Personal Injury Law

BP Oil Spill

Posted on May 05, 2010
As the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill continues to seep toward the US coastline, Sarasota County officials have declared a state of emergency. As of Tuesday, the oil spill was 325 miles west of the Sarasota shoreline. However, Sarasota County officials want to be prepared in case the oil spill reaches the Sarasota beaches...

Orlando Bishop Thomas Wenski May Be Moving to Miami

Posted on April 19, 2010
There is talk that the Archdiocese of Miami may be receiving a new archbishop tomorrow. He's well known to the Archdiocese since he was ordained a priest for Miami in 1976. Since that time, he has served as Auxiliary Bishop of Miami and Bishop of Orlando...

Chinese Drywall Homes Should be Gutted

Posted on April 03, 2010
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recommending that homes affected by corrosive Chinese drywall should be gutted in order to protect the safety and welfare of residents. According to the CPSC, Chinese drywall emits hydrogen sulfide at rates a hundred times higher than non-Chinese drywall...

Two Local Car Accident Fatalities Highlight Need for Safety Belts

Posted on March 13, 2010
Two fatalities in the Sarasota area in the span of 12 hours highlight the need to use safety belts when operating motor vehicles. Both accidents, one in Sarasota and the other in Myakka City, involved drivers who were ejected from their vehicles are auto crashes...

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FDA Will Review Safety of Insulin Pumps

Posted on March 04, 2010
The FDA will convene a panel of experts to investigate the increasing number of safety problems with insulin pumps. Industry officials note that there are issues with both the hardware and software aspects of the medical devices designed to provide the proper amount of insulin to diabetics...

Southwest Florida Man Charged in DUI Death of 2 Cape Coral Nuns

Posted on February 11, 2010
Michael G. Hickman, 60, has been charged with 2 counts of DUI manslaughter after the September 2009 car crash that left Sister Karinne O'Malley and Sister Ann McFall dead. The Catholic nuns were teachers at St. Andrews Catholic School in Cape Coral, FL...

Cancer Spike Leads to Radon Testing in Palm Beach County

Posted on January 14, 2010
Residents of The Acreage, a semi-rural community in Palm Beach County have experienced an unusual and alarming spike in the diagnoses of cancer, especially in children. The spike has led Palm Beach County Health Department officials to seek radon tests in the area...

Sarasota Hospital CEO Receives $91,000 Raise

Posted on December 22, 2009
Sarasota Memorial Hospital CEO Gwen MacKenzie received an early Christmas present. The hospital CEO got a $91,000 pay increase. Only one board member responsible for giving the pay increase objected to it. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, "Dr...

Time Running Out on Chinese Drywall Class Action Lawsuit

Posted on November 16, 2009
The deadline for inclusion in the Chinese drywall class lawsuit against defendant Knauf is only a few weeks away. If your home has been affected by Chinese drywall and you'd like to participate in the class action lawsuit, now is the time to contact a lawyer so that a home inspection can be scheduled to determine if the Chinese drywall in your home was manufactured by Knauf...

Chinese Drywall Class Action Lawsuit Deadline Looming Against Defendant Knauf

Posted on November 12, 2009
The class action lawsuit against one of the largest Chinese drywall defendants, Knauf Tianjin, has a very tight deadline for those to join the omnibus class action lawsuit, December 2, 2009. Knauf, one of the main importers of the Chinese drywall into the US, agreed to accept service in the United States...

Chinese Drywall Contamination Prompts Meeting Between US and China

Posted on October 23, 2009
Officials from the Consumer Products Safety Commission plan to meet with their Chinese counterparts and seek their assistance and cooperation in dealing with the Chinese drywall contamination problem that has plagued US homeowners. According to CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, Chinese officials have a duty to engage in finding solutions to the problem...

Chinese Drywall Homeowners Receive Property Value Reduction in Lee County

Posted on September 24, 2009
Homes that have been affected by the Chinese Drywall debacle in Lee County will receive a 50% reduction in their market value according to Ken Wilkinson, Lee County property appraiser. According to a story in the News-Press, 1,086 homeowners in Lee County were sent letters informing them of the reduction in market value due to the Chinese Drywall problem...

Chinese Drywall Townhall Held in Lee County

Posted on September 14, 2009
Chinese drywall concerns led many Lee County residents to attend a town hall style forum to hear experts discuss the problem in Cape Coral yesterday. The attendees heard presentations from Jason Robertson of Urban Habitats, U.S. Building Consultants Inc...

Alli and Xenical Receive FDA Review After Reports of Liver Injury

Posted on August 25, 2009
The FDA is reviewing diet drugs Alli and Xenical after 32 adverse event reports associated the drugs with liver injury. Alli is manufactured and marketed by GlaxoSmithKline and is available as an over-the-counter weight loss supplement. Xenical, which contains twice the dose of orlistat, is a prescription drug that's manufactured by Roche and marketed by GlaxoSmithKline...

