experience to add to your cauldron of trial strategies. Click on the headline to learn more and register. |
| Lawsuit Filed Against Casino for Drunk Driving Death | | 
| | The wife of a Pennsylvania man who died in a car accident because he was driving intoxicated has filed a lawsuit against the casino where the man had been drinking. The plaintiff claims that the valet should not have let her husband drive his car when he was noticeably intoxicated. He had a blood alcohol level of .329 percent when he left the casino. The case was previously brought to court and the judge ruled in favor of the casino, but now the Pennsylvania Superior Court plans to hear the case.
Denise Allabaugh, The Scranton Time-Tribune 09/18/2013    | | Read Article: The Scranton Time-Tribune |
| Paralyzed Man Shot by Police Files Lawsuit | |
| | A Pennsylvania man who was shot by police and paralyzed during a traffic stop gone wrong filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Wednesday claiming the officers used excessive force and other civil rights violations. During the routine traffic stop, the officers believed that the plaintiff was another man with whom they had frequent interactions. Believing that the plaintiff had a gun, which he did not, the officers pulled him out of the car and began to beat him. After the car lurched forward and the door closed on one officer, that officer shot the plaintiff in the chest multiple times, paralyzing him from the waist down. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 09/18/2013 | | Read Article: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
| Guards May Join Inmates in Complaints Over Heat in TX Prisons | |
| | The oddity of prison guards joining inmates in a coming lawsuit underscores the harsh and unsafe working conditions in Texas prisons, union officials representing correctional officers say. Temperatures in the facilities, which lack air conditioning, regularly exceed 100 degrees in the summer. At least 14 inmates died of heat exposure from 2007 to 2012, according to a separate lawsuit, brought by four of the dead inmates' families. And so far this year, 55 correctional officers have suffered heat-related injuries or illnesses, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice records. Last year, 92 correctional officers suffered such ailments.
BRITTNEY MARTIN , The Dallas Morning News 09/18/2013 | | Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
| Settlement Reached in AZ Panhandling Lawsuit | |
| | The city of Flagstaff, Arizona and the Arizona division of the American Civil Liberties Union have reached a settlement in a lawsuit regarding panhandling. The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of a 77-year-old woman who was arrested for begging. The settlement says that people can no longer be arrested for "loitering to beg. From now on, the police will only arrest people if their actions warrant it.
Larry Hendricks, Arizona Daily Sun 09/18/2013 | | Read Article: Arizona Daily Sun |
| Madison Square Garden Faces Class-Action Suit | |
| | A class-action lawsuit, which may include about 500 individuals, has been filed against Madison Square Garden. The lawsuit claims that MSG misclassified workers as "intern" or "student associate" to avoid paying them. The lawsuit claims that these individuals were sometimes asked to work five days a week and that they helped with "ticket and sponsorship sales, administrative projects and logistics pertaining to the organization of sports and entertainment events at the arena." The suit seeks compensation for unpaid wages dating back to 2007.
Jason Belzer, Forbes 09/18/2013 | | Read Article: Forbes |
| Firm That Sent 42 Million Texts Settles in Spam Case | |
| | The Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday that it had settled charges against a Florida company and its two top executives for sending more than 42 million unwanted and deceptive text messages to consumers. Messages sent by the company had promised free gift cards worth up to $1,000, the commission said, but when consumers tried to visit a Web site to collect the prize, they were instead connected to a site that asked for personal information, like Social Security numbers and credit card numbers. It also required them to pay for additional services to receive a gift card. The company, Rentbro, and its principals, Daniel Pessin and Jacob Engel, both of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., were required to turn over remaining assets and to repay up to $377,321, the amount the business had collected.
EDWARD WYATT, The New York Times 09/18/2013 | | Read Article: The New York Times |
| Study: Texans Lag in Health Care Access and Quality, Regardless of Income | |
| | Whether they have a good income or a lower one, Texans lag behind much of the nation in access to and quality of health care. A study released Wednesday by a private foundation in New York found that Texans making more than $46,000 a year are about as likely to have a regular doctor as are residents of Vermont, Maine and Wisconsin who make less than $23,000. The findings are part of a Scorecard prepared by the Commonwealth Fund, which supports research on improving the nation's health care system.
JIM LANDERS , The Dallas Morning News 09/18/2013 | | Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
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