In Texas, Asbestos been used in the petroleum industry in everything from pipe insulation to gaskets to the clothes workers wore. Asbestos causes cancer when breathed into the lungs, often in the form of Mesothelioma. The fire benefits of asbestos were such that their use in Texas did not stop…
The Yaz® birth control pill has been on the market since 2006. Yaz is taken orally once daily to prevent pregnancy. Yaz differs from other birth control methods because it contains a progestin hormone called drospirenone, which can increase potassium levels in the bloodstream. Yaz has been linked with serious…
It was just another work day for Rafael Jimenez, a veteran tree trimmer in his 24th year on the job. But as he stuffed branches from a Chinese elm tree into a wood chipper, his right hand became entangled in the branches and Jimenez found himself being jerked toward the…
A class action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles accuses recalled Hydroxycut weight-loss products of causing deadly liver damage and other severe complications. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of anyone who consumed the now-banned supplements, claims the company failed to warn users of the risks of injury.…
A lawsuit was filed in Allegheny County Court by the mother of a 28-year-old woman who died after a utility pole struck by a tractor-trailer fell on her head. Filed by Gloria Grate on behalf of her daughter, Marquetta Grate, the lawsuit names as defendants the city of Pittsburgh, Levin…
The Environmental Protection Agency declared its first-ever “public health emergency,” saying the federal government will funnel $6 million to provide medical care for people sickened by asbestos from a mine in northwest Montana. The declaration applies to the towns of Libby and Troy, where for decades workers dug for vermiculite,…
The wrongful death civil trial over a 2005 fatal brawl in a McDonald’s parking lot hit a stumbling block when the judge dismissed the jury picked to hear the case. Attorneys agreed on a six-member jury, but since then lawyers on the plaintiff’s side uncovered facts about three of the…
While investigators scour the Atlantic for clues to the cause of the crash of Air France Flight 447, lawyers in Brazil, France and the U.S. are taking steps to determine the proper forum for any lawsuits. Sophie Bottai, whose client was the first granted victim status in a French criminal…
The acne remedy Accutane, a synthetic form of vitamin A used to treat serious forms of acne that can cause scarring, has been the subject of extensive litigation because of a long list of side effects including inflammatory bowel disease, suicide, and birth defects. The U.S. manufacturer of Accutane, Hoffman…
The family of a retired Navy sailor who died of cancer triggered by asbestos fibers he inhaled on the job decades ago has won $1.2 million in its lawsuit against a ship-parts manufacturer. Gerald Gray died in April after suffering from mesothelioma. His death, at age 75, came five weeks…