Call the DOL! Portland Lemonade Stand is Way Outta Line

August 10th, 2010. By LucyC

Welcome to Totally Tortelicious—a review of some of the more bizarre legal stories making news—and there’s certainly no shortage of them. 

Don’t be Calling that Temporary Restaurant a “Lemonade Stand”…Seven-year old Julie Murphy received an apology from a county official in Oregon this week, after having her lemonade stand shut down by Multnomah County health officials during a recent arts fair in Portland. 

The little girl, whose mother was helping her run the stand, was approached by a health official at the Last Thursday art fair on Alberta Street, because she didn’t have the $120 temporary restaurant license. Imagine that? According to a report by AP, Julie had been in business about 20 minutes when a “lady with a clipboard” approached the stand, and asked to see their license. When her mother explained that they didn’t have one, the clipboard-toting official told them they would need to leave or face a $500 fine.

As it turns out, if you want to run a lemonade stand in Oregon you need a permit, even if you’re running one on your front lawn. Eric Pippert, the food-borne illness prevention program manager for the state’s public health division, said “When you go to a public event and set up shop, you’re suddenly engaging in commerce,” he said. “The fact that you’re small-scale I don’t think is relevant.” Absolutely right, I say. Who does she think she is? Why should seven-year old entrepreneurs get a break?

And what about the fact that Julie’s lemonade stand was contributing to visual pollution, and obstructing pedestrian traffic? Did she have a permit to build on that site? 

I would also like to know if she was offering sugar-free lemonade as an alternative for people Read the rest of this entry »

Winner of Lowest Expedia.com Settlement Check Contest!

August 10th, 2010. By AbiK

Congratulations to Gabe from Virginia!

Gabe is the lucky winner of our “Who Has the Lowest Expedia Settlement Check?” Contest!

Our contest ended July 31, 2010—and with a settlement check of One Hundred Thirteen cents (it just sounds better than $1.13, no?), Gabe takes the prize.*

(*yes, we did have a lower check amount, but the person who had it, while gleeful about winning, declined to receive the prize.)

No, his settlement amount won’t buy him that dream vacation—booked, of course, at Expedia.com—but now Gabe can head over to the local dollar store, find one item to purchase, and pay for it—Virginia state sales tax included—and still have 8¢ left over! If I may be so bold, I’d like to suggest the large Popcorn Tub from Dollar Tree (assuming they’re in VA) at right—it’ll help create the perfect ambiance for Gabe as he’s enjoying his prize for being our lucky winner…

The Prize…

A 4-DVD set of the Greatest Whistleblower Movies of All-Time (according to us) including Serpico, Silkwood, The Insider, and Erin Brockovich.

So Congratulations to Gabe—we hope you enjoy a few good ‘movie nights’ on us!

And for the rest of you…stay tuned—you never know when you might just be a lucky winner in one of our contests…

Results are in – 60% Say BP won’t Survive the Spill

August 9th, 2010. By AbiK

We’ve had a poll here on the LawyersAndSettlements.com blog since just after the BP Oil Spill occurred. The question was a simple yes or no:

Will BP Survive the Gulf Oil Disaster?

Just took the poll down and the final results were a pretty straight 60/40 split—60% of you think that BP will not be able to come out of the aftermath of the BP oil spill alive; 40% of you think they will.

Of course, it’s a PR game at play as well and an interesting thing has happened over the time that the poll was live. In the initial week or two of the poll, 70% of you felt BP would not survive this mess. Then, little by little, I watched the numbers start to head more in the direction that BP just may come out of this with a future.

Perhaps it speaks to the containment (?) of the spill. Perhaps it has to do with BP coughing up the $20 billion fund for claims. Or that BP finally ousted its CEO. Who knows? And of course, only time will tell what will ultimately become of BP…

For the latest figures on the BP spill, check out Update: BP Oil Spill by the Numbers.

Discovering Sonya Lee’s got a Defect – Little People Recall

August 6th, 2010. By AbiK

Fisher-Price is sending out an APB for their Little People Play ‘n Go Campsite. It’s a product recall affecting about 96,000 campsite toys in the US, 14,000 in Canada. The 7-piece Play ‘n Go Campsites—product number R6935—were sold between October 2009 and August 2010, retailing for about $15.

