News
Safety Review of Avandia
The Food and Drug Administration FDA is reviewing data submitted in August 2009 from a large, long-term study on possible heart-related risks with the diabetes drug Avandia rosiglitazone. FDA’s review is ongoing. No new conclusions or recommendations about the use of rosiglitazone in the treatment of type 2 diabetes have been made at this time.
After [...]
VA criticized for lax highway safety laws, yet fatalities continue to decline
According to an advocacy group known as the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Virginia is among the nine worst states for highway safety laws. Even so, Virginia continues to see fewer and fewer traffic fatalities. The Virginia Highway Safety Office VAHSO reports that Virginia had 821 traffic fatalities in 2008, the fewest [...]
New study shows driving hinders talking
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It is well known that having a conversation (for example on a cell phone) impairs one’s driving. A new study indicates the reverse is also true: Driving reduces one’s ability to comprehend and use language.
The findings, from researchers at the University of Illinois, appear in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
This is [...]
Counterfeit check scheme targeting U.S. law firms
The FBI continues to receive reports of counterfeit check scheme targeting U.S. law firms. As previously reported, scammers send e-mails to lawyers, claiming to be overseas and seeking legal representation to collect delinquent payments from third parties in the U.S. The law firm receives a retainer agreement, invoices reflecting the amount owed, and a check [...]
Contaminated House Dust Linked to Parking Lots with Coal Tar Sealant
Coal-tar-based sealcoat—the black, shiny substance sprayed or painted on many parking lots, driveways, and playgrounds—has been linked to elevated concentrations of the contaminants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in house dust. Apartments with adjacent parking lots treated with the coal-tar based sealcoat contained house dust with much higher concentrations of PAHs than apartments next to [...]
Side Effects of Drugs Used During Pregnancy to be Studied
A collaborative study is being conducted by the FDA, Vanderbilt University, and a number of research centers across the country to examine the effects of prescription medication on pregnant women.
The research program is using health care information on mothers and their children from 11 participating sites, which will give researchers a database of about one [...]
Lawsuit Against BP Texas City Results in $100M Verdict
A federal jury has awarded more than $100 million to 10 workers who were exposed to toxic fumes at the BP Texas City, Texas oil refinery, mostly involving punitive damages after evidence was submitted about the company’s history of problems at the refinery.
The case was the first of about 100 toxic tort lawsuits against BP, [...]
CT Scan class action lawsuit
Patients who may have received high doses of radiation during routine brain scans filed a class action lawsuit in Alabama today, accusing the manufacturer, G.E. Healthcare, of poor safety features in the design of the scanner.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently found that that CT perfusion scans, which are used to check for blockages [...]
Can judges and lawyers be friends on Facebook?
In the latest collision of cyberspace and justice, the state’s Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee has ruled that it is unseemly for judges to be Internet “friends” with lawyers who could have cases in their court.
“The committee believes that listing lawyers who may appear before the judge as ‘friends’ on a judge’s social networking page reasonably [...]
Purported Investments in Personal Injury Settlements - SEC Blocks Early-Stage Ponzi Scheme
Washington, D.C., Dec. 8, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today halted a Ponzi scheme involving a New York firm that solicited investments involving personal injury lawsuit settlements but instead shipped the money overseas. The SEC obtained a court order freezing the assets of the firm, its president, and several companies holding money from [...]
