On December 16, 2011, Sarah Patton filed suit against the Texas Department of Transportation in Jefferson County District Court on behalf of the estate of Pamela Freeman, who was killed in a car accident (Case No. B191-484). The complaint alleged that the Texas Department of Transportation acted negligently by allowing…
Traffic Fatalities Increased in 2012 The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released its 2012 Fatality Analysis Reporting data. Unfortunately, after six consecutive years of declining fatalities on U.S. highways, the data indicates that highway crashes and deaths increased in 2012. Specifically, fatalities increased to 33,561…
In early November 2013, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded over $150 million in damages to a 13-year-old year girl who witnessed three members of her family burn to death following a car accident on a Southern California freeway. This verdict could be one of the largest of its…
Two recent Texas court decisions, including the October 18, 2013, decision in Hopper v. Argonaut Insurance Company, Inc., have established that there is no common law bad faith in Texas regarding workers’ compensation claims. First, last year, in Texas Mut. Ins. Co. v. Ruttiger, the Texas Supreme Court, finding that…
An August 2013 court decision by a federal appeals court brings attention to the impacts of Texas being one of two states in the country that allows companies to opt out of the state’s workers’ compensation system. In the case, Mary A, Ernewayn v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., Mary A.…
As of September 1, 2013, several new traffic and driving laws went into effect in Texas. It is important for all Texans to become acquainted with the new laws, as individuals who break these laws may face fines, or even prison time. Fortunately, although the laws became effective September 1,…
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of October 17, 2013, a total of 338 individuals from 20 states and Puerto Rico have been infected with seven outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg linked to Foster Farm’s Chicken. Forty percent of those infected have been hospitalized,…
According to a recent report by the Pew Research Center, in 2012, an estimated 11.7 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the United States illegally, up from 11.3 million in 2009. The report estimates that approximately 1.75 million of these unauthorized immigrants live in Texas, accounting for 15% of the unauthorized…
According to the October 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, falls and car accidents are responsible for most cases of minor traumatic brain injuries (“mTBI”). Notably, however, another leading cause of traumatic brain injuries (both minor and severe) is sports and recreational activities. In…
A 48-year old mother of seven recently passed away after taking the dietary supplement, OxyElite Pro, for several weeks. In fact, over the past 6 months, OxyElite Pro has been linked to 24 reported cases of acute hepatitis and liver failure in Hawaii. As a result, on October 10, 2013,…