Staff, Author at Legal Reader

Volkswagen Internal Audit Focuses on Engineers as Lawsuits Mount over Emissions Scandal

October 6, 2015

he engines were set to be a revolutionary breakthrough, used not just for Volkswagen models, but also for the company’s premium brand Audi, and less costly offshoots Skoda and Seat, along with some light commercial vehicles. Although specifics remain sketchy, it appears that management from the engineering team instructed the use of the software, under pressure to market the “clean diesel” breakthrough. The internal audit discovered that engineers realized that the vehicles would not, at the very least, meet U.S. diesel emissions standards, which are more stringent than in Europe.

Supreme Court Declines to Take up Newman Insider Trading Case

October 6, 2015

The case of Todd Newman and Anthony Chiasson, where were convicted of insider trading in 2012, during New-York’s U.S. attorney, Preet Bharara’s astounding six-year run of 85 insider trading convictions before losing a case which netted him 60 other convictions. Last December, however, the 2nd Circuit overturned the Newman convictions, ruling that Bharara stretched the limits of insider trading laws too far, citing insufficient evidence. At issue is whether or not the giver of the confidential information must receive a benefit from providing the tip, and whether or not that benefit must be concrete and tangible to be considered insider trading.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The Astounding Height of Hypocrisy

October 4, 2015

Full disclosure, Mr. Lane asked me to look into the 52-page report created by the Chamber’s “Institute for Legal Reform,” but the results that I found were absolutely shocking, and the opinions I have about this absolute piece of garbage are my own.

Mosaic Hit with $2 Billion Federal Penalty for Phosphate Waste

October 3, 2015

The world’s largest producer of phosphate for use as fertilizer The Mosaic Company, based out of Plymouth, Minnesota, has agreed to a historic $2 billion settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). The EPA accused the company of improperly storing and disposing over 60 billion pounds of phosphogypsum waste,

Sandy Hook Lawsuit Moves to State Court in Wake of another School Shooting

October 2, 2015

The lawsuit was initially filed in Connecticut Superior Court in Bridgeport; however Bushmaster successfully petitioned for the case to be moved to federal court shortly afterward. The plaintiffs are arguing the Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle used in the shooting is too dangerous to be sold to the public, citing negligent entrustment, a provision which holds a company liable for damages occurring to a third party. Federal courts have usually ruled in favor of gun manufacturers in cases involving negligent entrustment. Although Bushmaster attorneys argued that including Riverview Gun Sales in the lawsuit was “meritless” and that the company was fraudulently named as a defendant in order to keep the case at the state level, Judge Chatigny remanded the case back to state court without issuing an opinion.

How will Gap between UAW Workers and Fiat-Chrysler be Bridged?

October 2, 2015

Although the UAW is currently regrouping its efforts, there is a real possibility that FCA employees will strike, the first in decades. Following Thursday’s announcement, union leaders met with 300 UAW shop representatives throughout the night, yielding discussions, but no tangible solution to the impasse. Williams hinted that a return to the bargaining table in the near future could be possible, saying in a statement that the union will “gather the issues; notify FCA that further discussions are needed.” Williams added, “We don’t consider this a setback; we consider the membership vote a part of the process we respect.”

Mixed 9th Circuit Ruling Upholds NCAA Antitrust Ruling, Vacates Athlete Payment Proposal

October 1, 2015

While the panel was in agreement with the first part of Judge Wilken’s ruling, Chief Judge Sidney R. Thomas disagreed with the other two judges on the merits of Wilken’s acceptance of the deferred-compensation option. Defending the majority opinion of vacating this portion of Wilken’s ruling, Judge Bybee wrote “The difference between offering student-athletes education-related compensation and offering them cash sums untethered to educational expenses is not minor; it is a quantum leap,” Bybee added, “Once that line is crossed, we see no basis for returning to a rule of amateurism and no defined stopping point.”

Lawsuit Blames PG&E for Massive California Butte Wildfire

September 30, 2015

Lead attorney Gerald Singleton filed the complaint on Tuesday despite an admittedly low-level of evidence. Singleton said about the complaint, “The only evidence we have at this point is that if they are properly configured and maintained, a tree should never be in a position to fall on a line.”

Seven More Automakers Questioned about Takata Airbag Recall

September 29, 2015

The companies include: Volkswagen, Tesla, Daimler’s Mercedes Benz division, Jaguar-Land Rover, Suzuki, Volvo Trucks, and Spartan Motors. Depending on the regulator’s findings, the manufacturers could add to the 11 companies and over 19.2 million vehicles within the U.S. implicated in the recall. Specifically, the NHTSA is asking the automakers whether or not their airbags contain ammonium nitrate, the propellant that can “potentially lead to overaggressive combustion or potentially cause the inflator to rupture,” spraying shrapnel into the driver’s cabin; which has been attributed to at least eight deaths and over 100 injuries.

Behind The Red Tape – By Angie Firmalino, Founder of Essure Problems

September 28, 2015

We have the answers for you panel members, we have the answers for you FDA, all you have to do is ask us and we will show you. I am not a doctor, I am a metal smith. But that does not make my knowledge of Essure less real, it doesn’t make our knowledge or our information untrue. We can present to you allergy reports, operative notes, toxicology reports, blood work, x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, radiology reports, we have the medical information right in our hands.

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