Defective & Dangerous Products

• FDA Requests Recall of ALL Shelhigh Medical Devices

  Michael Phelan | May 03, 2007 3:23 PM | 2 CommentsRichmond, VA

  On May 2, 2007, the FDA issued a formal written request to Shelhigh, Inc. to recall ALL of its medical devices remaining in the marketplace. I blogged in April about the April 17, 2007 raid by U.S. Marshals of Shelhigh's Union, N.J. plant. At the FDA's request, the Marshals seized all medical devices found at the plant because of concerns that the devices were not sterile. During the raid,...

• Don't Buy Chinese-Made Products

  Michael Phelan | June 26, 2007 11:15 AM | 1 CommentRichmond, VA

  I favor free-trade and don't consider myself to be an isolationist, but enough is enough. First we learn that Chinese-made ingredients in pet food are killing our pets. Next we learn that Chinese-made toothpaste is toxic. Recently, we learned that Thomas the Tank Engine toy trains contain enough lead paint to cause permanent brain damage to toddlers who might chew on the toys. Now, the...

• Success as a Virginia Lawyer

  Staff Writer | February 02, 2006 11:18 AM | 1 CommentRichmond, VA

  I just finished reading a business article on how to compete with large companies. Its theme was that a small firm can actually have the edge over larger firms, because you do not have to worry about managing large scale organizations at the expense of personal relationship building. This might not specifically address to law firms, but it is applicable to how we have built our law firm. New law...

• Does Your Home Contain Foul Smelling Chinese-Made Drywall?

  Michael Phelan | January 21, 2009 3:02 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  This issue was first brought to my attention by fellow blogger, Wayne Parsons, in a January 2, 2009 blog, Drywall From China Causes Concern Over Sulfur Odor in Homes. Apparently, health department...

• Victoria Secrets Thong Case is Ridiculous

  Michael Phelan | June 19, 2008 6:21 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Have you seen the Today Show piece on the brand new lawyer and his 52 year-old, thong wearing client who are suing Victoria Secrets? The plaintiff alleges that a metal clasp connected to a...

• Asbestos Verdict in California

  Michael Phelan | March 13, 2008 5:17 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  A San Francisco jury Monday returned a $20 million verdict in favor of an asbestos victim. The jury determined that the sole remaining defendant at trial, Georgia Pacific Corp., was responsible for 30% of the verdict. The plaintiff was a former film actress and singer who toured the world seven times entertaining our troops as a USO singer. The plaintiff and her husband started a part-time...

• $30 Million Asbestos Verdict

  Michael Phelan | March 02, 2008 1:00 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Mesothelioma is an aggressive lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. A New Jersey jury recently returned a $30 million verdict in favor of a 50 year old advertising executive who died from mesothelioma. The decedant's exposure to asbestos was when he worked summer jobs at GM warehouses handling asbestos-containing automotive parts. The decedant's father also worked full-time at the...

• Your Stryker Hip Implant Could be Defective

  Michael Phelan | January 17, 2008 10:57 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  According to an FDA Warning issued on November 28, 2007 and released to the public on January 15, 2008, some models of Stryker hip implants may be defective. The FDA has received numerous complaints concerning Stryker hip implants from patients experiencing fractures, pain, wear particles, fragments, and broached bones resulting in bone fractures. Many of these problems required revision...

• Contaminated Heparin Syringes Recalled

  Michael Phelan | December 27, 2007 11:30 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Manufacturers of sterile medical products are supposed to follow strict sterility standards. Unfortunately, there has been a growing number of reports and recalls of contaminated medical products caused by poor quality controls by manufacturers of products required to be sterile. The latest recall involves heparin IV flush syringes found to be contaminated with Serratia marcescens, a...

• Toy Fingerprint Kit Contains Deadly Asbestos Powder

  Michael Phelan | December 21, 2007 1:00 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  No sane parent should buy a toy made in China. As if the lead paint crisis was not bad enough, a children's toy modeled after the popular television series CSI tested positive for tremolite, a deadly asbestos powder. Shockingly, the toy is a "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Fingerprint Examination Kit" and the fingerprint powder contains asbestos. The directions instruct the kids to blow on...