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Med Mal Lawsuits and Aortic Dissection – The Deadly Condition Often Missed in the Emergency Department

If left untreated, aortic dissection carries a mortality rate nearing 50% within 48 hours of symptom onset. Alarmingly, fewer than half of all cases are correctly diagnosed during the initial emergency department visit. This article, written by Bethany R. Nikitenko and published in The Legal Intelligencer, provides a brief overview of the condition, the standard of care for clinicians …

Mandatory Safety Standard for Nursing Pillows Is Now in Effect

A new federal safety standard that aims to reduce the risks of suffocation, entrapment and falls associated with nursing pillows is now in effect. Nursing pillows are horseshoe-shaped pillows that are designed to fit around an adult’s torso and lift a baby to a more “ergonomic” position for breast or bottle feeding. They are not an infant sleep product, but their …

Mandatory Safety Standard for Infant Loungers and ‘Support Cushions’ Is Now in Effect

A new federal safety standard that aims to reduce the risks of suffocation, entrapment and falls associated with infant loungers and similar pillow-like products is now in effect. Starting on May 5, 2025, manufacturers of infant loungers and other “infant support cushions” must adhere to a mandatory safety standard which was unanimously approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) …

U.S. Leads High-Income Countries in Traffic Deaths

The United States leads 27 other high-income countries in its number of pedestrian deaths and overall road traffic deaths, according to a report recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report regards preventable pedestrian accident traffic deaths in the U.S. as a “major public health problem.” Between 2013 and 2022, U.S. pedestrian death rates increased 50 percent …

DOJ Launches Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program

In 2024, the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division launched the Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program to combat corporate crime. The Corporate Whistleblower Pilot Program will run through 2027, before being re-evaluated, and is modeled on other successful whistleblower programs like those administered by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The Pilot Program is designed …

Tabletop Fire Pits Can Explode, Cause Serious Burn Injuries and Death

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using alcohol-burning or other liquid fuel tabletop fire pits following two deaths and at least 60 injuries in the past five years. Tabletop fire pits — also called fire pots, miniature fireplaces and personal fireplaces — are small, portable fireplaces that can be placed on a tabletop or …

NHTSA Issues Final Rule for Auto Whistleblower Program

On December 12, 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the final rule formalizing its whistleblower program, as required by the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act. The final rule deviates little from the rule proposed by NHTSA in April 2023, which addressed definitions of key program terms, tip-filing requirements, award applications, how decisions are made on award applications, …

SEC Obtains Orders for a Record $8.2 Billion in Financial Remedies in Fiscal Year 2024

In fiscal year 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed 583 enforcement actions and obtained orders for $8.2 billion in financial remedies—the most ever obtained by the SEC in a single fiscal year. The $8.2 billion consisted of $6.1 billion in disgorgement and prejudgment interest and $2.1 billion in civil penalties. The SEC also obtained orders barring 124 individuals from serving …

When Fun Toys Kill: The Products Liability Case Against Water Beads

Water beads are sold for children as toys, educational materials, art materials, sensory tools, and as projectiles for “gel blaster” guns. Adults use them as decorative, crafting and gardening supplies. When these small, colorful beads are swallowed by children, they do not simply get digested and pass through a child’s body. Instead, they absorb fluids and expand to many times …

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 …

September 10th, 2014

It often has been said that hospitals are the most dangerous places for sick people. Hospital acquired infections–also known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)–present a genuine health risk to patients, leading to prolonged hospitalizations and higher rates of morbidity and mortality. Working from data in a …

August 27th, 2014

Generally when we cover the American civil justice system on this blog, it is with respect to cases in which residents of this country alone have been physically, emotionally, or mentally harmed. This article, however, addresses a number of consolidated cases involving 284 plaintiffs–citizens of …

August 20th, 2014

Over the past two years, manufacturers of energy drinks have been putting out fires on various fronts. In 2012, the New York Times reported that Monster Energy – a beverage that Consumer Reports measures at 184mg of caffeine per 16 fl. oz. can (equivalent to about …

Malpractice Suits as Industry Reform

August 13th, 2014

Although this blog spends a lot of time detailing medical malpractice cases and the jury awards or settlements that come with them. Forbes contributor Steve Cohen reminded us recently (and accurately) that “Malpractice Lawsuits Aren’t Just About Money.” Besides writing about compensation, many of the …

August 6th, 2014

As many of our readers are surely aware, the United States House of Representatives in the last week in July voted to approve Speaker John Boehner’s lawsuit against President Obama for allegedly exercising powers not granted to the highest office in the land. While we …

July 23rd, 2014

As a consumer concerned with product safety, you might assume that it is illegal for corporations to knowingly cover up dangers associated with their goods and services, but you’d be wrong. Following dozens of highly publicized recalls–cars, automobile air bags,pharmaceuticals, and baby toys, to name …

July 16th, 2014

In a landmark decision in 2005, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin struck down the state’s strict cap on non-economic damages, which limited plaintiffs’ recovery to $350,000. Finding this law to be unconstitutional on the grounds that it violated the equal protection clause, the Court’s decision explains …