Ambulance Chasing? Not according to them…

January 16th, 2010. By AbiK

One of the comments we hear from time to time at LawyersAndSettlements.com is…”But aren’t you just ambulance chasing?” And it’s a question class action litigators get all the time, too. So I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on just what it is that brought us here…comments—and pleas for help—like these:

“I want to thank you for writing about Mike and Cipro. Perhaps the story can help someone. I hope so. I’m sure someone working for Bayer has read the story by now. Thank you for not letting them forget what they’ve done to him.”

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“Hello Heidi – Gosh – Your article had been excellent and explained in basic terms that I think a lot of readers will relate to. I know I read all the testimonials to find out what other people are experiencing and that is a big help for me to determine what I will do with certain products. I am very glad to have spoken with you and Thank You for having contacted me”

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“Hi. Can you please send me the information on getting your home checked? I live in a Read the rest of this entry »

Haiti: Making sure Giving means Getting

January 15th, 2010. By AbiK

I just passed a car—a minivan actually—with an American flag waving from its antenna, along with a Haitian flag. It was one of the most poignant images I’ve seen in the midst of the Haitian earthquake crisis. Certainly there are many, many more images online and on t.v. that make the devastation hit home, as much as it can hit home from so many miles away. But when we leave our homes, and drive down the street, it’s easy to forget what’s going on in Haiti—there are no flashing screens of Anderson Cooper reporting amid the victims and debris.

That’s why that one, lone image—the Haitian flag—was so moving.

But it also spoke to the desire we all have to DO something. To show our support. And for many, the only option—and often the preferred option vs. sending goods or ourselves–is to send money.

There is no shortage of organizations seeking donations right now for Haiti. Unfortunately, not all organizations are worthy of your donation and some in fact are complete scams.

All of us at LawyersAndSettlements.com urge you to be wary of any organization soliciting funds from you directly—whether by phone, email, or otherwise. One source that can help you in assessing the validity of charitable organizations seeking donations for Haiti is the Better Business Bureau—they have a page dedicated to answering your questions about giving donations for the crisis in Haiti.

Our hearts go out to all the earthquake victims in Haiti as the search efforts continue.

Biggest News from Detroit Car Show: Driving’s Become a Distraction

January 15th, 2010. By Hunter West

Get ready for a new round of lawsuits everybody. Because the nation’s roadways are about to become a lot more dangerous. 

Consider this statement from an automotive industry engineer: 

“Customers are expecting more and more, especially business people who expect to find in the car what they find in their smart phone,” said Mathias Halliger, the chief engineer for Audi’s multimedia interface systems, in comments published in the New York Times last week. “We should give them the same or a better experience.” 

Experience? 

Really… 

Let’s get one thing straight. Driving is not a video game. Driving is not a virtual ‘experience’. Driving is being in control of a hurtling goliath of metal weighing several tons hurtling down a road shared by other vehicles, or pedestrians hurrying across an intersection. Kids on bikes. Old men with their walkers. 

It’s bad enough that car stereos are more complex, now that you can plug your iPod or mp3 player into the system. Now there are GPS systems that serve to distract drivers even further from the task at hand—which is driving safely. 

Many states and cities have banned talking on a cell phone unless a Bluetooth or other hands-free device is used. Texting while driving is so stupid; its stupidity is a foregone conclusion. That’s been banned too, in many areas across the country. As the bans step up, safety advocates have been breathing a sigh of relief. 

Well for them—and for the rest of us—this horror movie has just become a whole lot scarier, with automotive Read the rest of this entry »

Asbestos News Roundup: 1.14.10

January 14th, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits

Charleston, WV: Two new asbestos lawsuits just filed in Kanawha County, have named 133 defendant companies in asbestos lawsuits. The suits are brought on behalf of the etsate of the late Raymond E. Brewer Sr, and Mr. LaRosa, who were allegedly exposed to asbestos-containing materials during the period they worked with the defendant companies. The two men developed asbestosis and asbestos mesothelioma, according to the suit. They allege that the companies neglected to warn them of the dangers associated with asbestos, that the companies did not test for asbestos-containing products, or have asbestos-containing materials removed. 

Just in case you’d like to know, the companies named in the lawsuits are: 20th Century Glove Corporation; A.O. Smith Corporation; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Alliance Machine Company; Allied Glove Corporation; Allis-Chalmers Corporation; American Optical Corporation; Anchor Packing Company; Anderson Greenwood & Co.; Argo Packing Company; Armstrong International, Inc.; Atlas Industries, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; A.W. Chesterton; Bayer Cropscience, Inc.; Beazer East, Inc.; Bechtel Corporation; Borg-Warner Corporation; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Buffalo Pumps, Inc.; Cameron International Corporation; CBS Corporation; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Cooper Industries, Inc.; Copes-Vulcan, Inc.; Coppus Turbines; Crane Co.; Crown, Cork & Seal USA, Inc.; Dana Corporation; Didier Taylor Refractories Corporation; Dravo Corporation; Durabla Manufacturing Company; Earl B. Beach Company; Eaton Corporation; Eichleay Corporation; Elliott Company; F.B. Wright Company; Fairmont Supply Company; Famous Furnace & Supply Co.; Fisher Controls International, LLC; Flinn & Dreffein Eng. Co.; Flowserve US, Inc.; Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc. as successor to Valtek International; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; the Gage Company; Gardner Denver, Inc.; Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC; General Electric Company; General Refractories Company; Gentex Read the rest of this entry »

Abuse is Abuse, Regardless of Gender

January 14th, 2010. By Hunter West

In late 2009 an upscale New York restaurant was hit with a lawsuit by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for alleged harassment against male employees by other male employees. The alleged abuse includes attempts to grab buttocks and genitals, pushing one’s body against another in a sexually suggestive fashion and the verbalization of crude, lewd and obscene comments. 

In Arizona, another EEOC lawsuit charged that male employees in the kitchen at a food preparation facility abused other male employees—including allegations of simulated rape. That incident resulted in the payout of a settlement benefitting the allegedly harassed workers.

It used to be that harassment was all about abuse against women—which is serious, of course. But equally serious is abuse against men. And it’s about time. 

Abuse, is abuse regardless of which gender is involved. And it’s a relief to see that men are now having the balls to admit to being harassed, either by male or female and are standing up for their rights. 

Thus, the courts should reflect just what is going on out there. And what is going on out there, along with harassment against women, is harassment against men. 

Face it, men have been abused for years. But the man never came forward. Doing so would be ‘unmanly,’ an Read the rest of this entry »