| Announcements |
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| IMPORTANT TTLA BOARD MEETING NOTICE |
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SPECIAL CALLED TTLA Board of Directors Meeting
Friday, September 11, 2009, 9:00 am – Noon, TTLA’s Williams Conference Center, Austin, TX. For more information contact Rhonda High 512-476-3852 or rhonda@ttla.com.
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| Laws/Cases |
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| Indiana Ordered to Reimburse Underpaid Workers |
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An Indiana judge has awarded more than $42 million to state workers who claimed they were underpaid from 1973 to 1993. According to the class-action lawsuit, the state paid some employees who worked 40-hour weeks the same amount as others in similar positions earned in a 37.5-hour work week. The ruling could affect as many as 15,000 current and former Indiana employees. The state is expected to appeal the verdict. John Murray, Indianapolis Star 07/29/2009
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Indianapolis Star
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| Medtronic Paid Doctor to Testify Before Lawmakers |
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A medical professor at the University of Minnesota received $6,000 from medical device maker Medtronic in exchange for testimony that urged lawmakers to continue funding medical research involving a bone growth product called Infuse, according to the New York Times. The newspaper reports that Dr. David W. Polly Jr. failed to disclose that he was working as a consultant for Medtronic when he testified before a Senate panel in 2006. Documents released by Senator Charles E. Grassley show that Polly received $1.14 million in fees and expenses from Medtronic from 2003 to 2007. Barry Meier, The New York Times 07/29/2009
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| Read Article:
The New York Times
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| Hospital Settles Suit Over Alleged Kickbacks |
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A California hospital and its parent company will pay $2.4 million to resolve claims that they paid kickbacks to doctors who referred Medicare patients to the health care system. In the whistleblower lawsuit, federal officials alleged that the Tulare Regional Medical Center and the Tulare District Healthcare System offered doctors discounted rent and commercial real estate in exchange for referrals. The health care system’s former chief financial officer originally filed the lawsuit last year. AP, San Jose Mercury News 07/28/2009
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San Jose Mercury News
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| Judge Schedules Remaining 9/11 Trials |
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A federal judge has scheduled the first of three remaining wrongful death lawsuits stemming from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for April 12. In scheduling the trial, U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said he wanted the first trial to focus on a case involving victims aboard the hijacked planes. More than 90 other families who chose not to accept payments from a special Congressional fund have already settled their claims against aviation defendants. AP, Newsday 07/28/2009
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Newsday
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| Jury Orders Guess Founder to Pay Damages to Workers |
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Jurors in California have ordered Georges Marciano to pay $370 million to five former employees who claimed the Guess Jeans co-founder harassed and defamed them, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to the suit, Marciano accused the employees of stealing from him and conspiring to sell his property. Throughout the case, Marciano, now candidate for California governor, has accused the judge of bias and constitutional violations. Victoria Kim, LA Times 07/29/2009
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LA Times
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| Products |
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| FDA Issues Warning on Body-Building Supplements |
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An unknown number of body-building products marketed as nutritional supplements may contain steroids and could cause liver and kidney problems, the Food and Drug Administration has warned. Specifically, the warning applies to eight supplements sold by American Cellular Labs that the FDA says contain hidden steroids. However, the agency admitted it was not sure how many other products could be covered by the warning. Natasha Singer and Michael S. Schmidt, The New York Times 07/28/2009
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| Read Article:
The New York Times
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| FDA Reverses Course on Lead Fillings |
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In a somewhat sudden reversal, federal regulators have announced that they no longer consider silver dental fillings to be a health risk to patients. The Food and Drug Administration says its final scientific review concluded that the fillings contain too little mercury to harm anyone except those with a mercury allergy. Last year, the FDA agreed to post a caution on its Web site about silver dental fillings in order to settle a lawsuit by anti-mercury activists. AP, Newsday 07/28/2009
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| Read Article:
Newsday
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| TEXAS LAWYER CASE SUMMARIES |
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| Study |
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| Tanning Beds Cause Cancer, Study Says |
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A new study has concluded that the use of tanning beds raised the risk of skin cancer by 75 percent among persons who began tanning before age 30. The risk assessment, produced by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, now classifies tanning beds in the same category as carcinogens such as cigarettes. The study appears in the medical journal Lancet Oncology. Eva von Schaper, Bloomberg 07/28/2009
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| Read Article:
Bloomberg
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