Miscellaneous

• Merck ordered to pay $47 Million in Vioxx Case

  RLF Staff | March 13, 2007 7:27 AM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. was ordered to pay $47.5 million in damages after a New Jersey jury decided that the company's Vioxx medication was responsible for an Idaho man's heart attack. The jury awarded $20 million in compensatory damages to Frederick Humeston and his wife and then tacked on an additional $27.5 million in punitive damages after a unanimous decision.In the first phase of...

• FDA RECALL - Possible Arsenic Contamination in Jermuk Mineral Water

  RLF Staff | March 09, 2007 7:46 AM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  FDA Warns Consumers Not to Drink "Jermuk" Brand Mineral Water Due to possible Arsenic ContaminationThe US Food and Drug Administrationis warning consumers not to drink certain brands of mineral water imported from Armenia due to the risk of exposure to arsenic, a toxic substance and known cause of cancer in humans. Symptoms of acute arsenic exposure usually occur within several hours of...

• ReNu MultiPlus Contact-Lens Solution Recalled

  RLF Staff | March 08, 2007 12:35 PM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  Bausch & Lomb announced today that it is recalling 1.5 million bottles of ReNu MultiPlus contact-lens solution because trace levels of iron were found in the product. Iron may cause "discoloration" of the solution and may cause its effectiveness to deteriorate before the printed expiration date. The recall affects 12 lots of the product, which were produced at the company's Greenville, S.C.,...

• Salmonella Outbreak Cases Still Rising

  RLF Staff | March 01, 2007 6:39 AM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  The first patients fell ill as far back as August, but most cases have appeared in the past three months. Symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, and the effects usually last four to seven days. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the number of patients affected by the recent salmonella outbreak has risen to 370, and incidents...

• Fatality linked to Salmonella from Peanut Butter

  RLF Staff | February 23, 2007 8:36 AM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  Barkay died of a bacterial infection in the hospital. Barkay and her husband, William, had purchased a jar of Peter Pan peanut butter in November. The jar in question was part of the batch recalled by ConAgra earlier this month. No one in the family had connected their illnesses to the peanut butter until the salmonella-contamination story broke last week.A law suit has been filed against...

• Coleman Sued for Carbon Monoxide Related Deaths - Dangerous Heaters

  RLF Staff | January 18, 2007 7:25 AM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  Two lawsuits were filed against Coleman stating their PowerMate 5045 propane heater was responsible for two carbon-monoxide-related deaths. Plaintiffs claim the model has a defect that "produces deadly levels of carbon monoxide." Coleman is one of the most popular brands of outdoor and camping equipment.Last month in federal court, two lawsuits were filed against Coleman stating their PowerMate...

• Large Truck Accidents and Liability

  RLF Staff | January 10, 2007 8:11 AM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  More than 5,200 people died in accidents involving large trucks in the U.S. last year, 502 in Texas.According to The Dallas Morning News, more than 5,200 people died in accidents involving large trucks in the U.S. last year, 502 in Texas. The state consistently leads the nation in fatalities, in part because it has more roadway miles and the second-highest number of registered trucks. The...

• Louisiana's $500,000 Tort Reform Cap Ruled Unconstitutional

  Robert Wolf | October 13, 2006 10:55 AM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  Keep in mind that Louisiana's neighbor to the West, a little state known as Texas, has a cap on non-economic damages (i.e., all of the pain and suffering that one has to endure for a lifetime as a result of a serious injury or loss of a loved one) of $250,000 or $500,000 (depending on the number and type of Defendants involved in the lawsuit). Although the Texas legislature decided that...

• Woman spots rapist on TV; awarded $20 Million in Civil Suit

  Clint Gilbert | September 06, 2006 1:07 PM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  A Ventura, California woman received a $20 million civil court judgment against the man that forcibly raped her in 2003. The attacker was recognized weeks later by the victim, after he appeared on the television show "Blind Date."Ulrick Kevin White was convicted of rape and false imprisonment for the 2003 crime. The civil suit alledged emotional distress. Superior Court Judge Vincent O'Neill...

• $27.5 million verdict against Southwest in the apparently not-so-friendly skies

  Robert Wolf | April 11, 2006 3:45 PM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  A jury awarded $27.5 million in damages to a woman of Iranian descent who alleged she was racially profiled when Southwest Airlines accused her of assaulting a flight attendant and interfering with a flight crew. Samantha Carrington, a California woman, won in the civil case Friday after suing the Dallas-based carrier for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. She was arrested in 2003...