Miscellaneous

• Drug Companies Pay For FDA Staff Travel

  Tom Methvin | October 17, 2006 2:27 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  Over the years it has become quite apparent that the powerful drug industry has enjoyed tremendous control over the Food and Drug Administration. We now learn that, through an apparent loophole in agency rules, the FDA has allowed its employees to receive more than $1.3 million in sponsored travel since 1999 from groups closely tied to pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Interestingly,...

• Ordinary Folks Have A Need For Lobbyists Too

  Tom Methvin | October 17, 2006 2:26 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  The large and powerful companies in Corporate America (sometimes referred to as "Fat Cats") have always had ready access to the seats of power at the national level, and that has also been the case in almost every state capitol in America. In recent years that access has become much easier. Lobbyists representing these Fat Cats, who actually are more powerful than some of the elected officials,...

• Consumers Sue Bureaus Over Damaged Credit

  Staff Writer | August 09, 2006 2:12 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  An increasing number of lawsuits against the nation's top three credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian allege they are "damaging credit worthiness" of consumers through inaccurate credit reports. Various consumers and lawyers agree that erroneous reports are best handled through litigation and complaints have increased significantly nationwide. Three SC class-action suits allege that...

• Medical Device Manufacturer Settles Kickback Charges

  Staff Writer | July 23, 2006 2:17 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  An unidentified whistleblower filed suit in Federal District Court against medical device manufacturer Medtronic. The suit claims the company's spinal-plant division gave doctors kickbacks to encourage the use of its products. The company settled the first of two similar lawsuits for $40M.

• Privacy Suit Against AT&T Still Stands

  Staff Writer | July 23, 2006 2:15 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  A lawsuit over AT&T's cooperation with a government surveillance program will still proceed after federal judge Vaughn Walker rejected the Bush administration's motion to dismiss. In a separate motion, AT&T argued that their government relationship exempted them from prosecution. Judge Walker also rejected that motion, adding that the rulings did not reflect his confirmation of the accusations.

• Growing Concern Over Abusive Debt Collection Tactics

  Staff Writer | July 11, 2006 2:22 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  Debt collection agencies often buy debt from established companies for only pennies on the dollar. There is growing concern among government regulators that these agencies are using aggressive and sometimes abusive tactics to collect debt even if they could not determine that the debt is valid. One couple sued a CA based collection agency after being harassed by a collector who also posed as a...

• Katrina Victims Demand Coverage From Insurers

  Staff Writer | July 11, 2006 2:21 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  A MS couple sued Nationwide Mutual for denying an uninvestigated claim involving damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. In this and thousands of other MS cases, Nationwide has blamed the damage on water and asserts the company has "fully complied with its obligations." The non-jury trial may pioneer future Katrina victims' payouts from other insurers denying similar coverage.

• Treatment of Allstate Claimants in Question

  Staff Writer | July 11, 2006 2:20 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  Trial lawyers allege that Allstate Insurance bullies policyholders with unreasonable ultimatums. The issue centers on a policy-handling scheme in which victims are given low-ball settlements or are forced to face costly, lengthy litigation. Allstate denies all charges but may face a $800M class action lawsuit.

• Study Finds Tylenol May Elevate Liver Enzyme Levels

  Staff Writer | July 05, 2006 10:38 AM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the maximum recommended dose of acetaminophen, otherwise known as Tylenol, can elevate liver enzyme levels. This increase suggests the presence of disease according to the study. The lead author said an overdose of acetaminophen can lead to severe liver damage but noted that the drug has a "long track record of...

• Peter Burns, Attorney at Law

  Staff Writer | February 13, 2005 2:25 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL

  Peter F. (Pete) Burns graduated from Centre College of Kentucky in 1971 where he was captain of the wrestling team and two-time conference champion. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law Cum Laude in 1975. While at Cumberland, Mr. Burns served as the Executive Editor of Cumberland Law Review and was a member of the Order of Barristers. He was also a member of the three-person Regional...