According to The Detroit News , manufacturers called back over 19 million vehicles in 600 recall campaigns in 2010—the busiest year for post-production fixes since 2004 when 600 campaigns recalled 30.8 million autos. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which will release its final numbers for the year next month, reported that as of October 25 it had recorded 417 recalls affecting ...
The US Department of Transportation says that Toyota Motor Corporation has consented to pay another $32.425 million in civil penalties—$16.050 million for one case and $16.375 for another—over its handling of auto recalls. The government contends that the automaker did not comply with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act regarding the reporting of auto safety defects to the National ...
As another year draws to an end, we would like to extend our wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year to those who visit our website, either intentionally or by sheer accident, and to past, present and future clients. This past year has been marked by economic distress experienced by far too many individuals and families, often due to unemployment and underemployment. A large percentage of our ...
In a unanimous vote, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has approved new mandatory crib standards that ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs, strengthen mattress support, demand stronger crib hardware, and make safety tests tougher. Cribs made, sold, or rented in the US have to comply with these standards by June 2011. Hotels, motels, child care facilities, family child care ...
Ford Motor Co. is expanding its recall of 575,000 Windstar vehicles to include another 37,000 minivans. According to the Associated Pre ss, the expansion of the recall comes after the family of Sean Bowman complained that the automaker didn’t do enough warn about the initial recall, which involved older Windstars and concerns that the vans’ rear axles might corrode and break. Bowman, 28 was killed ...
GJSentinel.com reports that Mesa County in Western Colorado announced on December 2, 2010, that thousands of official computer records were mistakenly made available on the internet from April until November 24. The records included such information as the names of confidential informants in drug cases, home addresses and family members’ names and other personal information of employees of the ...
Volvo has announced two recalls affecting over 13,000 vehicles. One recall, which involves 7,420 autos, involves the power-operated front passenger seat, which can extend farther than it should. The NHTSA says that allowing a passenger to sit beyond the intended maximum can increase injury risk during a collision. To fix the safety issue, Volvo dealerships will inspect and repair the problem for ...
In an attempt to protect pedestrians—especially kids and the elderly—from backover accidents, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing a new safety regulation to get rid of the blind zones that exist behind motor vehicles. Congress mandated the proposed rule under the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007. Gulbranesen, ...
In an earlier post (Part I – 11/30/2010), I introduced the background of this case. It involves a nonresident passenger severely injured in an auto accident who was omitted in the settlement by the driver’s insurance company. Claiming that the insurance company refused in bad faith to settle with her for the $100,000 in remaining insurance coverage, the nonresident passenger then sued the driver. ...
The Colorado Supreme Court decided November 22, 2010, that the Colorado Court of Appeals committed error when it upheld the trial court’s grant of summary judgment (a decision on the law without a trial) in favor of an insurance company in a bad faith case brought by a severely injured vehicle passenger. The vehicle’s driver lost control, seriously injuring five passengers, including one passenger ...
When looking for children’s gifts for the holiday season, it is important that you remain aware of the dangers that some of the toys in the marketplace pose. Granted, in an ideal world, it would be great if toy manufacturers only made toys that were safe for use and didn’t pose choking, suffocation, aspiration, or strangulation hazards. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, and every year, ...
The National Fire Protection Association is discouraging people from using turkey fryers when cooking their bird over Thanksgiving. The cooking apparatus has become a favorite alternative to baking. That said, over the years, products liability lawsuits have been filed because people have suffered burn injuries as a result of a turkey fryer. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, ...
In 1966, the Colorado Constitution was amended to provide for the appointment of judges by the governor. Before that, judges of the county, district and appellate courts were elected in the same manner as any other elected official. Advocates of electing judges have long argued that taking judges “out of politics” stripped the electorate of a basic right to determine who shall serve in the ...
The family of Ernest Codelia Jr. is suing Toyota for his wrongful death. In their New York auto products liability complaint, they blame Lexus sedan’s keyless ignition for his carbon monoxide death. The 79-year-old attorney’s companion, Mary Rivera, sustained brain damage from the CO poisoning. On February 27, 2009, Rivera parked the vehicle in the garage attached to the home that she shared with ...
Bloomberg.com reports that a former officer and general counsel for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a London-based drug manufacturer, was indicted on November 8, 2010, for making false statements to the FDA and with obstructing an FDA investigation. In 2002-2003, the FDA was investigating the promotion of Wellbutrin SR, an antidepressant drug, for possible uses not approved by the FDA. The attorney, Lauren ...