The Texas Department of Public Safety reports that one-fifth of commercial vehicles they inspected in in 2011 were unsafe: "Since the first of the year, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement personnel and specially-trained Highway Patrol troopers have inspected 331,505 commercial vehicles. As a result of these inspections, DPS removed 66,189 unsafe commercial vehicles and 12,301 unsafe commercial vehicle drivers from Texas roads for a variety of safety violations. “Commercial vehicles are responsible for approximately 15 percent of the fatalities in Texas crashes,” said McCraw. “Most … [Read more...]
Depakote Maker to pay $1.5 Billion to Settle Criminal and Civil Investigations
Last week, the Department of Justice Announced a record $1.5 Billion settlement with Abbott Laboratories over their mislabeling of the drug Depakote. "Global Health Care Company Abbott Laboratories Inc. has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $1.5 billion to resolve its criminal and civil liability arising from the company’s unlawful promotion of the prescription drug Depakote for uses not approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Justice Department announced today. The resolution – the second largest payment by a drug company – includes a criminal fine and … [Read more...]
Injured by a Doctor? You’ll likely deal with the secretive Medical Board instead of open court
Fox 4 in Dallas did a great story on the Texas Medical Board and their contribution to physician discipline since tort reform in 2003. According to the report serious disciplinary actions are down and the time taken to conduct investigations has risen. Further, Doctor confidentiality and secrecy is maintained until a final disciplinary action is completed, leaving patients unaware of allegations of malpractice by doctors. Check the Fox 4 page for a video. Some of the images are graphic and the stories are truly tragic. Its a shame our state has fallen so far in protecting patient … [Read more...]
American Trucking Associations Support Congressional Mandate for Electronic Logging Devices in 18-Wheelers
Many 18-wheeler accidents become more difficult to investigate due to missing or incomplete information concerning hours-of-service compliance. Electronic Logging Devices could assist in safety and compliance with federal laws by more closely tracking hours 0f service and other important metrics. The American Trucking Associations, along with other law enforcement and advocacy groups, recently signaled support for such a measure by sending a letter to members of the House and Senate who are currently negotiating safety regulations. “The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has … [Read more...]
Tort Reform has not Increased the Number of Doctors in Texas
Anew study by David A. Hyman, Charles Silver, and Bernard Black shows that Texas Tort Reform measures have not increased the number of doctors in Texas since 2003. "Does state tort reform affect physician supply? Tort reformers certainly believe so. Before Texas adopted tort reform in 2003, proponents claimed that physicians were deserting Texas in droves. After tort reform was enacted, proponents claimed there had been a dramatic increase in physicians moving to Texas due to the improved liability climate. We find no evidence to support either claim. Physician supply was not measurably … [Read more...]
Texas Appellate Courts are More Likely to Reverse Plaintiff’s Judgments
The Dallas Morning News reports that a soon-to-be-released study shows Texas Appellate Courts reverse judgments for plaintiffs with alarming regularity, and at a dramatically higher rate than judgments for defendants: “The study, conducted by two appellate lawyers at Haynes and Boone, found the Texas appellate judges have an overall reversal rate of 49 percent when they review cases that the plaintiff won in the trial court and the defendant appealed. But those same judges reversed only 25 percent of the cases in which the defendant prevailed at trial and the plaintiff appealed. The Texas … [Read more...]
Happy Stop The Texts Day!
Distracted driving is a real scourge in our society. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, has declared today #StopTheTextsDay asking Twitter for ideas on how best to fight this menace and convince people to put down the phone and drive. Celebrities like Kasey Khane have even released public service announcements with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urging drivers to “STOP THE TEXTS STOP THE WRECKS.” Unfortunately, distracted driving isn’t just a problem amongst consumers. Many employers still have policies that allow, or even encourage employees to use their cell … [Read more...]
Dr. Kevin Karlson Writes About the Effects of Family Violence on Victims and Litigation
This is a great article by Dr. Kevin Karlson about the effects of family violence on the victim's cognitive health, and what that means for a family law case. If you have been the victim of family violence, call the police and get safe. If they won't help, call me and I will do everything I can to get you a protective order. Remember, in Texas the courts cannot charge a protective order applicant with any fees, and attorney fees are often recoverable from the losing party. If you are in serious danger I want to help, or at least refer you to organizations like Friends of the Family, so you … [Read more...]
All-Metal Hip Implants Prone to Early Failure, Need to be Removed
Great story by NPR on the continuing problems faced by patients who have received All-Metal Hip Implants. Implants Need To Be Removed Early by Richard Knox EnlargeRichard Knox/NPRYoung-min Kwon of Massachusetts General Hospital holds the metal-alloy ball of Susy Mansfield's faulty artificial hip joint. The yellowish tissue on top is dead muscle caused by a reaction to the metal debris produced by the defective hip implant. When Susy Mansfield needed a hip replacement in 2009, her orthopedic surgeon chose a relatively new and untested kind of artificial hip made … [Read more...]
Federal Judge in Texas Upholds Med Mal Damages Cap
Originally posted at the Dallas Morning News: https://www.dallasnews.com/business/health-care/2012/03/27/u.s.-judge-upholds-texas-cap-on-medical-malpractice-awards By MARK CURRIDEN The Texas Lawbook mark.curriden@texaslawbook.net Published: 27 March 2012 08:55 PM A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a Texas law limiting noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases to $250,000 is constitutional. The decision, applauded by tort reform advocates and denounced by trial lawyers and victims of medical malpractice, ends a four-year legal battle over … [Read more...]