Steel-belted Radial Tires Can Be Deadly for Your Family
Jul 29th
Car and truck tire tread separations are an unfortunate by-product of steel-belted radial tire technology. It is extremely difficult to adhere rubber to steel and all steel-belted radial tires have the potential for tread separation. The danger of tread separation increases at high speeds and in hot weather.
Tire tread belt separation is the most common mode of failure in steel-belted radial tires. This is a result of both design and manufacturing defects. Some recent examples of tire separations are the Firestone ATX and Wilderness tires on Ford Explorers, Continental General tires on Lincoln Navigators, the Firestone Steeltex tires on Excursions, and the Goodyear Load Range E tires on most 15-passenger vans.
This is a post from BestAttorney.com – BISNAR | CHASE California Personal Injury Lawyers
When You Buy a Luxury Car You May Not Be Paying for Safety
Jul 29th
When you buy a luxury vehicle like a Lexus, you probably expect it to be the safest vehicle you can buy. Unfortunately, that is not always true. Luxury car makers are no more concerned about your family’s safety than traditional car makers. The newest Lexus recall of the HS 250h luxury hybrid sedan is a perfect example of this.
Lexus and Toyota claim to put your family’s safety first by making the safest cars and SUVs available. Why then is the newest recall for a fuel line failure that all car makers have known about for at least 30 years? Lexus has failed to meet the minimum standards for fuel system integrity, and the results of this failure could be disastrous if you are involved in a rear-end collision.
This is a post from BestAttorney.com – BISNAR | CHASE California Personal Injury Lawyers
NEW LAW MAKES IGNITION INTERLOCK MANDATORY ON ALL NEW YORK DWI CONVICTIONS
Jul 29th
A new law which takes effect on August 15, 2010, makes the installation of an ignition interlock system mandatory on all convictions in New York for DWI charges. The devices which are required to be installed at the defendant’s expense will not permit the car to start if the operator registers a .025 or above of alcohol in their blood. The new law will effect the approximately 25,000 people per yera who are convicted of drinking and driving.
The law first became effective December 18, 2009 as reported in our prior blog and starting in little more than 2 weeks, the aspect of the law requiring ignition interlocks will become mandatory.
The cost of installation of an interlock device is expected to be about $100 and the required monthly monitoring will cost between $70 and $100 dollars per month. The devise will require the motorist to blow into the device to get the vehicle started and require that the driver blow into the device at regular intervals.
The cost and collateral consequences of DWI convictions in New York have increased dramatically over the last several years. Anyone arrested or charged for a DWI, DWAI or Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs should contact an experienced DWI lawyer to discuss their options, possible defenses and the range of potential consequences.
Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : July 28, 2010
Jul 29th
In one of the 132 posts on the LexBlog Network today, Dan Schwartz describes ‘Facebook Fatigue’ and how social media has completely taken over the workplace. I’ll admit, there isn’t a better phrase than ‘Facebook Fatigue’ to describe my feelings as the trailer for The Social Network came up prior to viewing Inception. It’s getting to be a little much.
- Stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Update: Her Death Penalty Defense Attorney Is Missing, His Wife and Brother-in-Law Held – Criminal law lawyer Terry Lenamon blog on his blog, Terry Lenamon on the Death Penalty
- Energy Bill: No Caps, No RES- Yes to EPA and States – Cleveland attorney Joe Koncelik of Frantz Ward in his Ohio Environmental Law Blog
- Enhancing Traceability And Outbreak Response – Milwaukee lawyer Shawn Stevens of Gass Weber Mulins on the firm’s blog, Defending Food Safety
- Climate Legislation Is Dead (For Now): Long Live Conventional Pollutants – Boston attorney Seth Jaffe of Foley Hoag on the ACOEL Blog
- Law student wins £10,000 after being branded a pedophile on Facebook – Florida lawyer Edward Joffe of Joffe & Joffe LLC on his blog, Trends In International Litigation
- When and Who?: New Jersey, U.S. Supreme Courts Grapple With Beachfront "Takings" Issues – Newark attorney Paul Hauge of Gibbons on the firm’s blog, Real Property & Environmental Law Alert
- Ninth Circuit Approves of "Preemptive" Fitness for Duty Examination – Portland lawyer Dennis Westlind of Stoel Rives in the firm’s World of Work Blog
- Facebook Fatigue: How Issues Over Employee Use of Social Media Have Become Mainstream – Hartford attorney Daniel Schwartz of Pullman & Comley in his Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- FDA to Launch Blog on Drug Safety and Establish a Facebook Presence? – Management consultant Cliff Mintz of BioInsights Inc. in his Bio Job Blog
- Was the FDA Advisory Panel on Avandia Tainted by Conflict? – Hunstville lawyer Jeff Blackwell of Hornsby, Watson, Hornsby, Blackwell & McKown on his blog, Alabama Litigation Review
Nissan Recalls Cubes over Fuel Spill Concerns
Jul 29th
Nissan has issued a vehicle defect recall for 46,000 of its 2009 and 2010 Cube models because of possible problems with fuel spillage and fire hazards in the event of a rear-end collision. According to an Associated Press news report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s documents show that the fuel spillage occurred in rear-end crash tests where the vehicle also spun around. Regulators found that more fuel was spilled in these crashes than federal standards allow.
