Monthly Archives: April 2010

Friday Fun

Written On April 30, 2010 By Bob Kraft

You will think this is either very cool or disturbingly creepy:

Koichiro Tsujikawa – “Eyes” from Passion Paris on Vimeo.

Posted in Friday Fun

Proposed Bill Aims to Close ‘Revolving Door’ Between Automakers and NHTSA

Written On April 30, 2010 By Bob Kraft

For years there has been an unhealthy and, in my opinion, unethical “revolving door” between government agencies and the industries they supposedly regulate. The perception is that the regulators go easy on the industries, hoping to land fat contracts with the industries when the bureaucrats leave government service. It’s a great temptation, and surely hard [...]

Posted in Political and/or Judicial, Vehicle Law or News

Nicole Collier Speaks at Texas Trial Lawyers Association Conference

Written On April 29, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Congratulations to attorney Nicole Collier for being chosen to speak to the Mid-Year Meeting of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Ms. Collier’s presentation topic is Legal Blogging. The conference is being held this week in Austin, Texas.

Posted in Bar Associations and Legal Groups, Legal Blogs

Stronger Auto Safety Laws To Be Proposed?

Written On April 29, 2010 By Bob Kraft

It’s probably foolish to hope for any bipartisan legislation from Congress these days, but  Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are working on new auto safety legislation that could be a real help to consumers.
The proposed legislation [...]

Posted in Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vehicle Law or News

Insurers Seek to Recover Payments in Toyota Crash Claims

Written On April 28, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Insurance companies are gearing up to recoup from Toyota money they paid for claims in crashes involving sudden acceleration, the subject of major safety recalls by the Japanese automaker. It could also mean money back for some drivers who paid deductibles, according to a report by the Associated Press. Here are excerpts from the article:
At [...]

Posted in Insurance Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vehicle Law or News

Featured Link – Calendar-365.com

Written On April 28, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Calendar-365.com is a simple site that just has calendars. But the site makes it easy to move backward or forward to other years so you can check what day of the week a particular date fell on. Another handy feature is that you can click on a holiday in 2010 and see when that holiday [...]

Posted in Computer Tips, Tricks, and Tools, Featured Link

F.D.A. Steps Up Oversight of Infusion Pumps

Written On April 27, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The New York Times reports the Food and Drug Administration plans to “tighten their oversight” of medical devices, including infusion pumps that automatically deliver drugs and food to hospital patients. Last week the FDA issued guidelines requiring manufacturers of the pumps to provide the agency with more test data than previously required for approval. One reason [...]

Posted in Product Liability or Medical Devices

Despite Federal Law, Many Hospitals Aren’t Reporting Disciplinary Actions

Written On April 26, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The consumer organization Public Citizen has issued a report stating that hospitals and medical boards, contrary to the federal law of the past 20 years, are not reporting all the doctors they discipline for medical incompetence, unprofessional conduct, substandard care, etc. These reports are supposed to be made to the National Practitioner Data Bank. Here are [...]

Posted in Medical Malpractice

What Would Cars Be Like Without Trial Lawyers?

Written On April 23, 2010 By Bob Kraft

There’s a great illustration at the Web site of the American Association for Justice that shows what our automobiles might be like today were it not for the efforts of plaintiff trial lawyers over the years. There is also a lengthy report titled Driven to Safety that details the improvements in safety that have been [...]

Posted in Tort Reform, Vehicle Law or News

Friday Fun

Written On April 23, 2010 By Bob Kraft

I’ve always admired men who could grow a full beard, but I’m a bit suspicions of guys who have what I consider “unusual” facial hair. Now I’ve finally found a chart that perfectly explains my feelings. Check out The Trustworthiness of Beards.

Posted in Friday Fun

Yasmin and Yaz Birth Control Pills Cause Concern, But Are They Dangerous?

Written On April 22, 2010 By Bob Kraft

There has been much talk in both medical and legal circles recently about the oral contraceptives Yasmin and Yaz. The Los Angeles Times ran a good story about the contradictory test results on these products, and the confusion as to whether they might cause a greater risk of blood clots in young women. If you [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Prescription Drug Claims

Tanning Beds May Get Closer Scrutiny Based On Findings About Skin Cancer Risk

Written On April 21, 2010 By Bob Kraft

I continue my rant against tanning beds. I think these things are dangerous, and I’m frustrated that my friends and employees continue to use them.

Here are excerpts from an article in the Washington Post about tanning salons:
The Food and Drug Administration called its March 25 hearing in the wake of a report by the International [...]

Posted in Cancer, Consumer Information

Featured Link – Morgan’s World Amusement Park

Written On April 21, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Morgan’s Wonderland is located in San Antonio, Texas. It is the World’s First Ultra Accessible Family Fun Park designed specifically for children and adults with special needs, their family members, caregivers, friends and the entire community. This 25-acre park is a unique oasis, that through the spirit of inclusion, allows people of all abilities to [...]

Posted in Disability, Featured Link

Safer Patients Mean Fewer Malpractice Suits

Written On April 20, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Could it really be this simple? If doctors and hospitals quit making so many medical errors there would be a decrease in the number of medical malpractice lawsuits? Wouldn’t this solution be much better for society than artificial caps on damages for the victims of medical malpractice?
An article in HealthDay says that as medical errors [...]

Posted in Medical Malpractice, Tort Reform

Toyota Suspends Sales of Lexus SUV After Consumer Reports’ “Don’t Buy” Rating

Written On April 19, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The latest chapter of Toyota’s safety crisis began last week with Consumer Reports’ announcement that it was giving a rare “Don’t Buy” rating to the Lexus GX-460, which Toyota manufactures. Coverage of this and the resultant halt in production of the model generated significant coverage.
NBC Nightly News (4/13, story 2, 2:40, Williams) reported that “Lexus [...]

Posted in Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vehicle Law or News

Friday Fun

Written On April 16, 2010 By Bob Kraft

AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com is always good for a laugh at someone else’s expense.

Posted in Friday Fun

Defective Medical Devices Are Costing Taxpayers Billions Because of Supreme Court Ruling

Written On April 15, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Here is an editorial opinion from Anthony Tarricone, president of the American Association for Justice:
Faulty medical devices are costing taxpayers billions of dollars that should be paid by the manufacturer, but because of the complete immunity status device manufacturers enjoy from a Supreme Court decision, taxpayers are left with the bill.
One such example is Medtronic’s [...]

Posted in Political and/or Judicial, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Texas Lags Behind Most States in Disciplining Doctors

Written On April 14, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Texas Medical Board is less likely than those in other states to revoke doctors’ licenses or take other serious disciplinary action, according to a report released this month by the consumer organization Public Citizen.
Texas ranked 38th among boards in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in taking serious disciplinary action against doctors [...]

Posted in Government, Medical Malpractice

Featured Link – Today is “Be Kind To Lawyers Day”

Written On April 13, 2010 By Bob Kraft

It’s about time the poor mistreated lawyers in America got our own day, and today is it!
Lawyers in America get a lot of grief…just for being lawyers. Jokes are made about them and they consistently rank as one of the least respected professions on the planet.
Yet, when regular people need help writing a will, [...]

Posted in Featured Link, Miscellaneous

Toyota Legal Tactics Questioned

Written On April 13, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Here’s the latest roundup of Toyota stories from the American Association of Justice press release:
The AP (4/12) reports Toyota has “routinely engaged in questionable, evasive and deceptive legal tactics when sued, frequently claiming it does not have information it is required to turn over and sometimes even ignoring court orders to produce key documents, an Associated [...]

Posted in Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vehicle Law or News