Video Takes on Defective Imports…Sad but True?

February 11th, 2010. By AbiK

Not so long ago Hunter had written about the questionable quality of Chinese imports–and the seeming lack of effective regulation for defective products. Well, just today, I found this one in my inbox…compliments of the Capitol Steps via youtube…

Asbestos News Roundup: 2.11.10

February 11th, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits

Charleston, WV:  Two couples are suing 63 companies in separate asbestos lawsuits. David L. McClure and Nancy A. McClure, and Billy R. Beckett and Helen J. Beckett allege they were exposed to asbestos products of the defendants while working at various job sites over many years.

The McClures and the Becketts claim the defendant companies manufactured, processed, converted, distributed, supplied and/or sold the products that contained asbestos materials that presented a substantial risk of harm.

The 63 companies named in the separate cases are 3M Company; A.W. Chesterton; Amchem Products, Inc.; Anchor Packing Company; Aurora Pump Company; Benjamin F. Shaw Company; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Cameron International Corporation; Catalytic, Inc.; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Crane Co.; Crown, Cork & Seal USA, Inc.; DeZurik, Inc.; Dow Chemical Company; Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc.; Flowserve US, Inc., and its Byron Jackson Division; Ford, Bacon & Davis, LLC; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; Foster Wheeler U.S.A. Corporation; Gage Company; Garlock, Inc.; General Electric Company; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; Georgia Pacific Corporation; Gorman-Rupp Company; Goulds Pumps; Honeywell International, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; ITT Corporation; John Crane, Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; McJunkin Read the rest of this entry »

What to do if you’ve Lost Money in a Moneygram Scam

February 10th, 2010. By AbiK

Many of you have written in about Moneygram scams. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of Moneygram’s court order to cough up $18 million to the FTC to settle charges of consumer fraud, we’re still receiving numerous accounts from readers who’ve been on the receiving end of a Moneygram scam and who are asking what they should do.

For background, the FTC had sued Moneygram, charging that agents from the money transfer service helped fraudulent telemarketers and con artists who tricked consumers into wiring in excess of $84M within US and Canada. The fraudulent activity occured between 2004 and 2008. The $84M in losses was based on consumer complaints that Moneygram received—and the FTC estimates that the figure is actually larger (i.e., not all victims would have filed a complaint with Moneygram).

First, the court order, from last October, is requiring Moneygram to not only pay the $18 million to the FTC—which Read the rest of this entry »

Tortelicious: Officer Questions Sunglasses, Finds Missing Pants

February 9th, 2010. By LucyC

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

Shotgun Poser Gets Ticket to Ride? You know those High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes—the lanes on the freeway with a bold diamond symbol posted on them, that no one is allowed to use unless they are ‘carpooling’, i.e. carrying more than one person in the car? Well, a 61-year old New Yorker, who must have been pretty fed up with sitting in traffic by herself, was recently fined $135 for using a mannequin as her ‘plus one’.

Apparently, everything went according to plan until one rather savvy Sherriff’s deputy spotted the ‘passenger’ wearing sunglasses and using the visor on a very overcast day. Umm. When he stopped the vehicle, he found Dolly in the passenger seat, smartly dressed in a blazer, shirt and scarf, with long flowing tresses—all set for her day at the office.

The driver was given a summons and, in addition to a fine, she could be given two points on her license. So you have to wonder who the real dummy is here. (bad pun, I know). 

Installing Fraudband Service…Internet and wireless fees are a favorite rant for just about everyone these days. But I’m willing to bet most of us would be hard pressed to beat this quote. A couple in Cumbria, Wales, got an estimate from British Telecom—otherwise known as BT—for Read the rest of this entry »

Yaz, Yasmin Russian Roulette?

February 8th, 2010. By LucyC

No matter how frequently or strongly Bayer Healthcare Corp declares their oral contraceptives Yaz and Yasmin to be safe and effective—as long as they’re used according to the product labeling—it’s not preventing women from filing lawsuits against the pharmaceutical giant.

I read a news report recently that stated some 50 women in Indianapolis have filed Yaz/Yasmin lawsuits alleging their use of the contraceptive resulted in their experiencing blood clots and pulmonary embolisms in their lungs and legs, and apparently several of the women required surgery to remove their gallbladders. How did that happen, you ask? Because Yas/Yasmin—among its lengthy list of ‘side effects’ which include pancreatitis, liver and kidney failure, rapid heartbeat and arrhythmias—can also cause gall bladder disease.

What I want to know is how you avoid these serious adverse events—let’s call a spade a spade—if you take the pill according to the product labeling? How does that work? Your doctor prescribes the contraceptive presumably in the knowledge that you are a suitable candidate to take it—meaning you don’t have one of the many conditions that would preclude you from taking it including a history of heart, liver or kidney disease, and you’re not a pack-a-day gal, but you still end up in the hospital having suffered a stroke or embolism. How could you have avoided that?

Also, and this may be a fine point, if the contraceptive is known to be associated with serious adverse events—just what exactly can you do to avoid developing them?

It sounds like a game of Russian Roulette to me. Maybe you’ll develop a blood clot—maybe you won’t—no way to tell really—but take a chance anyway. Worst case scenario, there are treatments, if you don’t die—right?

In a recent newspaper report, Kimberly A. Johnson developed numerous blood clots in both her lungs, which has resulted in her taking blood thinners, which are no picnic, for the last two years. She is a 37-old mother of two. The only sign she had that something was wrong, apparently, was a severe shortness of breath—which was worse at night. She told the Indystar.com in an interview that she felt like she was having a heart attack when she lay down at night. Kimberly had only been taking the contraceptive for three months. “I thought I was going to die,” she said in her interview. I’m betting if she knew how to avoid that situation she would have.

To add insult to injury Yas/Yasmin were marketed as providing health benefits. (If it sounds like snake oil…) In 2008, the FDA actually ordered Bayer to run ads correcting an earlier advertising campaign that claimed (a bit too far) that Yas/Yasmin provided health benefits. That cost them $20 million. Although the spate of Yas/Yasmin lawsuits will likely cost Bayer a good deal more, it will not be as much as it’s already cost women like Kimberly.