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.

Former NFL Cheerleaders Sue League Over Unfair Wages

February 7, 2017

The topic of women’s rights has been in the news a lot lately, especially with the recent Women’s March on Washington that took place late last month. Now it’s in the news again, but this time it’s in relation to unfair wages. A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against the NFL by a group of former cheerleaders. Why? Well, according to the lawsuit, the NFL and all 26 of its member teams that “employ cheerleaders actively conspired to underpay them and keep them from negotiating better salaries.”

Salvation Army and Others Found Liable In Deadly Building Collapse

February 6, 2017

Accidents happen all the time, but they’re even worse when they result in loss of life. Unfortunately, this is what happened when a Philadelphia Salvation Army building collapsed and claimed the lives of six people on June 5, 2013. Thirteen others who were buried in the debris and rubble survived, though some will have to live with permanent injuries they sustained when “a towering wall from an adjacent demolition project collapsed onto” the small thrift store.

Atlanta Falcons Concerned About Excessive Reliance On Painkillers

February 3, 2017

A heavy dependence on painkillers is never a good thing, especially if word gets out that your professional NFL players have an “excessive” reliance on them. This is what happened to the Atlanta Falcons. Recently, emails dating from 2010 were “entered into court last week as part of a proposed class-action lawsuit by more than

Jury Rules In Favor Of Ohio Couple In Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

February 2, 2017

For many, the birth of a child is a joyous occasion filled with excitement. Sure, the thought of something going wrong is often in the back of expectant parent’s minds, but they’re easily shoved aside at the prospect of holding their new little bundle of joy. However, sometimes things do go wrong in the labor and delivery process, and while sometimes it’s just bad luck, other times the doctor or hospital makes a bad call, with devastating consequences for new parents. This was the case for one Ohio couple, Nicole Welker and Justin Brinkley, who gave birth to their child back in 2012 at Clearfield Hospital.

Trump’s Newest Executive Order Has Consumer Groups Furious

February 2, 2017

On Monday President Trump added to his growing list of executive orders by issuing a new one on regulations. Not only does the new order require that “for every federal regulation put in place, two other regulations must be eliminated,” but is also “requires that the cost of all new regulations this year be zero.” Despite Trump claiming the new order will be great for small businesses because they will supposedly be able to expand more quickly, many consumer groups aren’t happy with it.

Age Discrimination Suit Rules In Favor Of Ex-Lockheed Martin Engineer

February 1, 2017

It’s not uncommon for people to work well into their sixties, and even longer, especially if they’re doing something they love. It certainly wouldn’t be right to get rid of people as they age. After all, over the years employees build and acquire particular sets of skills that can benefit companies they work for. So naturally, ageism isn’t a thing in today’s day an age, not in America. Wrong. Age discrimination is alive and well, and all too often employees are let go because they’re deemed too old or unfit to carry out a job that they are more than capable of doing. This was true for Robert Braden, a former engineer at Lockheed Martin who was 66 years old when he was fired back in 2012 due to age discrimination. In a lawsuit, he accused Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor, of laying him off because of his age. Fortunately for Braden, a federal jury unanimously sided with him and awarded him “$50 million in punitive damages, $520,000 for economic loss, and $520,000 for pain and suffering.”

Burdensome Fees Limit Patient Access To Medical Records

January 31, 2017

New findings suggest that copy fees can greatly limit patient access to their medical records. Patients in the US are supposed to be able to easily obtain electronic copies of their medical records, but steep fees make that difficult for many across the nation. So why are there fees in the first place if patients are supposed to be allowed easy access to their records? Well, according to Dr. Harlan Krumholz of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, last year new federal guidelines were issued allowing healthcare providers to “charge fees for labor, costs of creating electronic or paper copies of records and postage.”

IKEA Recalls 33,000 Beach Chairs Amid Safety Concerns

January 30, 2017

Imagine relaxing on a beach somewhere in a comfortable beach chair. The sun’s shining and you’re having a great day, until you prepare to leave and go to fold up your beach chair, only to have the tips of your fingers hacked off in the process. Sounds pretty ridiculous and hard to believe, right? Well, believe it, because this was the reality for a handful of people worldwide who made the unfortunate choice to purchase, use, and fold up IKEA’s Mysingo beach chairs. Recently, IKEA issued a recall of these finger hacking chairs, “citing the product’s tendency to injure people.”

Common Myths of Obamacare Reform

January 28, 2017

Even before Donald Trump was elected our nation’s new president, Republicans were calling for a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare. However, many wonder what kind of plans Republicans have for a replacement. According to President Trump, he wants “insurance for everybody” that “lowers costs and deductibles.” That sounds nice, but how will it be accomplished? After all, Tim Michling, an analyst for the Citizens Research Council of Michigan summed it up nicely when he said, “healthcare is complex and requires trade-offs in terms of how best to use limited resources. It’s time to make some tough decisions.” However, there are many misconceptions about healthcare reform floating around out there that should be addressed before anyone makes any concrete plans for Obamacare reform.

State Juvenile Detention Officer Found Guilty of Workers’ Compensation Fraud

January 27, 2017

Workers’ compensation is one of those great programs that provides financial relief to those who need it most. It’s a form of insurance designed to provide “wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence.” Unfortunately, all too often people try to take advantage of the system, like a state juvenile detention officer who was recently busted for workers’ compensation fraud.

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