Articles Posted in General Legal

Good news California. The U.S. Supreme Court may have just inadvertently helped us put an end to the maddening referendum process that pollutes every election cycle in our state. Yesterday, in the case of Doe, et al. v. Reed, Washington Secretary of State, the Supreme Court voted 8-1 that individuals who sign petitions to put…

A new device that tracks and locates retained objects (surgical items left inside a patient after an operation) is getting attention. The RF Surgical Detection System uses a wand to scan the surgical area to find any tagged items that might have been left inside the patient. Tags are small seed-like items that are embedded…

The New York Times has obtained a government report that concludes that the drug Avandia [aka Rosiglitazone], prescribed for diabetes, causes heart attacks and heart failure and should be removed from the market. According to the report, if every diabetic currently on Avandia were instead given Actos, an alternative drug, about 500 heart attacks and…

Looking for a personal injury lawyer? Don’t grab the phone book (who uses phone books anymore?), grab the laptop and hit Google. Avvo.com is national lawyer directory founded by Mark Britton, an attorney for 16 years and formerly the top lawyer at Expedia.com, and Sendi Widjaja, a veteran of Microsoft. Together they launched Avvo.com as…

Frank Rogozienski felt that something wasn’t right. The judge in his divorce case kept ruling against him, including voiding a prenuptial agreement that cost Mr. Rogozienski $20 million in stock. Making matters worse, the presiding judge on the case refused to disclose any conflicts of interest he might have. Mr. Rogozienski decided to conduct his…

For many years now, the issue of medical insurance payments to health care providers who care for personal injury victims has been a source of confusion and frustration among personal injury lawyers. When an injured person incurs medical bills as a result of an accident, and then recovers money from the person/entity that caused the…

As was expected, the family of a Huntington Beach junior lifeguard who was accidentally killed during camp when she was run over by a lifeguard boat has filed a claim against the City of Huntington Beach. The claim alleges that Huntington Beach lifeguard Greg Crow, the boat operator, was negligent, and that his negligence caused…

The California Citizens against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA), an insurance industry-backed organization whose goal is to limit access to justice, is out with a study that finds that eight of California’s largest cities and nine of the largest counties spent $504.1 million in 2007 and 2008 to defend lawsuits, and to pay settlement and judgments. While…

The baby stroller maker Maclaren USA Inc. is recalling 1 million umbrella baby strollers after received reports of 12 children who have had fingertips amputated by side hinges. The Connecticut-based manufacturer has apparently been working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on what is being called a “voluntary recall.” (Click here for the CPSC notice.)…

Most people would be surprised to learn the lawyers do not have to carry malpractice insurance (neither to doctors, by the way). And most clients don’t ask whether their lawyer carries malpractice insurance. That’s about to change. Beginning January 1, 2010, lawyers who do not carry malpractice insurance must disclose that fact to their clients,…