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Tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers head north to Boston to kick off the NBA season against the Celtics.  As a lifelong Sixers fan, this has been the most hopeful and excited I’ve been in quite a long time. That’s because for years, the Sixers have asked their fans to “trust the process” – to be patient and trust the organization to take the right steps to return the team to its former glory. At times it’s been frustrating and we the fans have questioned some of the team’s decisions and suffered through the setbacks, but we have been assured that even though it might take years and there might be bumps in the road, “the process” would ultimately lead to success.

As we approach the winter season the days get shorter and darkness is more evident in our daily comings and goings.  I leave for the office in the dark, and in a few short weeks I’ll be coming home in the dark.  Soon, the only daylight I’ll get to experience during my work week is during my brief walk to get a bite to eat at lunchtime.  The seasonal darkness can bring on a variety of maladies, both emotional and physical.  And it seems a harbinger of what may await us all.

A major payment card data breach has just been suffered by Newegg Inc., an online retailer of items including computer hardware and consumer electronics. Hackers placed 15 lines of card skimming code on the online retailer’s payment page for more than a month which stole credit card data from customers. Danny Lee, the company’s chief executive, stated in an email to customers that the company “not yet determined which customer accounts may have been affected”

Locks Law Firm Associate James Barry has been named as co-chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association for the 2018-2019 year.  The New Jersey State Bar Consumer Protection Law Committee addresses consumer protection issues and legislation from the consumer’s perspective.  In that role the Committee both reviews pending legislation on consumer issues and presents continuing legal education seminars for practitioners within the State of New Jersey.  

Preparing for a hurricane is very stressful.  It can’t be said often enough: obey the directions of first responders, law enforcement and local authorities.  Following these suggestions may ease the trauma and help you and your possessions survive in the event of a hurricane.  Most of all, they will help you to be ready in the case of evacuation, and for the recovery process after the storm. Thanks to my friends in the Virgin Islands who lived through hurricanes Irma and Maria for passing these hints on.  I hope they can be of help to you.

I have written in this space before about the devastation being wrought by the Trump Administration on our Nation’s ability to protect the environment and its citizens from the health effects of toxins left behind by corporate polluters.  The Trump Administration cuts in the Federal budget, especially the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget, have rendered the EPA toothless and impotent, and left legal enforcement and the protection of the environment up to the states, and in more and more instances, to individual citizens to enforce the environmental laws that remain on the books.

What I call dash cam videos are called mobile video recorders (MVRs) in New Jersey. A Tuckerton police officer was chasing a lady in a car. The car headed towards Barnegat Township, where two Barnegat Township police cars joined the chase. The MVRs in the Barnegat Township police cars recorded the chase and the subsequent stop of the fleeing car. The MVRs also caught the actions of a second Tuckerton police officer and his dog during the arrest. The woman was pulled from her car. The police dog was allowed to attack and injure the woman. The Tuckerton officer responsible for the dog was subsequently charged with second degree official misconduct, third degree aggravated assault, and other offenses arising from his use of the dog.

This weekend the city of Philadelphia will be hosting Jay-Z’s annual Made in America festival on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway despite recent controversy of its location. The star studded line-up will include performers such as Philadelphia’s own Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, and Kendrick Lamar.

The first two years of the Trump administration have proven to be tumultuous, and the area of environmental regulation is no different, as the administration has sought to rollback or overturn over fifty environmental rules over the course of the first eleven months of the administration. This rollback has heightened the need for environmental class actions arising out of toxic exposures to both protect communities from polluters and act as a deterrent, encouraging companies to take adequate measures to avoid polluting their communities.  In considering the current administration’s apparent goal of undermining institutional environmental protections for communities, and in considering the real benefits our environmental class actions have had for communities which otherwise would have been left with no real means of redressing pollution, it is apparent that trial lawyers must step into the void to protect our communities from polluters through the class action device.  

Back to School Season is upon us!  Stores are now filled with a plethora of backpacks, school supplies, and clothing.  Parents of school-aged children everywhere are preparing their children for school in hope of them being safe while learning much throughout the year.  Students are enjoying the last few days of summer before they embark upon an exciting new school year.