This is a post from BestAttorney.com – BISNAR | CHASE California Personal Injury Lawyers
Radiology Clinic Pays $647,000 to Resolve Lawsuit Alleging it Billed Medicare for Unneeded Tests
Jul 29th
Advanced Radiology of Beverly Hills has agreed to pay the federal government $647,000 to settle allegations that they filed false claims with Medicare for unnecessary radiological tests. The United States civil lawsuit alleged that Advanced Radiology engaged in a scheme to bill Medicare for unnecessary tests performed at Advanced Radiology from 1999 through 2002. As part of the scheme, an Advanced Radiology contractor would recruit Medicare beneficiaries to undergo diagnostic tests, even though they were not needed.
The settlement resolves allegations initially made against Advanced Radiology in a “whistleblower” lawsuit filed pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow a private party to file a civil action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery.
The HLP recommends that you take a careful look at your documentation practices as regulatory compliance continues to take on critical importance in this health care environment.
For more information on this topic, feel free to call Adrienne Dresevic, Esq. or Carey F. Kalmowitz, Esq. of The Health Law Partners at (248) 996-8510.
Arizona’s Immigration Law Ruling
Jul 28th
A federal judge in Arizona has issued an injunction blocking key provisions of Arizona’s new immigration law. As always, CNN has the story.
This is big news. A long battle lies ahead that eventually end in the United States Supreme Court.
Rite Aid Agrees to Pay $1 Million to Settle HIPAA Privacy Case
Jul 28th
For those providers and entities that think HIPAA violations are no big deal or that have yet to implement required policies and procedures, they are well advised to review the Department of Health and Human Services July 27, 2010 press release announcing a $1 million dollar settlement related to allegations of violations of HIPAA.
Rite Aid Corporation and its 40 affiliated entities (RAC) agreed to pay $1 million to settle violations under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) which enforces the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules opened its investigation of RAC after a television media station reported on incidents where pharmacies were shown to have disposed of prescriptions and labeled pills bottles that contained individuals’ identifiable information in trash containers accessible to the public.
Such an act of disposing of individuals’ health information in places that is accessible to an unauthorized person is in violation of several requirements found in the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires health plans, health care clearinghouses and most health care providers including pharmacies, to protect the privacy of patient information, including such information during its disposal.
As part of the settlement agreement, Rite Aid also agreed to take the following corrective action to improve its policies and procedures to safeguard the privacy of its customers: (1) revise and distribute policies and procedures regarding disposal of protected health information and sanction workers who do not follow them; (2) train employees on the new requirements; (3) conduct internal monitoring; and (4) engage a qualified and independent third-party to conduct compliance reviews and render report to HHS.
For more information regarding HIPAA or health information privacy matters, please contact Abby Pendleton, Esq. or Jessica L. Gustafson, Esq. at (248) 996-8510.
Joan Wexler Of Crooklyn Law School
Jul 28th
“TTT,
I am highlighting Joan Wexler and her in$TTiTTuTTion this week on my blog. I was tipped to this PDF by a commenter on my site. Here is Brooklyn Law School’s IRS Tax Form 990, i.e. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, for 2007.
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2008/237/227/2008-237227990-050fa431-9.pdf
Go to page 18 of Crooklyn’s IRS Form 990 to see Joan Wexler’s salary and compensation for 2007.
As a dean who devoted 50 hours per week to her position, Joan G. Wexler took home $529,293 in salary; $40,146 in contributions to employee benefit plans & deferred compensation plans; and $50,580 in expense account and other allowances. This brings her TOTAL COMPENSATION for 2007 to $620,019.
Look at line 12 on page 1. The sewer of law took in $69,029,620 in total revenue that year. After total expenses, the “non-profit” school made a nice gain of $9,052,403 this year. On line 21, we can see that Crooklyn had $143,063,841 in total net assets. Line 59 shows the school had $244,
710,030 in total assets.
This lady and her institution have consigned LEGIONS of lawyers to a lifetime of debt servitude, anxiety and doc review hell. Tom, please provide the link to the IRS form, so your readers can see the figures for themselves. Thank you.
Nando”
http://thirdtierreality.blogspot.com/2010/07/profiles-in-flatulence-crooklyn-dean.html
Another great find by Nando. There are legions of underemployed document reviewers slaving away in unventilated basements, so that morally bankrupt individuals like Joan Wexler can continue pulling down half a mil a year by scamming unsuspecting college graduates with all those “inadvertent” errors to US News. The woman is a sham/con artist and she needs to be carted away and locked up before she destroys anymore young lives.
iPad Lawsuit
Jul 28th
Apple faces a lawsuit over an allegation that its iPad easily overheats and turns off.
“The iPad does not live up to the reasonable consumer’s expectations created by Apple insofar as the iPad overheats so quickly under common weather conditions that it does not function for prolonged use outdoors, or in many other warm conditions,” according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Oakland last week.
It seems to me if you iPad does not work, Apple should get you a new one. But that really should not be a federal cases since no one I know that has an iPad has this problem.
I like that lawyers can file lawsuits to protect consumers from bad products even when the damage to the individual consumer is low and merely economic because it discourages companies that are willing to allow bad products on the market. What I don’t like is that most of the cases that I read about seem ridiculous.