No substantive post today. I went to Knoxville last night to attend a mediation today (Thursday) of a case I am involved in Maryville. The case did not get resolved but I enjoyed getting to spend some time with my co-counsel (from Seattle) and our client.
Day on Torts
Jury Verdict Reversed in Sudden Acceleration Case
The Missouri Court of Appeals has reversed a jury verdict entered in favor of a brain damaged woman and her husband. The two argued a 1993 Cutlass had a defective cruise control which caused a wreck that injured the woman. The appellate court held that the trial judge should not…
New CPR and ECC Guidelines
Read more about the American Heart Association’s new CPR and ECC guidelines at this post our medical malpractice blog.
House Moves to Strengthen Subrogation Rights
The House of Representatives is trying to limit the right of tort victims again. This time, the effort is to give even greater power to holders of ERISA subrogation interests. The House has passed a pension bill (H.R. 2830) that included this language: “(a) In General- Section 502(a) of the…
Tort Reform Through the Back Door
When we think of “tort reform” we usually think of insurance and corporate lobbyists trying to convince legislators to limit the ability of people to sue wrongdoers for personal injuries or wrongful death. But the fight is much broader than that, as evidenced by this press release from the National…
More Bad News for Guidant
People with injury claims against Guidant are learning more and more about how the company did business – and the news for Guidant is not good. This article reveals that a former employee is talking and says that the company set “unrealistic” goals for production of pacemakers and defibrillators.
Workplace Safety
When a employee is working on the property of another and is injured there is always a fight over whether the employee can sue the property owner who hired the injured person’s employer to perform the work. Here is a case out of California that the issue this way: “when,…
Frivilous Appeal?
“An appeal is frivolous when it “has no reasonable chance of success,” Davis v. Gulf Ins. Group, 546 S.W.2d 583, 586 (Tenn. 1977), or is “so utterly devoid of merit as to justify imposition of a penalty,” Combustion Eng’g, Inc. v. Kennedy, 562 S.W.2d 202, 205 (Tenn. 1978).” I see…
A Blunder By Senator Cornyn
Here is a good reason never to refer to someone by a nickname in private unless you would feel comfortable calling him that name to his face.
Vioxx Back in the News
The Vioxx litigation is heating up in a public way again. There is a trial in state court in Texas involving the death of a 71 year old man – he allegedly took 25 mg of Vioxx daily for seven days sometime in the last 30 days before he had…