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The Law Firm of Stephen M. Reck Wishes You and Yours a Very Happy Thanksgiving
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New Report on the U.S. Chamber's "Litigation Machine"  A new report by the AAJ, called The Chamber Litigation Machine: How the Chamber Uses Lawsuits to Keep Americans Out of Court, describes the efforts of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to attack consumer and worker rights through litigation, as well as massive lobbying campaigns, advertising, and bankrolling anti-consumer political candidates. The report demonstrates how the Chamber is one of the "most aggressive litigators in Washington, entering lawsuits at a rate of over twice weekly, and details the Chamber's hypocrisy-blocking justice for everyday Americans while using the courts liberally for its own pro-corporate agenda." It even has its own multimillion dollar affiliate, the Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), whose sole mission is to restrict the ability of individuals harmed by negligent corporations to file suits. Get the report here. |
Civil Justice System Uncovers Abuse and Neglect of Elderly Americans
Civil suits help uncover abuses by nursing home and insurance companies, according to a report issued by the American Association for Justice called "Standing Up For Seniors: How the Civil Justice System Protects Elderly Americans." The report illustrates how the civil justice system is the most effective force in uncovering abuses by corporate nursing homes and insurance companies that target elderly Americans. Get the report here. |
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Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Case
The AP reported that "The Supreme Court is trying to sort out whether drug companies can be sued for claims of serious side effects from childhood vaccines without driving vaccine makers from the market and risking a public health crisis." The Court heard arguments last month "in an appeal filed by Pittsburgh-area parents who want to sue drug maker Wyeth...for the health problems they say their 18-year-old daughter suffered from a vaccine she received in infancy." The justices are deciding whether the case can proceed despite a law that largely exempts the makers of vaccines from liability. The industry claimed the immunity was needed to encourage drugmakers to continue producing the products. |
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Surgical Errors Occur "Far Too Often"
The New York Times reported that "despite a requirement that hospitals abide by a standard set of procedures to prevent surgical mistakes like operating on the wrong patient or the wrong body part, such errors continue to occur far too often," according to a paper in the Archives of Surgery. "Past estimates suggested that such mistakes occurred once in every 110,000 procedures, but the paper's lead author, Dr. Philip F. Stahel, said the incidence might not be so rare -- and might even have increased." He even went so far as to call the "data ... shocking." |
Online Doctors' Ratings Often Unhelpful
In a recent opinion column in USA Today, primary-care physician Kevin Pho, MD, wrote that "there are some good reasons consumers should be wary of the information they find online about doctors." For example, "an Archives of Internal Medicine study in September found that most publicly available information on individual physicians -- such as disciplinary actions, the number of malpractice payments, or years of experience -- had little correlation with whether they adhered to the recommended medical guidelines. In other words, there's no easy way to research how well a doctor manages conditions." Some doctors have no online reviews at all, making it impossible for patients to make educated decisions. Finally, some reviews are just plain suspect, either "manipulated by someone bearing a grudge," or else are "glowing narratives...planted by a doctor or his staff." |
New Report
Increase in Homegrown Terrorists Noted
A new report by the Bipartisan Policy Center "details how the terrorist threat has evolved since the attacks in 2001, including the development of homegrown networks and the increasingly diverse and decentralized nature of terrorism." Get the report here. |
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Supreme Court (Again) Changes Rules in Fall Down Cases
If a customer slips and falls in a grocery store and gets injured, just how much negligence does the injured person need to prove to prevail in a legal battle? A recent ruling by the CT Supreme Court says that a grocery store's liability for a slip-and-fall accident might depend on where in the store the person falls. A fall by the salad bar, where customers frequently drop things, might be an easier case than when someone slips in the frozen food aisle. The Supreme Court's decision in Fisher v. Big Y may represent a significant change in the way slip-and-fall cases in retail stores, especially grocery stores, are litigated. Read more. |
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Afternoon, North Stonington, by Gershon Camassar |
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Newsletter Archive
New to our mailing list? To read our prior newsletters, click here. | | |
Data Shows Decrease in Teen Vehicle Fatalities
The CDC concludes that tougher limits on young drivers have lead to a significant reduction in the number of teens involved in fatal crashes from 2004-2008 (note, the reduction is not due to teens becoming better drivers). The analysis did not address other increasingly common causes of accidents such as texting, cellphones, and other distractions. Despite the reduction in fatalities, motor vehicle accidents are still the leading cause of death for people ages 1-34. Get more teen driving info from the CDC here. |
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Senator Seeks Probe into Prescription Practices The AP reported that Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) "is asking federal officials to investigate after reviewing data that shows doctors across the country prescribing alarmingly high numbers of powerful mental health drugs paid for by Medicare and Medicaid." Grassley "studied Medicare and Medicaid prescription rates from doctors around the country, revealing few consequences for doctors with high prescription rates." Notable findings included "a Miami doctor who wrote nearly 97,000 prescriptions in 18 months for mental health drugs for Medicaid patients and an Ohio physician who wrote about 102,000 prescriptions in two years." |
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Caffeinated Alcohol Drinks Send Students to ERs
The New York Times reported that beverages containing alcohol and caffeine, especially a brand called Four Loko, are drawing "scrutiny after students who drank it this fall at Ramapo College in New Jersey and Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash., ended up in emergency rooms, some with high levels of alcohol poisoning." Physicians say the drinks are dangerous because "the caffeine masks the effects of the alcohol, keeping consumers from realizing just how intoxicated they are." |
Recall Central
To read about recent recalls and product safety news from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, click here.
Get the latest recall information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration here.
The Dept. of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service regulate meat, poultry products and processed eggs. Check their recalls here.
Click here for Food and Drug Administration recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts.
For updates on the peanut products recall click here. |
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Proudly Serving Connecticut and Rhode Island
The trial attorneys at The Law Firm of Stephen M. Reck, LLC represent individuals in all types of personal injury cases throughout the state of Connecticut and the state of Rhode Island, including, in Connecticut: New London County, New Haven County, Middlesex County, Hartford County, Tolland County, and Windham County; and in Rhode Island: Bristol County, Kent County, Newport County, Providence County, and Washington County.
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