All Topics

• Tort Reform Means Less Safety(2)

  Michael Phelan | June 18, 2009 3:35 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  The naive among us who believe that limiting our Seventh Amendment right to trial by jury would benefit most citizens probably also supported Newt Gingrich's plan in the 1990's to privatize the Food...

• Supreme Court Issues Ruling on Arbitration That Is Beneficial to Employees and Consumers

  Bill Tucker | March 11, 2009 1:27 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  The Supreme Court of the United States recently issued a ruling that will likely prove helpful to employees and consumers when their employers or lenders seek to prohibit their access to court....

• Retroreflective tape: How Visible are Heavy Trailers at Night?

  Michael Phelan | May 26, 2008 7:50 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  The term "heavy trailers" means trailers that are at least 80 inches wide and have Gross Vehicle Weight Rating over 10,000 pounds. I once handled a case in which a tractor trailer driver attempted...

• Virginia Considers Raising It's Damages Cap Under the Tort Claims Act

  Michael Phelan | April 14, 2008 4:26 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  In the aftermath of the horrific Virginia Tech shootings, the Virginia General Assembly is considering whether the limits on the state's liability in cases of negligence should be increased above...

• Drugs Sales Reps Sue for Unpaid Overtime

  Aubrey Ford | March 28, 2007 9:17 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Class action lawsuits filed on behalf of thousands of pharmaceutical sales representatives involve allegations of unpaid overtime against eight major drug companies. The essence of the claims involves demands for overtime compensation for the hours that the drug representatives spend attempting to push the particular pharmaceutical drugs in the doctors' offices. There are more than a dozen...

• New Mexico Appelate Court Upholds $14.9 Million Dollar Negligence Verdict

  Zev Antell | September 23, 2008 4:55 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Despite recent efforts by special interests to cap punitive damages, the fact remains that they are perhaps the best and only shield the general public has against egregious and unsafe actors. ...

• Wal-Mart Pays Steep Price for "Off The Clock" Violations Against Employees

  Bill Tucker | September 09, 2008 11:30 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Retail giant Wal-Mart was hit with a $185 Million verdict in favor of employees who worked "off the clock." The class of employees involved in the lawsuit alleged that Wal-Mart maintained a national...

• Employers Are Hogging Their Employees' Time for Free

  Bill Tucker | May 14, 2008 4:58 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Employers should pay their employees for all time worked, including time worked "off the clock." When an employee works more than 40 hours in a week, whether or not it is "on the clock," federal law requires the employer to pay the employee "time and a half" for the time worked beyond 40 hours.

• There is No Medical Malpractice Crisis

  Michael Phelan | May 13, 2008 11:49 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Medical Association, and their various lobbyists have been screaming for years that medical malpractice law suits are driving up doctors' insurance...

• High Tech Employees Forced to Work Overtime Actually Less Productive

  Bill Tucker | April 11, 2008 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Many employees in the high tech industry are required to work extensive overtime without pay. In fact, as many professionals in the industry know, working a 60-plus hour workweek is considered the...