Environmental Contamination Class Actions: Communities Fight Back
Finding out your neighborhood or your home has been polluted from nearby industry can be a terrifying experience. Our homes are where we feel most safe, are where we raise our families, and are usually the biggest financial investment we will ever make. Such an invasion can result in tremendous emotional and physical harm. We have […]
You Can’t Always Believe What You Read
An astonishing article appeared in the March 2, 2016 edition of The New York Times. In what they called a “startling accusation,” lawyers in litigation against drug manufacturers Johnson & Johnson and Bayer concerning the prescription anti-clotting drug Xarelto, claim that important data was omitted by researchers from Duke University in a letter to the […]
Corporate Polluters Continue to Evade Justice
There is no question that business and commerce can and do wreak havoc with our environment and our planet. Worse yet is that the rampant corporate polluters responsible remain mostly unpunished, and because of a web of lax laws and powerful lobbying efforts, coupled with targeted political contributions, these companies continue to recklessly foul our […]
Why I Love My Job and Do The Work That I Do
After law school, I clerked for a Judge in the Appellate Division in New Jersey, which was an amazing experience that allowed me to work on civil, criminal and administrative agency appeals. I then worked for a defense firm for about two years, but always questioned the work I was doing because I never felt like I was […]
At the Movies: Trial Law
As the Oscar’s approach, Senior Partner Marc Weingarten discusses America’s long fascination with courtroom drama, trials and lawyers as viewed through the Hollywood lens. Whether it’s Miracle on 34th Street, My Cousin Vinny or A Time to Kill, they have all shown facets of the legal profession that are both entertaining and instructional. Read the […]
Why We Need the “Ancient Documents” Rule
Last week I had the honor of testifying before the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules – a committee created by the US Supreme Court’s Judicial Conference. I was one of 10 lawyers allowed to present oral testimony to the committee regarding a proposed amendment or abrogation of FRE 803(16), the ancient documents rule. […]
Affordable Care Act and Future Medical Expenses
I recently participated in a Continuing Legal Education program organized by the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute entitled “Affordable Care Act and Future Medicals”. From its adoption, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), also known as Obamacare, has been and continues to be politically controversial, particularly so in the run up to […]
Buyer Beware: Switching Counsel is at an All-Time High in the NFL Concussion Litigation
The NFL Head Trauma litigation resulted in an uncapped settlement in record speed. Unfortunately, as that settlement has been pending in the appeals court, an unusual and disheartening number of players are changing counsel. Some players have left our firm for other lawyers, and some have come to us and requested that we replace their […]
Legendary N.F.L. Player Ken Stabler Diagnosed with C.T.E.
Ken Stabler is the most recent of many professional football players to have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.) This morning The New York Times reported that Stabler has joined more than one-hundred former N.F.L. players to have been diagnosed with the life-altering disorder. C.T.E., whose symptoms are similar to those of Alzheimer’s disease, is […]
4th Circuit Invalidates Arbitration Clause in Payday Loan Agreements
Yesterday the Fourth Circuit refused to enforce the arbitration agreement in a Western Sky payday loan agreement in the case Hayes v. Delbert Services Corp. The Court’s holding is an important reminder that despite the current anti-consumer state of the law on arbitration agreements, these clauses are not invitations to companies to imagine new and […]
Lead Poisoning: Knowing the Facts
Even though the United States banned the use of lead-based paints in homes, toys and furniture in 1978, lead poisoning continues to be a serious problem. Lead is most often found in lead-based paints used in older homes of families in more urban and underdeveloped areas. Lead poisoning can affect both children and adults but is […]
Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, Endures Historic Gas Leak
In Los Angeles, California, the neighborhood of Porter Ranch has been enduring an environmental catastrophe of historic proportions in the form of a natural gas leak since mid-October 2015. On a normal day, the sun shines brightly over Porter Ranch, which is surrounded by the Santa Susana Mountains to the north, the Granada Hills to […]