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November 12th, 2014

Back in July of this year, we published an article about a recall that happened at the same time as the 20 million-vehicle GM recall, which despite being nearly as dangerous was not as well-chronicled. While GM was trying to deal with cars that powered …

November 5th, 2014

In the past, this blog has covered the issue of forced arbitration (through contracts of adhesion), a practice that enables corporations and other businesses to avoid lawsuits from consumers in favor of mediation with a company-appointed arbitrator. The consumer has no idea that he/she is …

October 29th, 2014

In mid-September of this year, a jury in Texas awarded Martha Salazar $73 million dollars–including $50 million in punitive damages–after she brought a lawsuit against Boston Scientific, the company responsible for manufacturing the Obtryx transvaginal mesh sling. Salazar, who received the pelvic implant to clear …

October 22nd, 2014

Punitive damages–monetary amounts designed to be a deterrent for reckless behavior against defendants–are important to the civil justice system in this country. However, they are also often attacked by critics in the so-called “tort reform” movement for being disproportionately large and arbitrarily assigned. The headlines …

October 15th, 2014

By now it is common knowledge that there is an outbreak of the infectious disease Ebola in West Africa. Having killed thousands there, the disease has also spread to the United States, where one patient just died (at the time of this writing). Thomas Duncan, …

October 8th, 2014

Since the summer of 2013, journalist Elisabeth Rosenthal has been publishing articles in theNew York Times in an ongoing series called “Paying Till It Hurts,” which investigates the incredibly high price of healthcare in the United States. Her most recent entry, which ran on the …

October 1st, 2014

Over the years, many in the medical profession have pushed for so-called tort reform measures, which would alter the country’s civil justice system so that it is tilted in its favor. Lobbyists have made efforts to limit liability for medical negligence claims. But when it …

September 24th, 2014

The last time this blog posted an article on the massive (20 million cars and counting) recall issued by GM earlier this year, it was to report that federal regulators were beginning to suspect a cover-up among executives at the automotive company. More troubling, from …

September 17th, 2014

This past June, in an article about a potential link between testosterone treatment and cardiovascular problems, we explained that the FDA had (after about ten years of urging by researchers) decided to launch an investigation into the matter. It turns out that it only took a …