Legal News
Catholic Church authorities in LA backtrack in sexual abuse case
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has duly reflected. And with the “further reflection” recently noted by an attorney representing the archdiocese, that church body has withdrawn the earlier support it had extended to the Los Angeles Unified School District in a sexual abuse case involving a former teacher and a 14-year-old female student.…
Read MoreIt’s not just trucks that are dangerous: some drivers are, too
Actually, the above headline might reasonably benefit from a slight word adjustment, namely, the substitution of “many” for “some,” given relevant statistics that help flesh out the real-world dimensions of driver-related risks in the nation’s commercial trucking industry. In the aggregate, commercial truckers would seem by all indications to warrant close scrutiny from safety regulators…
Read MoreTopical look: options for reporting campus sexual assault
How uncomfortable are college students who have been sexually abused on campus — most often by another student — with reporting details of that violence to campus or law enforcement officials, much less mentioning its occurrence at all? Put another way: How comfortable — that is, how confident — might some sexual abusers in a…
Read MoreNursing home realities: demographics and other concerns
At some level, a good many of our readers across Los Angeles County and elsewhere in California likely worry a bit about nursing homes, when they think about them. Perhaps some of them have a loved one in a nursing facility and wonder about staff sufficiency, care delivery, food quality, medication dispensing and related factors.…
Read MoreCalifornia universities’ sexual assault policies: clear or murky?
California is a vanguard state for taking the lead on many matters of national importance. Today (and in our immediately following blog post of this week), we take a look at one such matter that is unquestionably significant across the country and most assuredly in need of a broadly purposeful response from authoritative figures and…
Read MoreProduct liability, medical negligence focus: medical scope alarms
Duodenoscopes. Gastroscopes. Colonoscopes. Bronchoscopes. What do all these medical devices — used for internal looks and treatment of patients’ body parts and organs, such as lungs, stomachs, bladders and colons — have in common? According to emerging research, these medical devices are often impervious to truly effective post-use cleaning protocols. The result: Many of the…
Read MoreAmong worst summer scenarios: amusement ride accidents
It seems like every summer there is a story like the one we are about to relate, a tale that serves as a truly chilling reminder that even environments where strict safety precautions are stressed can harbor outsized dangers to the public. We’re talking amusement parks and, of course, their myriad rides that cater to…
Read MoreConcerns regarding Medtronic’s device royalty scheme, Part 2
We noted in our earlier blog post of this week that Medtronic, which describes itself online as “the world’s premier medical technology and services company,” is front and center in a recent media expose that denotes it as “a flash point in a national debate about the role of money in medicine.” In a nutshell,…
Read MoreWorkplace sexual harassment: immoral, unethical and illegal
Here’s a quasi-truism regarding sexual harassment in the workplace: It is often relegated to something minor in the overall scheme of unwanted sexual contact, where obvious and explicit acts of sexual assault and other forms of abuse command more attention. That is the wrong view to take, of course, given that harassing sexual behavior aimed…
Read MoreEmpirical evidence backs motorcycle lane-splitting
Although it might be a bit cumbersome, motorcyclists throughout Los Angeles County and Southern California might want to consider toting a copy of a UC-Berkeley study on motorcycle safety as they traverse area roads and freeways. And they might want to resolutely stick it in the hands of the next irate motorist that yells at…
Read MoreFamily says Sacramento nursing home tried to cover up fatal medication error
Nursing homes and assisted care facilities advertise their services in glowing terms, but the reality is that the care at many of these places is extremely lacking. Problems include understaffing, poor training of employees, and poor supervision. All of these factors can lead to neglect and abuse of vulnerable adults. As we discussed in a…
Read MoreWitness: Car bumper ‘literally touching’ motorcycle prior to crash
An apparent road rage incident recently took the life of a Navy officer as he drove his motorcycle on a highway in San Diego, and video recorded by a witness moments before the fatal collision has emerged. The video shows a car traveling close behind a motorcycle, and according to the witness, the car came…
Read MoreDespite increased risk to mothers, rates of unnecessary C-sections remain high
Due to a variety of factors, cesarean section deliveries have become more common in the last few decades. Many women in the U.S. are waiting until later in life to give birth; in vitro fertilization has increased the incidence of multiple births; a C-section may be necessary because of obesity or diabetes; and there are…
