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Court raises hopes of Hanford radiation plaintiffs
Headline News |
2008/12/16 09:04
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| A U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday raised hopes that as many as 2,000 plaintiffs could be compensated for health problems they blame on radiation from a Washington state nuclear site instrumental in the Manhattan Project and the Cold War.pThe court issued a one-line denial of an appeal by contractors who worked at the Hanford nuclear reservation. The contractors — E.I. Du Pont De Nemours amp; Co., General Electric Co. and UNC Nuclear Industries Inc. — were challenging a lower-court ruling last spring that sided largely with the plaintiffs./ppThe people exposed to radiation lived in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and Idaho, downwind of Hanford, as the U.S. government was developing atomic bombs in the 1940s./ppThe government did not disclose until 1986 that radiation had been released at the site, and since then the downwinders have sought compensation for thyroid cancer and other conditions they believe were caused by the exposure./ppThis is very exciting for us, Richard Eymann, one of the plaintiffs' lawyers in the long-running case, told The Spokesman-Review of Spokane. With a new administration coming in, we want a serious look at compensation for these people after years of litigation./ppSo far, the plaintiffs have not agreed to a settlement offer by the contractors that would compensate them based on the amount of radiation they likely received and the illnesses they have, said Kevin Van Wart, lead attorney in Chicago for the Hanford contractors./p |
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New Partner at Christian Small LLP
Firm News/Alabama |
2008/12/15 11:24
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| William R. Pringle became a partner in the firm in December 2008. Will’s practice areas include business and commercial litigation, contracts, insurance and financial services, product liability, and transportation and logistics. Will received his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama in 1998. He is a 2001 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. |
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Court allows lawsuits over 'light' cigarettes
Headline News |
2008/12/15 09:16
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| The Supreme Court on Monday handed a surprising defeat to tobacco companies counting on it to put an end to lawsuits alleging deceptive marketing of light cigarettes.pIn a 5-4 split won by the court's liberals, it ruled that smokers may use state consumer protection laws to sue cigarette makers for the way they promote light and low tar brands./ppThe decision was at odds with recent anti-consumer rulings that limited state regulation of business in favor of federal power./ppAltria Group Inc. argued on behalf of its Philip Morris USA subsidiary that the lawsuits are barred by the federal cigarette labeling law, which forbids states from regulating any aspect of cigarette advertising that involves smoking and health./ppJustice John Paul Stevens, however, said in his majority opinion that the labeling law does not shield the companies from state laws against deceptive practices. The decision forces tobacco companies to defend dozens of suits filed by smokers in Maine, where the case originated, and across the country./p |
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NJ Sen. Lautenberg among potential fraud victims
Law Firm News |
2008/12/15 09:03
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| New Jersey U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg is on the growing list of potential victims of what prosecutors are calling a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme run by New York money manager Bernard Madoff.pLautenberg spokesman Scott Mulhauser says the senator was an investor in Madoff's investment fund — primarily in the form of the Lautenberg family's charitable foundation./ppThe 70-year-old Madoff was arrested Thursday in what prosecutors say was a $50 billion scheme by the Wall Street veteran to defraud investors./ppLautenberg is among a growing roster of potential victims. Those who have acknowledged potential losses so far include former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman, New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon and J. Ezra Merkin, the chairman of GMAC Financial Services, among others. /p |
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Tina Stanford Joins Smith, Welch Brittain, LLP
Firm News/Georgia |
2008/12/14 14:58
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Smith, Welch amp; Brittain LLP, Attorneys at Law is proud to announce that Tina G. Stanford, a Carrollton native, has joined our firm as an associate. Stanford graduated from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law.
Following law school, Ms. Stanford served as Law Clerk for the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit and then opened her own law firm as a general practitioner.
Ms. Stanford has been a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society since attending college and has been a member of numerous community service and professional organizations. She was the first President of the Columbus Association of Women Lawyers and served as President of the Board of the Association on Battered Women of Clayton County, Georgia. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Henry County Bar Association, Clayton County Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Association and the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers.
Smith, Welch amp; Brittain, LLP was established in McDonough in 1873. The firm currently operates offices in McDonough, Stockbridge, Jackson and Barnesville. SWB includes 20 attorneys and more than 50 support staff. |
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Court sides with NY Times in anthrax libel case
Law Center |
2008/12/14 09:04
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| The Supreme Court has rejected a plea by former Army scientist Steven J. Hatfill to revive his libel lawsuit against The New York Times over columns falsely implicating him in the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks.pThe justices did not comment Monday in turning down Hatfill's appeal of a unanimous ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Va. A three-judge panel affirmed a lower court's dismissal of the libel claims on the grounds that Hatfill is a public figure and failed to prove that columns written by Nicholas Kristof were malicious./ppCircumstantial evidence led the FBI to suspect Hatfill was involved in the anthrax attacks that killed five people and sickened 17 just weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft publicly identified Hatfill, who worked at the Army's infectious diseases laboratory at Ft. Detrick, Md., from 1997 to 1999, as a person of interest in the investigation./ppIn June, the Justice Department agreed to pay Hatfill $5.8 million to settle a lawsuit claiming officials violated his privacy rights by speaking with reporters about the case./ppNo one has been charged in the attacks, although the government now believes another Army scientist, Bruce Ivins, was responsible. Ivins killed himself in July./p |
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