Fentanyl, The Opioid Crisis, and Products Liability Law
You've probably heard or read the phrase "opioid crisis" in the news. Better and more careful explanations of the growing worldwide problem are available with a quick Google search. For now let me just say that one of the panic's major elements is the pharmaceutical opiate fentanyl. Everyone from medical professionals to government agencies seem...
Reggie Bush’s Recent Success In Court Is a Lesson in Premises Liability Law
Recently a St. Louis jury awarded Reggie Bush, a former NFL running back, a total of $12.5 million in damages for a 2015 slip-and-fall that ended his performance in the season and likely contributed to his retirement in 2017. While I don't write too much about sports, I think in this case Mr. Bush is...
Garland Apartment Complex in Hot Water Over Murky Pool
It's been big news in Dallas that a 4-year-old Garland girl, Mariah Anthony, drowned in a pool at the Meadow Creek apartment complex this past Sunday. This incident was different than most other pool drownings, because the media and emergency response personnel both noted how murky the water in the pool was. One news outlet...
Fiat Chrysler Recalls Millions of Vehicles for Cruise Controls That Might Not Disengage
Fiat Chrysler is once again making headlines with a sizable and serious recall. While previous recalls involved everything from fire hazards to disabled seatbelt pretensioners, ranging in scope and severity, the newest recall apparently involves a software bug that could keep a vehicle's cruise control engaged even when the driver tries to cancel it. That's...
Harbor Freight Recalls Over A Million Chainsaws That Might Not Turn Off
Tool manufacturing giant Harbor Freight recently announced the recall of more than a million chainsaws because of a serious operational defect. Who Makes The Defective Product(s)? The chainsaws were actually manufactured in China then imported by Harbor Freight Tools in Camarillo, California. They were then sold under three other brand names: Portland, One Stop Gardens,...
Is Viva Tacoland Partly Liable for Its Employee’s Alleged Crime?
According to San Antonio news outlets, a bartender at the Viva Tacoland bar stands accused of "spiking" the drinks of two female patrons of the bar on March 25. 30-year-old Dillonger Hackett was arrested on Monday April 23 for allegedly drugging the shots and then accompanying the intoxicated women to their nearby hotel, where they...
New Data Shows Houston Leads the Nation in Distracted Driving
All the major Lone Star cities see their share of DWI injuries and fatalities every year, but as I've noted, Houston is the undisputed state champ in that department--not that the crown is anything to covet. Not content with that infamy, Houston apparently grew even more ambitious. Thanks to information recently put out by a...
Haeger Revisited: Faulty Goodyear Tires and the Statute of Repose
Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation into the field performance of tire manufacturer Goodyear line of "G159" model tires. According to records that were ordered unsealed by a judge last year, the tires--often used on motor homes despite being unfit for the purpose--may have caused wrecks that injured or...
You Had One Job : Kidde Recalls Almost 500,000 Potentially-Faulty Smoke Detectors
Earlier this month, nearly half a million Walter Kidde Portable Equipment Company Inc. ("Kidde") brand smoke alarms were recalled because they had the potential to fail at their sole purpose. What's Wrong With the Smoke Alarms? According to a recall reported by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) roughly 500,000 smoke detectors were manufactured...
Bum Steer: Ford Recalls 1.4 Million Vehicles for Potential Detaching Steering Wheels
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Cars are complicated machines, and they've only gotten more so with over a century of technological refinement. Having noted that a working vehicle is something of a mechanical marvel and that the layman might not fully understand its every working, it's also safe to say most...