Read More‘Coughing fit’ blamed for fatal big rig accident in Pacoima
Multi-vehicle auto accidents involving large commercial vehicles require detailed investigations to determine exactly what happened. Truck drivers and trucking companies are subject to regulations that do not apply to passenger vehicles, and unfortunately violations of trucking industry regulations are to blame for many crashes. Police are looking into the cause of a recent series of…
Read MoreLess than 1 percent of imported products, including toys, inspected for safety issues
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is the federal agency responsible for inspecting consumer products, including those imported from other countries. You might assume that this is a big agency, with lots of resources and legislation to back it up, but the truth is that the commission regulates very few of the thousands of products…
Read MorePolice uncertain of cause of fatal motorcycle accident in Rosemead
Accident reconstruction is often a crucial part of determining which driver’s mistake caused the crash. Sadly, when one of the drivers is killed in the accident, determining fault can be particularly challenging because that driver is no longer able to provide his or her account of how the collision occurred. Grieving families looking for answers…
Read MoreLawsuit claims California church elders knew about but didn’t report abuse
Often there are warning signs that sexual abuse of a child has occurred or could occur. In many cases, perpetrators exhibit red flags that someone notices. If a person reports signs of sexual abuse or possible sexual abuse, then employers and other people in a position of authority have an obligation to follow up on…
Read MoreHow is bullying defined?
Under California state law, the Department of Education is required to create policies that school districts can adopt to develop safety plans and prevent and stop bullying. However, despite the requirements, California still has a poor record of handling bullying in schools. To protect children from physical and psychological harm, it is important that parents,…
Read MoreGuru rape lawsuits seek civil damages for alleged sexual assaults
Stories abound in the media about six civil suits alleging rape, sexual assault and economic harm filed against California-based celebrity yoga guru Bikram Choudhury by former students. The allegations describe a pattern that is common in rape and sexual assault cases: the ability of someone with power – mental, spiritual, physical or economic – over…
Read MoreYoung boy with cerebral palsy takes doctor to court for birth injury
A young boy and his family are taking their obstetrician to court. The seven year-old boy suffers from cerebral palsy, a disorder that impacts brain function and body movement. The victim’s family alleges the disorder developed due to a lack of oxygen during delivery and that the disorder could have been avoided but for the…
Read MoreIs a property owner liable for injury to a child who was technically trespassing?
In most cases, for a person to have grounds to file a premises liability lawsuit in California, the person must have been lawfully on the property when the injury occurred. A customer in a store, an invited guest in a residence, a worker hired to work in a building, a visitor at a place such…
Read MoreTaylor & Ring Files Lawsuit Alleging Wrongful Termination Against Abercrombie & Fitch
Lawsuit states that pregnancy and age played vital role in termination. LOS ANGELES, CA – Taylor & Ring,a Los Angeles- based trial law firm, filed a lawsuit against Abercrombie & Fitch Stores Inc. on behalf of a 31-year-old woman alleging wrongful termination, discrimination based on pregnancy and age and retaliation. Plaintiff Stephanie Charles worked her…
Read MoreDespite devastating consequences, cell phone use while driving an ongoing problem in California
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day in the United States, distracted driving is a factor in more than 1,153 crash-related injuries and more than nine deaths. The CDC also defines three types of distracted driving — visual, manual and cognitive — and using a handheld cell phone while driving falls…
Read MoreAccident reconstruction often crucial to successful injury claims
If you have been seriously injured in a car accident, then you are likely not in the best position, in terms of your health, to investigate the crash, gather evidence and make an injury claim all on your own. Your first concern should be your health, and dealing with the tactics of insurance companies will…
Read MoreMulti-vehicle crash on 405 Freeway takes motorcyclist’s life
Despite public perception to the contrary, motorcyclists are often more safety conscious than drivers of cars and trucks — and for good reason. Even when a motorcycle rider takes proper safety precautions and follows the rules of the road, the risk of serious injury is high in the event of a collision. Consider a recent…
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