You’ve all heard about the McDonalds hot coffee law suit, right? You know, the one where the older woman spilled hot coffee in her own lap and then sued McDonalds and received a multi-million dollar award from a jury? That case has become the poster child for the big corporate and insurance industry attacks on [...]
Jun
29
2011
29
2011
Jun
23
2011
23
2011
Judicial Activism is in the Eye of the Beholder
I’m sure you’ve heard (or read) by now that the United States Supreme Court sided with retail giant and competition-killer Wal-Mart when it decided that hundreds of thousands of women who suffered varying degrees of discrimination could not band together and bring a class action lawsuit.  For anyone who has followed this Court’s decisions, it is no surprise that [...]
Jun
14
2011
14
2011
Out of the frying pan into the fire–GE Zoneline air conditioners could present fire hazard.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall Tuesday of more than 90,000 General Electric Co. (GE) air conditioners and heaters, stating that electrical malfunction in the units pose a fire hazard. The heaters and air conditioners, manufactured in Japan and China and distributed by GE, were sold under the name “GE Zoneline.” General Electric [...]
May
31
2011
31
2011
Deaths From Excessive Heat In Group Home Brings Indictment and Not Guilty Plea
As the temperature increases, the risk of injury and/or death to the vulnerable elderly rises as well. It is not only those elderly that live alone that are at risk, but also those that live in group homes and nursing home facilities. The Toledo Blade reported last week on the not guilty plea entered by [...]
May
9
2011
9
2011
The Fair Labor Standards Act
Employers are under increasing pressure to cut costs. More often than not, employers increasingly look to concessions and reductions from their employees in order to achieve those savings. Some employers in fact cheat their employees in order to improve an employer’s bottom line. The Fair Labor Standards Act, or the FLSA, was enacted by Congress [...]
May
8
2011
8
2011
FORE! Oh, no…
As all of Ohio is aware, our climate right now is slowly being dragged kicking and screaming toward golf-friendly weather. What a lot of Ohio golfers aren’t aware of are their legal rights and responsibilities on a golf course. Question: Can I get sued if I hit somebody or something with my shot? How about [...]
Apr
13
2011
13
2011
Besides Serving Alcohol to a Toddler, What Other Dangers Could Be Served at Your Local Bar and Grille?
Recently in headlines across the country, you may have heard about an Applebee’s employee serving a 15-month-old alcohol mixed with his apple juice. It goes without saying that serving an alcoholic drink to a toddler is extremely dangerous, but what about the other possible hidden dangers at your local bar and grille? Food poisoning is [...]
Apr
5
2011
5
2011
Senate Bill 5: What’s Next?
The Republican majorities in both houses of the Ohio General Assembly have now passed Senate Bill 5 (SB 5) and Governor Kasich has signed it into law. The bill, as most of you know, dramatically reduces the rights of public employees in Ohio to bargain collectively with their members’ employers. Reduced to its simplest form, [...]
Mar
26
2011
26
2011
Physician Immunity Bill Bad For Ohio
Last week legislation was introduced in the Ohio Senate (Senate Bill 129) to grant immunity to physicians for malpractice committed by them in emergency rooms all across the state. Even though medical errors cost this country $4.4 billion annually (statistics from U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services), the senators who introduced this bill evidently [...]
Mar
16
2011
16
2011
Despite Big Business’ Objections Consumers Will Now Have Access to a Vast Database of Unsafe Products
Despite significant opposition by GOP house members and lobbyists for the manufacturing industry, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) has successfully launched an online database that will allow the public to search for consumer complaints about the safety of everyday products. This past Friday, the CPSC unveiled SaferProducts.gov which has made public previously undisclosed injury and [...]