A former lawyer for Medtronic is accusing the medical device company of engaging in an elaborate scheme to entice doctors to use its products. According to the recently unsealed 2002 lawsuit, Medtronic paid for doctor’s strip club visits, travel, clothing and other expenses. The suit seeks damages for violations of rules prohibiting inducements to use [...]

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The September 12 collision between a Metrolink train and a Union Pacific train was not the first time Veolia Transportation faced questions about its safety practices. The company’s ShuttlePort division lost a Broward County contract after two fatal accidents attributed to safety lapses, and the company has faced criticism over lax recordkeeping, maintenance and training [...]

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Pic-Cell, a Seattle-based company offering cell phone services to students studying abroad, is accused of violating the Washington State Consumer Protection Act. A suit filed on behalf of six students claims the company added a 3 percent premium and charged unfairly high roaming fees, resulting in monthly bills as high as $1,700. You can read [...]

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The New York Times reports that few physicians are criminally prosecuted or sanctioned by medical boards for illegally or improperly prescribing narcotics, a study published this month has found. According to the study, published in the Journal Pain Medicine, the results largely dispel the notion that doctors are hesitant to prescribe narcotics because of fear [...]

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As reported by the Las Cruces Sun-News, a New Mexico appeals court has upheld a $14.9 million award to the family of a man who burned to death after striking an unprotected natural gas well with his vehicle. The owner of the well, Energen Resources Corp., had argued that the size of the award was [...]

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The New York Times reports that as makers of medical devices like artificial knees and heart stents increasingly pitch their products directly to consumers, some lawmakers, medical groups and others are calling for restrictions on such advertisements, claiming they mislead patients. Senate leaders are expected to hear testimony Wednesday on the possibility of increased regulation [...]

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David Brown of The Washington Post  reports that manufacturing deficiencies at the plants of a major overseas drug maker, Ranbaxy Laboratories, have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to halt imports from the company. FDA officials noted that while the manufacturing violations that triggered the import stoppage were serious, the risk to American consumers was virtually nonexistent. [...]

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As noted by the American Association for Justice: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has gone beyond its statutory authority by including language in a proposed rule on over-the-counter drug ingredients that would give manufacturers complete immunity from lawsuits, according to comments filed today by the American Association for Justice. (AAJ).  The proposed rule changes [...]

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The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision in Wyeth v. Levine is expected to have widely felt consequences for those seeking to recover damages from pharmaceutical companies. The drug industry argues that the federal regulation should pre-empt lawsuits claiming that pharmaceutical companies sold defective or unsafe drugs. Consumer advocates and others, including the New England Journal of [...]

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Michael and Kathryn Sutton filed a lawsuit last month alleging that their 13-year old dog, Marshall, would still be alive if not for the negligence of a veterinary surgeon. Their suit seeks $75,000 in damages for the loss of their constant companion. As in most states, pets are considered personal property in Georgia, and awards [...]

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