The Legal News

A Florida jury has declared that two men, a flight teacher and one time student pilot, be awarded 53 million dollars. This judgment is against two makers. The jury has decided the manufacturers were at fault for the plane wreck which caused terrible injury to both of the men. The injured men claimed, and the jury concurred, that the manufacturer of the plane’s carburetor, and the engine maker of the small plane, Cessna 150, were aware of the defects which made   the carburator fail,  then then engine to stall out, and consequently the plane to crash. The carburetor manufacturer is reposible for 70% of the award and the engine maker must pay the rest.

Most people recognize the name John Grisham. The name is synonymous with legal fiction thrillers.

Interestingly his name is associated with the legal, this time he is the one in court. Seems he is being sued for libel due to his first non-fiction legal book “The Innocent Man”.

John Grisham is being sued along with a couple of other people. He is being sued by a prosecutor and a law enforcement officer over 3 books about a pair of murders that occurred many years ago. The two defendants were found innocent by DNA after 11 years in prison, with one being on death row.

The prosecuter and the police officer say their proffessional carreers have been ruined, and that the defendants conspired to ruin them. ( Wait a minute! They are ok with the fact that they ruined 2 innocent people’s lives?! One was to be EXECUTED!)

A look at the ethics of product recalls.

  If if seeing a driver to your right on the interstate, gabbing away on his cell phone gets you ticked off, you’ve got a right to be. Multiple studies have demonstrated that operating a vehicle while talking on a cell phone can be as deadly as driving with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. Estimates of the number of U.S. traffic fatalities instigated by cell phone use while operating a vehicle  are normally in the 2,000 - 3,000 range with 100 times as many injuries.

The best fix for the plague of cell phone  collisions, would be common sense by many drivers and a realization that the common practice is rude and dangerous. Without a sudden epidemic of intelligence, law creation and strict enforcement need to be actualized. Bringing forth  legislation will be difficult given the lobbying ability of the cell phone industry. The effort, though, added to public education, can rescue thousands of lives annually .

Reducing personal liability in a business environment.

Congress is being asked to authorize, create, and fund a nationwide database that will store oll positive drug tests, and DUI encounters. The American Trucking Association wants to see a  centralization of these records and for the records of these to be released to any interested employer in an effort to keep abusers from behind the wheel of large and potentially dangerous vehicles.

The ATA has noted that with just 2% of the nationwide commercial drivers testing positive for drugs,  the number of drivers affected by drugs is roughly 68000. A positive test during any portion of the employement process would be added to the databse and that applaicant would have that permanent mark on his record, likely barring him from any commercial driving job.

As is the norm, product safety is a great burden for consumers. lately, the list of defective items imported from some foreign countries, namely China, has been receiving much needed press coverage. From the contaminated pet food fiasco to a smorgasboard of items meant for human consumption, the public is coming to the realization that they should consider twice before using any product that is brought in from China or any country where safety regulations are a far cry from regulations that are in place currently in America.

It is accurate that the amount of exports of food, drugs and consumer products has grown very rapidly in recent years. So much so, that it is progressivley arduous for inspectors in the States to catch contaminated  or potentially dangerous shipments. It has been divulged
that with so much money at risk, China will try  to center on product safety in an attempt to stave concerns about its faulty products. It is not, however, anticipated  to be an easy job given the level of corruption, pollution and product piracy problems are deeply embedded in that society.

What can we do to better protect ourselves? Starting  in 2008, money  to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission will be escalated. The greater financial contribution will allow the agencies to hire and field more inspectors. In addition, Legislators will also empower the FDA and USDA to issue food recalls, which is not something they are currently commissioned to do, and to declare stricter reporting and labeling.

Many Americans feel they are getting a “bargain” when buying imports. However, with the seriously defective products of late, it’s sure to leave one wondering whether they are really obtaining bargains at all.

Legally if a man promises to marry an unwed woman, the marriage must take place.

In some cases when a train scares a horse the railroad may be liable?

A railroad must stay in a town that has more than 500 people.

Fortune tellers must  obtain a special permit from the state.

Dance halls may not function on Sundays except to sell light bulbs.
No work may be accomplished on Sunday.

It is illegal to sell musical instruments on Sunday.

You may not perform a U-turn within 1000 feet of an intersection.

Tattoos are illegal.

Horses are not to be kept in bathtubs.

You must obtain a permit to fire a missile.

Oral sex is outlawed in South Carolina.

In a non horse driven vehicle when you approach a 4 way intersection you must stop a hundred feet prior to the intersection, and shoot a gun to warn horse traffic.

On Sunday, it is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps.

Every adult male is required bring a rifle to church on Sunday.

It is a crime punishable by death to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide.

You must be eighteen years old to play a pinball machine.

The friends of Liberty State Park filed a lawsuit against the state to protect the views. The September 11th Memorial was placed in Liberty State PArk without a public hearing.

Hot dog chili sauce canned in Georgia has been linked to at least  four cases of botulism in the United States. The victims, the first to be involved with a botulism infection involving commercial canning since the 70’s, are in  the states of Texas and Indiana. The  infected products are 10-ounce cans of Castleberry’s, Austex and Kroger brands of  chili  dog sauce with best if used by dates from April 30, 2009, through May 22, 2009.

The recalled  chili dog sauce is created  by the Castleberry Food Co., which is owned by Bumble Bee Seafoods LLC, and was then canned at the Castleberry factory in Augusta, Georgia.

Botulism is a paralyzing disease affecting the muscles caused by a toxin thats made by a bacterium that we call botulism.

People  with any recalled cans are encouraged to discard the cans  without opening them.

FDA officials say the toxin is so strong that just getting it on your hands can make you sick.

It may be 6 hours to 2 weeks before  you seem symptoms.

This is the second recall of food from Georgia this year. Last time it was salmonella.