News and Press

USPS facility in Illinois cited for safety violations

July 15, 2014

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor cited a U.S. Postal Service facility in Champaign, Illinois for eight safety violations. The administration proposed fines of $144,000. During a June 2013 complaint…

Study shows medical malpractice claims are not causing increase in health care costs

July 8, 2014

Some still argue that high payments in medical malpractice lawsuits drive up the cost of health care, but an examination of the facts shows that this claim is false. Between 2000 and 2011, health care spending…

Family of Junior Seau objects to NFL concussion settlement, says wrongful death claims should be treated differently

July 3, 2014

The family of Junior Seau, an NFL player who committed suicide in 2012, has objected to the league’s $760 million proposal to settle a lawsuit by thousands of former players over the risk of concussion injuries.…

Montreal Maine trustee rebuffs wrongful death claimants’ reorganization plan

June 10, 2014

The bankruptcy trustee for Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd said that a recent reorganization plan — filed by families of people who died when one of the company’s trains derailed and exploded — is “not…

Republicans consider limits on medical malpractice lawsuits as alternative to Obamacare

May 22, 2014

Republicans have strongly criticized President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, but they have struggled to articulate a common alternative vision for health care. While House Republicans have voted to repeal Obamacare more than 40 times, there has…

Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Caseyville nursing home

May 20, 2014

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a Caseyville nursing home over the death of a resident who developed gangrene and had her leg amputated. Stephanie Strickland filed the lawsuit in St. Clair County Circuit…

Depakote birth injury litigation in Illinois federal court moving forward

May 16, 2014

A federal court in Illinois has ordered Abbott Laboratories to produce documents it said were “long overdue” in lawsuits alleging birth injuries caused by the anti-seizure medication Depakote. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District…

Growth of telemedicine may relax state doctor licensing requirements, raising patient safety concerns

May 8, 2014

Telemedicine, the use of technology to examine, diagnose and treat patients remotely, is a growing practice. An estimated 10 million people rely on telemedicine. Patients are able to show their symptoms to doctors via video communication…

New Car Seat Safety Rule Goes Into Effect

May 1, 2014

A new federal rule requires manufacturers of automobile child safety seats to warn parents about their products’ weight specifications. If the combined weight of the child and the seat is 65 pounds or more, parents should…

Birth injury lawsuit settles for six and a half million dollars

April 21, 2014

A lawsuit against the U.S. government, filed by the parents of a child who was born severely brain-damaged, has been settled for $6.5 million. Kasie and Hignio Rivera of Austin, Texas filed the lawsuit in federal…