According to a recent study reported in the New York Daily News as many as 48,000 people die each year from pneumonia and blood borne infections (sepsis) acquired in our nation’s hospitals. Investigators reviewed hospital discharge records from as many as 69 million in-patient hospital admissions between 1998 and 2006, […]
Hospital Infections
Patients go to the hospital in the hope of getting better, not worse. But thousands of patients die each year because they contracted an infection while they were in the hospital. A study published this month in the highly respected Archives of Internal Medicine reports that hospital-acquired infections affect 1.7 […]
Why We Need Trial Lawyers
The people at our firm are proud of the work we do and we are honored that people come to us for help. That’s why it is so disturbing to hear those who advocate for what is misleadingly called ‘tort reform’ smear trial lawyers and the injured people they represent. […]
CARD Act Goes Into Effect
The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act (“CARD Act”) went into effect on February 22, 2010. The CARD Act was intended to rein in perceived abuses by credit card issuers. The law requires card issuers to: (1) provide at least 45 days’ notice to most customers before making significant […]
Health Experts Predict Asbestos Disease Epidemic in India
According to a recent article in The Lancet, India will likely be facing an epidemic of asbestos-related diseases in future years. While most developed countries have banned the use of asbestos in the construction industry, India’s usage of asbestos has actually increased dramatically in the last decade. The leading health […]
Fifth Third Bank Sued for Alleged Unfair Overdraft Fee Charges
A class action lawsuit was recently filed against Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank, alleging predatory overdraft fee practices. The complaint alleges that Fifth Third Bank manipulated customer debit transactions by posting them to customer accounts in the order of largest amount to smallest, instead of when they are received. This was […]
Recent Study Documents Sharp Decline in Number of Securities Class Actions Filings in 2009
The filing of federal security fraud class action lawsuits was down sharply in 2009 compared to both 2008 and historical averages. According to Securities Class Action Filings – 2009: A Year in Review, an annual report prepared by the Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse, a total of 169 […]
Federal Legislation Proposed to Curb Overdraft Fee Abuses
Americans pay $23.7 billion per year in overdraft fees, most of which are related to small debit card overdrafts that financial institutions could easily deny without imposing any fees. As the Center for Responsible Lending has noted: “These fees hit vulnerable consumers hardest, thrusting them into a cycle of debt […]
FTC proposes rule barring up-front fees for mortgage relief companies
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently proposed a rule intended to protect distressed homeowners from foreclosure rescue and mortgage modification scams. The proposed rule is aimed at reining in companies who promise, in exchange for an up-front fee, to obtain mortgage loan modifications or other relief for consumers facing foreclosure. […]
FDA considers higher standards for approving medical devices
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is developing new guidelines requiring higher and more scientific standards than under the Bush administration. Under the Bush administration, many of the Bush FDA appointees were former pharmaceutical industry or medical device company employees which approved deadly drugs like Vioxx, Avandia and […]