| Announcements |  |  |
| Laws/Cases | | |
| Lawsuit Over CIA Leak Dismissed | | A district judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by former CIA analyst Valerie Plame that alleged her career was ruined by Vice President Dick Cheney and other White House officials. In the lawsuit, Plame accused the White House of revealing her identity as a CIA employee as retaliation for her husband's criticism of the war in Iraq. Plame's attorney said they plan to appeal the decision. Reuters, The New York Times 07/19/2007
| | Read Article: The New York Times |
| Ruling Expected Today on OxyContin Executives' Plea Deal | | A federal judge is expected to rule today on a plea agreement made by three current and former executives of Purdue Pharma, maker of the painkiller OxyContin. The three executives face criminal charges stemming from the drug maker's marketing of OxyContin. Earlier this year, an affiliate company of Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to similar charges and agreed to pay $600 million in fines and other penalties. Barry Meier, The New York Times 07/20/2007
| | Read Article: The New York Times |
| Defense Council Says Mention of the President is Prejudicial | | Defense attorneys in a civil case have asked the judge to bar the plaintiff from mentioning the name of President George W. Bush on grounds that it would prejudice the jury. The case involves a doctor who filed a civil rights lawsuit after he was arrested for displaying an anti-war sign at a Bush campaign event. The defense asked that the plaintiff instead use the phrase 'presidential candidate.' Shannon P. Duffy, Law.com 07/20/2007
| | Read Article: Law.com |
| State Supreme Court Rejects Opening Fee Arbitration | | Fee disputes between attorneys and their clients will remain private following a ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court. The court rejected a proposed plan that would have allowed public scrutiny during such arbitrations. The plan had been openly criticized by bar associations who argued that arbitration is by design a private forum. Charles Toutant, Law.com 07/20/2007
| | Read Article: Law.com |
| Court Orders VA to Pay Benefits in Agent Orange Case | | The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the Department of Veterans Affairs must pay benefits to veterans suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukemia because of their exposure to Agent Orange. Writing for the unanimous three judge panel, Judge Stephen Reinhardt criticized the department for continued foot dragging in paying benefits to the veterans. The ruling is the sixth against the government since the case began in 1986 Harry Weinstein, LA Times 07/20/2007
| | Read Article: LA Times |
| Issues | | |
| FEMA Charged with Suppressing Toxic Gas Information | | A congressional committee has accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency of suppressing warnings about dangerous levels of a toxic chemical found in government trailers provided for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Lawmakers pointed to e-mail records showing that FEMA lawyers voiced concerns about the agency's potential liability if it pursued testing on the trailers. Records indicate that FEMA initially found formaldehyde levels in the trailers to be 75 times the recommended level. Spencer S. Hsu, The Washington Post 07/20/2007
| | Read Article: The Washington Post |
| How Secure is Your Social Security Number? | | Routine business research recently turned up an unexpected piece of information: former Dallas Cowboy Troy Aikman's Social Security number. The find, made by a California businessman, raises concerns about the security of personal information for all Texas citizens, not just celebrities. Currently, there are potentially thousands of public documents online that may contain Social Security numbers. Peggy Fikac, Houston Chronicle 07/20/2007
| | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| Steam Pipe Explosion Sparks Fears over Asbestos Safety | | Wednesday's steam pipe explosion in New York has raised concerns about the safety of the city's aging infrastructure. Many of the city's older steam pipes are covered with asbestos insulation, leading many residents to worry about health problems from exposure to the carcinogen. Wednesday's explosion was not the first time an exploding pipe sparked fear about asbestos contamination. A similar incident occurred in 1989 Ken Belson and Anthony DePalma, The New York Times 07/19/2007
| | Read Article: The New York Times |
| Products | | |
| Botulism Cases Possibly Tied to Production Problem | | Canned chili sauce suspected in a botulism outbreak may have been traced to a Georgia production plant. According to a company official, the plant experienced production problems at about the same time that the chili sauce was made. However, tests conducted at the time of the problem showed no danger of possible contamination, the official said. AP, The Washington Post 07/20/2007
| | Read Article: The Washington Post |
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