lawfirm blog

Dallas based Valero Cheats Workers Out of Wages with Labor Practices

2009-08-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

The named Plaintiffs Ms. McCarthy, Ms. McKnight, and Ms. Clinton seek tens of thousands of dollars from Valero for each worker who was underpaid in violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); the California Labor Code; and the California Business and Professions Code. The FLSA claims are brought on behalf of all Valero non-exempt Corner Store workers, including store managers and assistant managers, who worked at any Valero retail store or Valero-operated brand name store in the nation, said Weinberg Law Firm, Labor Lawyer Dallas.

Lohan Gets 1 Day in Jail on Los Angeles DUI Plea

2009-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan said in a statement released by publicist Leslie Sloane Zelnik, said Michael Bialys, Los Angeles DUI lawyer.

She said she did things she was ashamed of. "I broke the law and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges in my case."

Fireman Sues New York over catastrophic injury

2009-08-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

"Because the drill was required training for an actual emergency, Kedroski was reasonable to believe that he was faced with an emergency," the lawsuit says. It also says that the city has refused to pay the insurance premiums after City Manager Jason Bajor was asked to do so. Kedroski is asking the city to pay for his insurance premiums, reimburse him for insurance costs he has incurred since the time of the injury and pay reasonable attorneys fees and costs, said John Q. Kelly, a New York catastrophic injury lawyer.

City Attorney Dave Wiltse Monday did not comment on the lawsuit when contacted Monday saying the city has not yet been served.

Will Obama Keep His Promise to Federal Whistleblowers?

2009-08-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

Last week, a whistleblower lawyer Los Angeles unanimously approved a bill to expand protections for federal workers, which would allow them to bring claims of retaliation for whistle-blowing to a federal court before a jury. Under the current system, federal whistleblowers sometimes wait years to have their cases heard by an appointed board.
Robert Bray, director of the Federal Air Marshal Service, recently told the Washington Post that MacLean is "still twisting in the wind," which he characterized as "very unfair."

Insurance plans, other third-party payers settle Vioxx claims with drugmaker Merck for $80M

2009-08-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

LINDA A. JOHNSON | AP Business Writer
3:17 PM CDT, August 3, 2009

TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) — Health insurers, unions and other private groups that paid for prescriptions for withdrawn painkiller Vioxx have reached an $80 million settlement with its maker, ending another part of the multipronged litigation.

Such third-party payers had filed about 190 claims against New Jersey-based drugmaker Merck & Co. They said they would not have covered Vioxx had they known about its cardiovascular risks, which they argued Merck concealed.

Chicago business attorney

Pittsburgh DUI Defense Lawyer

2009-08-03T16:06:00.001-07:00

www.DUI-News.info contains The latest DUI related News from each state and a section containing the DUI Statute from each state. It also contains frequently updated DUI help articles which cover issues from how to hire a DUI Lawyer to whether mandatory jail sentences in DUI cases are appropriate. There is also a selection of scientific studies which relate to Driving Under The Influence. Most importantly, DUI-News.info contains a DUI Help Forum where people can join and log on at no cost. There, they can post questions regarding DUI Law which will be answered by fellow posters and DUI Lawyers. Attorney Heym stated that he checks the DUI Forum on a daily basis and answers any and all DUI related questions as they are posted. DUI lawyers nationwide are encouraged to join the DUI Forum and post advice and their thoughts on DUI related issues.
Hire a Pittsburgh DUI Defense Lawyer

California Accident Lawyers Ringler Kearney Alvarez LLP

2009-07-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

LA railroad injury law firm Ringler Kearney Alavarez LLP have established themselves as a premier law firm by providing clients with consistently excellent service. They pride themselves on their intellect, creativity and tenacity.

These Los Angeles class action lawyers have achieved victories in over 100 trials with total verdicts in excess of $250 million.

Ringler Kearney Alvarez LLP achieves their verdicts by utilizing their substantial financial resources to obtain the best result possible for each of their clients. This LA railroad accident specialist law firm fights tirelessly for their clients, no matter the cost and no matter the foe.

