Brianna Smith, Author at Legal Reader

Brianna Smith is a freelance writer and editor in Southwest Michigan. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, Brianna has a passion for politics, social issues, education, science, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys the simple life with her husband, daughter, and son.

Health Experts Urge Facebook to Turn Off ‘Messenger Kids’

February 1, 2018

Childhood is a precious time filled with imagination and wonder. It’s also a time where many agree technology should be limited, which is why the latest Messenger Kids app offered through Facebook has some pediatric and mental health experts concerned. In fact, these experts are so concerned about the potentially damaging effects of the Facebook app that they’re “calling on Facebook to kill the messaging service…that was introduced last month for children as young as 6.” What has these experts so concerned, though?

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Did the Wonder Years T.V. Show End Over a Sexual Harrassment Claim?

February 1, 2018

Fans of The Wonder Years may be interested to learn that a sexual harassment claim was allegedly what brought the popular show to an end. According to one of the show’s lead actresses, “Alley Mills, who played Fred Savage’s mother, Norma Arnold,” a sexual harassment lawsuit was filed in 1993 by “ 31-year-old costume designer Monique Long” against “Savage and Jason Hervey, who played Savage’s older brother.” At the time, Savage was 16 and Hervey was 20. But what happened, exactly?

Family of ‘The Walking Dead’ Stuntman Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against AMC Networks, Inc.

January 31, 2018

Most people are familiar with ‘The Walking Dead’ t.v. Show, but few are aware that many of the stunts on the show are performed by stuntmen and women, and fewer realize that sometimes those stuntmen and women get injured. Tragically, accidental deaths have also been known to occur on film sets, and that’s exactly what happened to John Bernecker, a stuntman who “fell to his death on the set of ‘The Walking Dead’ in Georgia.” As a result of the accident, Bernecker’s mother, Susan Bernecker, recently filed a lawsuit against the “show’s network and other parties, saying unreasonably low budgets led to inadequate safety precautions.” The accident itself occurred on July 12, 2017.

Bullied Altoona Area School District Student Commits Suicide, Family Files Lawsuit

January 30, 2018

A federal lawsuit was filed earlier this week by Marc Lansberry, the father of “Wyatt J. Lansberry, a 12-year-old seventh-grader, who took his own life on May 18 after experiencing a ‘particularly brutal day of bullying’ at the Altoona Area Junior High School.” The lawsuit itself was filed in Johnstown with the blessing of Wyatt’s mother, Terri Bradford, and “outlines in detail the psychological toll that persistent bullying took on the child.”

VTech Recalls 280,000 Baby Rattles Over Safety Concerns

January 26, 2018

If you or someone you know has a small child or children, the latest toy recall issued by Vtech warrants attention. The company is “recalling 280,000 Shake & Sing Elephant Rattles” because the “ears on the toys can break off and cause children to choke.” Wondering if you have one of the recalled items? Well, according to the recall notice, only rattles with the “model number 80-184800” are affected by the recall. Additionally, the particular toy has a “purple elephant with yellow and blue ears at one end, with a black and white plastic teething ring at the other end,” and ‘Vtech’ is printed “on the elephant.”

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Equifax Breach Prompts Colorado Lawmakers to Improve Consumer Protections

January 26, 2018

A lot has happened since the Equifax data hack that happened last year. Since news of the hack broke, businesses and lawmakers alike have proposed and even implemented safeguards to prevent similar hacks from occurring in the future. In fact, just recently Republican and Democrat lawmakers in Colorado have begun to “crack down on companies that collect and store personal information that could be used by identity thieves.”

Overdose Lawsuit Between Family of Slipknot Bassist and Doctor Ends with Settlement

January 26, 2018

A lawsuit connected to the 2010 drug overdose death of Slipknot bass player Paul Gray recently reached a settlement. The lawsuit itself was filed by members of Gray’s family against “health care providers whom they blamed for his drug-overdose death.” But what happened, exactly, and why did the family blame Gray’s healthcare providers?

Are Hospital Patients Less Likely to Survive Cardiac Arrest After Hours?

January 26, 2018

Did you know hospital patients who experience a cardiac arrest might “be more likely to die if it happens in the middle of the night or on a weekend than if it occurs on a weekday” during regular business hours? That’s what one U.S. study is suggesting. After examining data on “more than 151,000 adults who had a cardiac arrest at 470 U.S. hospitals between 2000 and 2014,” researchers determined that cardiac arrest patients had a better chance of living if the potentially fatal medical emergency occurs during the day, Monday through Friday.

$40M Settlement Reached Between Delaware County Family and Hospital, Ending Medical Malpractice Case

January 26, 2018

Recently, a Delaware County jury awarded “$40 million to the family of a 6-year-old who suffered a spinal injury during birth.” The settlement is the largest of its kind in the county, but how will it be divided up, and what was the lawsuit about that resulted in such a large settlement? For starters, the settlement is related to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Grayson Charlton, a young girl who has been paralyzed “from her mid-chest down” since birth due to a medical error. According to the settlement agreement, “$10 million will go towards past and future pain and suffering, while the rest of the award will go toward future economic damages.”

Image of a Recalled Green Bean Sysco Label

National Frozen Foods Corporation (NFFC) Voluntarily Recalls Green Beans Over Listeria Concerns

January 25, 2018

A voluntary nationwide recall was recently announced by the National Frozen Foods Corporation (NFFC) involving “a limited quantity of Not-Ready-To Eat Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) green beans and IQF mixed vegetables because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.” Potential Listeria contamination is a serious matter because the organism has the potential to “cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.” Even healthy individuals can experience symptoms such as fever, nausea, stiffness, and abdominal pain, among others.

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