Electronic Cigarettes Receive FDA Warning

Posted on July 28, 2009
The FDA has issued a public health warning about the e-cigarettes being aggressively marketed to younger smokers. The electronic cigarettes contain a chemical found in anti-freeze, diethylene glycol as well as known carcinogens. These cigarettes are filled with highly-addictive nicotine and flavors that are converted into vapor inhaled by the smoker...

Acetaminophen Safety and the FDA

Posted on July 07, 2009
Last week's FDA panel decision to ban painkillers Vicodin and Percocet as well as limit acetaminophen has a long and complicated backstory. The call for banning Vicodin and Percocet was in part a reaction to the chemical composition of the two painkillers which combine a narcotic with the ubiquitous acetaminophen...

Will NY Child Victim Act Fail Because of Political Back Room Deals?

Posted on June 17, 2009
This morning, I received an alarming email about the NY Child Victim Act and those who'd try to thwart its passage. From the email, it appears there's a lot of political games being played in Albany that would kill the Child Victim Act and unfairly prevent childhood sex abuse victims from pursuing justice in court...

Texting While Driving Still Legal in Florida

Posted on June 04, 2009
While driving to work this morning I noticed a middle-aged man next to me in an SUV, smoking a cigarette in one hand, shaving with the other hand and still driving. By the way, he had a cell phone propped up between his shoulder and left ear to boot...

Pinellas Park Motorcyclist Killed in Crash on I-75

Posted on June 03, 2009
A 24 year old Pinellas Park motorcyclist was killed early this morning when his motorcycle veered into the path of a tractor trailer. The crash caused the motorcycle to split in two and catch on fire. The cyclist was not wearing a helmet at the time of the early morning crash...

Man's Best Friend is also a Bed Bug Hunter

Posted on May 26, 2009
Just when you thought dogs are the perfect pet, you discover they can be helpful in spotting those pesky bed bugs. Dogs are being trained to sniff out bed bugs and are actually quite good at finding bed bugs. There are even dog training schools in Florida to help rid our homes, hotels, motels, and dormitories of the blood-sucking insects...

Tarceva Receives New Warnings from FDA

Posted on May 11, 2009
Cancer drug Tarceva will have to add new warning labels because of serious side effects associated with the drug manufactured by Genentech and OSI Pharmaceutical, Inc. The side effects include skin problems, eye reactions, and punctures in the digestive tract...

Internet Drug Ads Catch Attention of FDA

Posted on April 27, 2009
It was just a matter of time before large pharmaceutical companies began marketing their products on the Internet. With huge marketing budgets, drug companies have turned to the Internet to attract consumers. However, the FDA is attempting to crack down on these types of ads warning drug companies that they must comply with agency regulations concerning warnings, disclaimers, and truthful claims about the drugs themselves...

Venice Bishop to Hold Two Masses for Sex Abuse Survivors

Posted on April 23, 2009
In keeping with April's designation as Child Abuse Prevention Month, Bishop Frank Dewane will offer two masses for sexual abuse survivors. Many bishops have done this throughout the country as part of the Bishop's Conference response to the sexual abuse scandal that has been rocking the Catholic Church since 2002...

EPA Holds Bed Bug Summit

Posted on April 14, 2009
It sounds funny but it's really pretty serious. The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a two day meeting to discuss the growing problem of bed bugs. The problem had subsided since World War II, but there's now an alarming increase in the reporting of bed bug infestations in hotels, motels, hospitals, college dorms, and private residences...

Raptiva-Genentech's Psoriasis Drug is Recalled

Posted on April 10, 2009
Genentech's psoriasis drug, Raptiva has been voluntarily recalled due to several deaths related to use of the drug. Raptiva has been linked to a potentially fatal brain infection, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Raptiva is designed to lower the body's natural immune system in order to treat psoriasis...

Clergy Abuse Claims on the Rise

Posted on March 13, 2009
In spite of what the Catholic Church's public relations operation says, an independent study has said that priest abuse claims in the United States actually rose 16% over the same period last year. This in spite of the fact that 2 dioceses, Lincoln Nebraska and Baker Oregon refused to participate in the study...

Federal Lawmakers Are Calling For Probe of Chinese Drywall Distributors

Posted on March 03, 2009

Chinese Drywall Homeowners Regret Signing Lennar Waiver

Posted on February 26, 2009
In a new twist to this southwest Florida Chinese drywall saga, homeowners are beginning to question the wisdom of signing waivers prepared by the home builder Lennar. Some homeowners whose property has been adversely affected by the odor and contamination of the Chinese drywall are concerned that the offer of help won't resolve the problems in their homes...

Chinese Drywall Goes Political

Posted on February 07, 2009
We learned this week that Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp's residence in North Ft. Myers is affected with the Chinese drywall. Ironically, the house was built by Aubuchon Homes, owned by none other than Kottkamp's replacement in the Florida Legislature Gary Aubuchon (R-Cape Coral)...

Chinese Drywall Defects Affecting Southwest Florida Homes

Posted on January 25, 2009
During the housing boom of 2005-06, huge building contracts such as Lennar Homes and Aubuchon subcontracted their drywall needs to Chinese companies. It all looked good at the time. Prices were cheap and the drywall was readily available. Fast forward to 2009 and the deal doesn't look so sweet...

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