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| Briefcase Online - Fall 2006 | | The Fall issue of Briefcase Online is out! Visit www.ttla.com to access articles including Disappearing Juries and Jury Verdicts, Moving Med Mal Cases to Health Courts, List Server Hot Tips, and more!
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| Laws/Cases | | |
| Jury Finds for Man in Defamation Case | | An innocent man named as a possible suspect in the BTK serial killings filed a defamation suit against a KS TV station. The jury awarded him $1.1 million for the station's "extreme and outrageous" conduct. The verdict covered mental suffering and compensation for damage to his reputation. Roxana Hegeman, Kansas City Star 10/24/2006
| | Read Article: Kansas City Star |
| Labor/Employment | | |
| Jewish Committee Faces Discrimination Lawsuit | | A former secretary of the American Jewish Committee alleges in a lawsuit that she was terminated because she's not Jewish. Despite strong performance evaluations and compatibility with supervisors, the plaintiff was put on probation under the direction of a new boss and then fired a month later. The plaintiff seeks back pay and wages, lost future earnings and punitive damages. Pittsburg Post Gazette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 10/24/2006
| | Read Article: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |
| Issues | | |
| Jury Selection Begins in Case Involving Refinery Blast | | Three workers who were severely injured in the Hunt Oil Refinery explosion allege Conex International was responsible for the incident. The lawsuit claims that Conex employees left a steel pipe hose loose on a machine, which in turn caused the blast. The case is currently in the jury-selection phase. The Associated Press, The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer 10/23/2006
| | Read Article: The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer |
| Hackers Break Into Online Stock Accounts | | A federal investigation found that hackers have been making millions of dollars worth of unauthorized trades through customer accounts at large online brokers. Customers at E-Trade Financial Corp. lost $18 million from "concerted rigs" in the third quarter alone. Even though E-Trade is not legally required to reimburse their clients' losses, the company still guarantees coverage. Ellen Nakashima, The Washington Post 10/24/2006
| | Read Article: The Washington Post |
| Physicians Screening Calls May Delay True Emergencies | | A study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that doctors screening after-hours calls may be obliviously delaying emergency treatment. Patients are untrained in deciding which problems are serious enough to deserve immediate attention, according to the study. Researchers estimate that doctors receive two to five million calls outside of business hours. Sandra G. Boodman, The Washington Post 10/24/2006
| | Read Article: The Washington Post |
| Products | | |
| Study Finds Link Between iPods and Hearing Loss | | Researchers found that listening to iPods at full volume for as little as five minutes can affect hearing. The study proposed guidelines for safe entertainment without the risk of hearing loss. Using the device at 70 percent volume for four and a half hours poses little risk. Eric Nagourney, The New York Times 10/24/2006
| | Read Article: The New York Times |
| Company Recalls Beef Over Possible E. coli Contamination | | CT based Omaha Beef Co., issued a recall for close to 1,680 pounds of ground beef products because of the possibility it may be tainted with a dangerous strain of E. coli. The beef was sent to restaurants in CT and southern NY state. No illnesses have been reported thus far. The Associated Press, Houston Chronicle 10/24/2006
| | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| Novartis' Frozen Influenza Vaccine Recalled | | A total of 500,000 doses of the Novartis flu vaccine are being recalled after the doses were found frozen while en route to a NY child immunization program. The frozen vaccine may become inactive and ineffective. Only about 18,600 doses were affected, but Novartis chose to replace all of the vaccines sold through the federal program. David Brown, Houston Chronicle 10/20/2006
| | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
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