So what—or who—is at issue? Seems the culprit is that little Sonya Lee. But just who is Sonya Lee and why all the fuss?

Here’s what we discovered (they’re big on “discovering” at Little People–see video above; Aaron Neville sings…) on the Fisher Price Little People “Meet the Little People Friends” d-base:

Name: Sonya Lee

Favorite Activity: Taking Care of Animals; Note: Sonya Lee claims to be able to understand what animals “say”. When camping at the Little People Play ‘n Go Campsite, she also enjoys playing guitar by the campfire and roasting unusually large marshmallows.

Favorite Animal: Her kitty, but she “really loves all animals”. Kitty is with Sonya Lee at the Campsite

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Season: Spring

Favorite Food: Carrots

Cohorts: “All the animals”—and has a friend who goes by the name “Squeakles”

Sonya Lee’s been charged with breaking at the waist—into two parts—which can become choking hazards. Thankfully, while there have been eight reports of Sonya Lee breaking, there have been no reports of injury, according to Fisher-Price. No other figures in the Campsite set have been identified as posing a hazard.

For those who may have trouble identifying Sonya Lee, she wears an ID label on the bottom of her feet that says, “Sonya Lee”. She was also last seen—at the campsite—wearing a green sweater with a purple camera around her neck.

If you see Sonya Lee—with a Little People Play ‘n Go Campsite—in your family room, play room, child’s bedroom, bathtub, backyard…really, anywhere, you’re advised to stop using it immediately and to contact Fisher-Price for a free replacement.

Fisher-Price can be contacted at: 800-432-5437.

Asbestos News Roundup: 8.5.10

August 5th, 2010. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. 

Asbestos Lawsuits

Madison County, IL: Claudine B. Hope of South Carolina recently filed an asbestos lawsuit alleging her recently deceased husband, William L. Hope, developed mesothelioma after his work as an insulator at North Brothers from 1945 until 1951, as a branch manager at North Brothers from 1951 until 1972 and as an area vice president in 1972. Her late husband also worked for International Paper Company in 1948, according to the complaint. 

A couple from Illinois, Douglas and Gwenetta Robinson have also filed a claim alleging that Douglas Robinson developed pleural plaques after his work as a laborer at Scott Air Force Base from 1964 until 1966, as a hand router from 1966 until 1968, as a machinist at Mitchell Manufacturing from 1968 until 1970, as a dump truck driver for Paramount Hauling from 1970 until 1975 and as a wire drawer for Laclede Steel Company from 1975 until 2002. 

Additionally, in her recently filed suit, Linda Roland-Henderson of Ohio claims her late husband, Louie Henderson Sr, developed lung cancer after his work as a laborer at various locations from 1970 until 1979.

And, Shirley Stultz of Indiana has also filed a claim alleging her recently deceased husband, Ronald Stultz, developed mesothelioma after his work as a machine operator, mechanic, laborer and welder at various locations from 1953 until 1999. (Madisonrecord.com) 

Asbestos Hot Spot – Jeffrey Asbestos Mine:

The plan to save the controversial Jeffrey asbestos mine in Asbestos, Quebec, may not get off the ground after all. According to a report in the Montreal Gazette, the cost of revitalizing the defunct mine has risen from $58 million to $73 million, an increase of 25 percent resulting from “stricter environmental standards introduced by the federal government and a newly approved contract with the mine’s workers,” the paper reports.

Consequently, Bernard Coulombe, the president of the mine, has been told by the Quebec government that he needs to secure new funding partners before the province will approve a loan gaurantee allowing the ‘revitalization’ of the mine to begin.

The past several months has seen repeated delays by the government over its decision to go ahead with the multimillion-dollar guarantee. There is suspicion that the deluge of letters from doctors, scientists and public health organizations across Quebec and the world who are opposed to reopening the mine may be having an impact on the government’s decision.  

“(Government officials) have been told by the whole world that what they are doing is unconscionable,” said Kathleen Ruff, an anti-asbestos activist and senior adviser to the Rideau Institute on International Affairs told the Montreal Gazette. “It’s bringing such shame on the Quebec government. These ongoing delays could be a sign that they are feeling the heat.” (Montreal Gazette.com)