TTLA EClips • TTLA Home • Search Litigation Bank • About November 17, 2008 -  Jury Awards Damages for Harassment -  Firms Look to Seize on Environmental Opportunities -  Minn. Bridge Collapse Sparks First Lawsuit -  Paxil Case Dismissed on Statute of Limitation Grounds -  Mining Company Settles Suit Over Deaths -  Workers Face Shrinking Healthcare Options -  Investigation Uncovers Hidden Crib Hazard -  Dallas Court of Appeals: Health Law -  Gulf War Syndrome Real, Panel Concludes     This Service Sponsored Exclusively by The James Street Group A Member Service of Texas Trial Lawyers Association   Announcements Time is running out to register for TTLA’s Annual Conference Events! Don’t miss our 4 incredible CLE programs, national speakers including Paul Begala, our Annual Party & Auction, List Server reception, Advocates Annual Meeting, Annual President’s Luncheon, Annual Board & Membership meeting, and more! Visit www.ttla.com/annual for more details and to register, or call (512) 476-3852 for more information.   Laws/Cases Jury Awards Damages for Harassment A federal jury has ordered Nassau County, New York to pay $1 million to three female former police detectives who were the victims of sexual harassment and discrimination. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit, the women were subjected to lewd remarks and insubordination and were denied training and overtime opportunities given to male employees. A spokesman for the county was unavailable for comment on the case.  Karla Schuster, Newsday  11/17/2008 Read Article: Newsday     Firms Look to Seize on Environmental Opportunities The growth of alternative energy and new chemical regulation has some California firms looking to shake the recent economic downturn. Firms point to the so-called green rush expected to hit California’s legal community. Specifically, the push for renewable energy and the Green Chemistry Initiative, which gives the state increased power to regulate chemicals in consumer products, are projected to be boons to firm business.  Pamela A. MacLean, Law.com  11/17/2008 Read Article: Law.com     Minn. Bridge Collapse Sparks First Lawsuit Attorneys filed a lawsuit last week on behalf of several people injured or killed in last year’s Minneapolis bridge collapse. According to the lawsuit, companies hired to conduct maintenance on the bridge and assess its safety were negligent in the collapse that killed 13 people and injured 150. The case is Wagner v. URS Corp.  Peter Page, Law.com  11/17/2008 Read Article: Law.com     Paxil Case Dismissed on Statute of Limitation Grounds A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge has granted summary judgment in favor of GlaxoSmithKline in what some see as an indicative case for litigation involving the drug Paxil. Judge Allan L. Tereshko found that the case involving the 2002 suicide of a patient taking Paxil should be dismissed on statute of limitation grounds. An attorney for the plaintiffs said they would likely appeal the ruling.  Amaris Elliott-Engel, Law.com  11/17/2008 Read Article: Law.com     Mining Company Settles Suit Over Deaths Massey Energy Co. has agreed to an undisclosed settlement to resolve a lawsuit filed by the widows of two miners killed in a West Virginia mine fire. In the lawsuit, the women accused the Richmond, Va.-based company, two subsidiaries and CEO Don Blankenship of putting profits over safety. The miners died in 2006 after getting lost in thick smoke from a conveyer belt fire.  AP, USA Today  11/17/2008 Read Article: USA Today     Insurance Workers Face Shrinking Healthcare Options Workers who receive insurance coverage from their employer are facing an increasingly small selection of coverage options. More and more companies are turning to high annual deductible plans as the only option available to workers. The growing popularity of such plans, which can carry deductibles of more than $1,000 per individual, are expected to put growing pressure on workers’ out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.  Milt Freudenheim, The New York Times  11/14/2008 Read Article: The New York Times     Products Investigation Uncovers Hidden Crib Hazard The recent recall of nearly 1.6 million cribs has sparked increased scrutiny about the safety of baby beds. However, a recent investigation by the Chicago Tribune has revealed that kits distributed by Delta Enterprise to fix crib hazards do not resolve another potentially deadly flaw. Government documents show at least 19 cases of a separate hazard not addressed by the latest recall.  Patricia Callahan, Chicago Tribune  11/16/2008 Read Article: Chicago Tribune     TEXAS LAWYER CASE SUMMARIES Dallas Court of Appeals: Health Law The amendment of a petition to add a new claim constitutes filing of that claim and triggers the expert report deadline as to any defendant sued in either a direct or vicarious capacity. Suleman v. Brewster, Dallas Court of Appeals, No. 05-07-01296-CV.  , Texas Lawyer Opinions (TTLA Members Only)  11/17/2008 Read Article: Texas Lawyer Opinions (TTLA Members Only)     Study Gulf War Syndrome Real, Panel Concludes Gulf War syndrome, a disorder affecting hundreds of thousands of troops who served in the 1991 conflict, is real and is the result of exposure to neurotoxic agents, a congressionally mandated scientific panel has concluded. According to the panel, the illness is largely caused by the drug pyridostigmine bromide and pesticides used to ward off flies and other pests. The government and Department of Veterans Affairs had consistently maintained that the disorder was the result of stress or some other unknown cause.  Mary Engel and Thomas H. Maugh II, LA Times  11/17/2008 Read Article: LA Times     Published by TRIALSMITH, Litigation Tools for Trial Lawyers