NY Construction Site Injury Lawyer

2009-01-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

New York Construction Site Injury Attorney John Q. Kelly is pleased to announce the launch of his new website for The Kelly Group P.C.

The website can be viewed at http://www.kellygrouppc.com and features notable cases and clients of Mr. Kelly.

About John Q. Kelly
One of the most renowned litigators in the country, Mr. Kelly has a proven track record in complex civil and corporate litigation nationwide.

His clients include some of the most widely publicized victims in recent times, including:

- Estate of Nicole Brown Simpson
- Parents of Natalee Holloway
- Estate of Kathleen Savio, ex-wife of Drew Peterson
- Estate of Heiress Anne Scripps Douglas
- Former Yankee great Joe Pepitone

More Disaster From Metrolink

2008-09-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Metrolink worker sued Burlington Northern Santa Fe, saying his alcoholism returned after the fatal 2002 Placentia collision.

A metrolink conductor who said his drinking problems resumed after the Placentia train crash in 2002 will receive $8.5 million to settle his lawsuit against one of the nations largest railroads.

Patrick Phillips of Riverside agreed Tuesday to settle his suit against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. The case was set to go to trial next week in Orange County Superior Court.

Phillips, now 52, suffered minor head injuries the morning of April 23, 2002 when a Burlington Northern Freight train crashed into a Metrolink commuter train in Placentia. Three people died and more than 260 were injured in the early morning crash.

Though his injuries were slight, the conductor alleged that the trauma was serious enough to trigger a resurgence of his severe alcoholism, which he said he had controlled since rehabilitation in the early 1990's.

"I have never seen a case like this in 30 years, yet it is indeed what happened here," said Jerome L. Ringler, Phillips' attorney.

"We had extensive medical evaluations by a variety of neurological specialists. All were in accord that his injury, although minor, changed his behavior."

After the train crash, Phillips was hospitalized for evaluation but released about two hours later, Ringler said. In the months after the crash, however, Phillips allegedly resumed his alcohol abuse, resulting in at least two other hospitalizations.

Ringler said his client was finally diagnosed with alcohol-related dementia, a sever mental deficiency.

Phillips, who is now disabled after working 12 years for Metrolink, was unavailable for comment. He is living with a sister in Riverside.

Under terms of the settlement, Phillips will receive $8.5 million, including interest, paid out over 20 years. The amount is worth about $4.5 million in today's dollars.
Officials for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, one of the nations four largest railroads, confirmed the settlement but declined to discuss the case.

Phillips' lawsuit is one of more than 100 Civil cases stemming from the Placentia crash, which federal investigators said was caused by an inattentive Burlington Norther crew that missed a warning signal.

The lawsuits allege the collision could have been prevented by an automatic braking system, long sought by the federal National Transportation Safety Board.
They also contend that the freight train crew was fatigued by overwork and that the Burlington Northern conductor had a history of losing track of signals.

In December, an Orange County jury awarded Pamela Macek, 53, also of Riverside, about $9 million in damages for psychological and physical injuries suffered in the crash. Her case was the first to go to trial.

FOX 11 Interviews Jerry Ringler - Metrolink Train Accident

2008-09-18T12:03:00.001-07:00

Jerry Ringler - Experienced Train Accident Attorney sends Special Message to Chatsworth Victims

2008-09-18T12:02:00.001-07:00

Special Message for Victims of Chatsworth Metrolink Disaster

On September 12, 2008, an unprecedented tragedy occurred in Chatsworth, California when Metrolink Train #111 struck a Union Pacific freight train which was traveling on the same tracks. Our hearts go out to the victims. But this tragedy should not have happened. It happened because of human error on the part of Metrolink employees. Unfortunately, as the lawyers of RKA know well, human error by railroad engineers is not at all unique as a cause of commuter rail disasters.

Jerome L. Ringler has greater experience in representing victims of commuter rail and freight train disasters than any other lawyer in the State of California, if not the country. He has served as lead counsel in every one of the largest commuter rail disasters which have occurred in Southern California in the past 10 years.

