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• TTLA Home • Search Litigation Bank • About	September 18, 2007
-  New York to Pursue False Claims Suit Against Merck -  Plaintiffs in 9/11 Cases Settle with Airlines -  State Farm Settles with Mississippi Policyholders -  Judge Dismisses Global Warming Suit Against Automakers -  Top Attorney Expected to Plead Guilty to Conspiracy -  Crash Victim Receives Multimillion Dollar Award -  Elderly Patients at Risk from Multiple Prescriptions -  Dole Announces E. Coli-Related Salad Recall -  Popular Shoe Linked to Escalator Accidents     This Service Sponsored Exclusively by The James Street Group A Member Service of Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Announcements     Laws/Cases   New York to Pursue False Claims Suit Against Merck The city and state of New York filed a lawsuit against drug maker Merck Monday on behalf of taxpayers who purchased Vioxx. The lawsuit, filed by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and joined by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, accuses Merck of withholding the dangers of the withdrawn arthritis drug and bilking consumers out of millions of dollars. The case is the first to be filed under New York’s False Claims Act, which allows the state seek to damages for drug prescribed under false pretenses.  Reuters, The New York Times  09/17/2007 Read Article: The New York Times       Plaintiffs in 9/11 Cases Settle with Airlines The plaintiffs in the first case to go to trial stemming from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have agreed to settle their lawsuit against airlines and security contractors. The wife of Patrick Driscoll, who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, joined 13 other plaintiffs in settling their cases one week before the first case was to go to trial. The first of the remaining 21 cases is set to begin in November.  Reuters, Reuters  09/18/2007 Read Article: Reuters       State Farm Settles with Mississippi Policyholders State Farm Insurance on Monday settled with 103 Mississippi policyholders who had challenged the company's refusal to cover damage to their homes from Hurricane Katrina. Forty-seven of the policyholders had already filed lawsuits against the insurer while the remaining customers had only retained counsel. State farm customers involved in the settlement have agreed to keep the terms confidential.  Michael Kunzelman, USA Today  09/17/2007 Read Article: USA Today       Judge Dismisses Global Warming Suit Against Automakers A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Monday that charged six automakers with contributing to global warming. According to the lawsuit, filed by the State ofCalifornia, the companies had created a public nuisance by producing vehicles that accounted for more than 20 percent of carbon-dioxide emissions in theUnited States and more than 30 percent in California. In the decision, the judge suggested that the issue of global warming was outside the scope of the court’s authority.  Adam Liptak, The New York Times  09/18/2007 Read Article: The New York Times       Top Attorney Expected to Plead Guilty to Conspiracy One of the nation’s most prominent class action attorneys has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge in an alleged kickback deal, a source close to the case said Monday. William S. Lerach and others have been accused of paying kickbacks to clients who agreed to act as plaintiffs in class action lawsuits. Lerach is perhaps best known for winning a multibillion dollar payout for Enron investors.  Molly Selvin, LA Times  09/18/2007 Read Article: LA Times       Crash Victim Receives Multimillion Dollar Award A Florida woman whose neck was permanently injured in a 2004 rear-end collision has been awarded $3.4 million by a Jacksonville jury. The crash occurred when the woman’s car was struck by a truck from a moving company. The woman, a dance teacher, will likely need care for the remainder of her life to treat neck pain resulting from the crash, her attorney said.  Steve Patterson, Florida Times Union  09/18/2007 Read Article: Florida Times Union       Healthcare   Elderly Patients at Risk from Multiple Prescriptions America’s increasing elderly population is at acute risk of health problems resulting from drug interactions, doctors say. These interactions, know as polypharmcy, can create a poisonous cocktail of drugs whose interactions and side effects can be far worse than the diseases they were meant to treat. According to a geriatric specialist, elderly patients take approximately 40 percent of all prescription drugs and suffer twice as many adverse reactions as younger adults.  Jane E. Brody, The New York Times  09/18/2007 Read Article: The New York Times       Products   Dole Announces E. Coli-Related Salad Recall Dole Food Co. announced the recall of "Dole Hearts Delight" bagged salads in the United States and Canada Monday after finding that the salads may contain E. coli. The recall covers bagged salads with best used by Sept. 19 labels. No one has been reported sick from eating the salads, the company said.  Nichola Groom, Reuters  09/17/2007 Read Article: Reuters       Popular Shoe Linked to Escalator Accidents A popular soft-soled clog, know by the popular brand name Crocs, has been linked to accidents worldwide that involve the shoes becoming caught in escalators. Most of the reported injuries have involved small children. Officials at air and train terminals have begun posting warnings to passengers about wearing the shoes on their moving stairways.  Sarah Karush, HoustonChronicle  09/17/2007 Read Article: Houston Chronicle
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