In the Placentia Commuter Rail Disaster of 2003, Mr. Ringler was appointed by the Court as lead counsel for all of the Plaintiffs. He was requested by all of the lawyers representing individuals injured or killed in that incident to try the first case. That case resulted in the largest verdict for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ever rendered by a jury in the United States. That verdict, which was for $9 million, is detailed below in the multimedia section.

In the Burbank Commuter Rail Disaster, which also occurred in 2003, Mr. Ringler was again appointed by the Court to serve as lead counsel. In that capacity he was given the responsibility to try the entire liability (i.e., fault) case for all of the victims. In other words, every one of the dozens of lawyers who represented individual victims in that disaster trusted Mr. Ringler to try the liability phase for them, knowing that their clients would only recover if Mr. Ringler was successful. He was. In fact, Mr. Ringler not only obtained a favorable verdict for all of the plaintiffs, he obtained a $12 million verdict for his own client as well. This verdict was the largest in the State of California for a person with the type of injuries Mr. Ringler's client had suffered. This verdict is detailed below in the multimedia section.

Mr. Ringler is currently lead counsel for all plaintiffs in the Glendale Metrolink Derailment Disaster of 2005. This incident was, before September 12, 2008, the largest Metrolink disaster in history. Interestingly, in that case (which involves 11 deaths and dozens of serious injuries), Mr. Ringler has, against all odds, developed testimony proving that, even though a mentally-ill person placed a jeep across the tracks that the Metrolink train was traveling upon, human error on the part of the Metrolink engineer prevented him from stopping the train before hitting the jeep, which caused the train to derail. In other words, while the jeep certainly never should have been on the tracks, the Metrolink engineer would have been able to stop the train before ever striking the jeep had he only been paying proper attention. That case is scheduled to go to trial on June 8, 2009, with Mr. Ringler as lead counsel.

The verdicts detailed on this page all relate to railroad litigation. However, Mr. Ringler has achieved enormous, record-breaking monetary awards across California in a variety of complex areas. Those accomplishments are detailed elsewhere in this website. To see them, click here.

If you or a loved one has suffered injury or death as a result of the horrific Chatsworth Metrolink Disaster, we are available to discuss your rights with you confidentially and at no charge.

Please feel free to contact us at your convenience. Ask for Mr. Ringler,or any of his partners, at (213) 473-1900.

www.rkallp.com

Metrolink Train Accident

2008-09-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

www.rkallp.com

Roth Law Firm Named Featured Law Firm

2008-06-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

The Roth Law Group has been named a Breaking Legal News Featured Law Firm for its outstanding achievements in Business law and contract law in the Chicago area. Below is a little bit about the firm.

About Roth Law:
Business owners know that it takes hard work and dedication to make it in today's competitive marketplace. And choosing a law firm that understands the needs of small business is essential if you want to get a leg-up on the competition. You expect that your law firm will provide you with practical solutions and attentive individualized service. At the Chicago-based business law firm of the Roth Law Group, that's what you get.

At the Roth Law Group, we understand the concerns of small business owners like you and we have experience working in industries ranging from construction to chemical manufacturing. Our lawyers know that you need to remain focused on business and legal issues often detract from this goal. When the Roth Law Group represents you, we concentrate our efforts on resolving matters efficiently and economically and seek to reach the best business outcome in the least amount of time whenever practical. From contract negotiations to commercial litigation, we offer a full-range of business legal services specifically tailored to meet your needs.

If your small business is in the market for business legal services in Cook County or throughout Illinois, contact the Chicago-based Roth Law Group for a Free Initial Consultation. We offer practical solutions to your small business legal challenges at affordable rates.

A Few Representative Matters

-Obtained six-figure settlement on behalf of an Italian-based Manufacturer of wood veneer products in a breach of contract action against U.S. based distributor.

-Obtained judgment in favor of a Commercial Landscaping Contractor involving breach of contract.

-Negotiated nuisance value settlement on behalf of a Multi-Media Company sued for violation of Non-Compete Agreement, thus avoiding business interruption and an injunction.

-Successfully prosecuted foreclosure and other actions on behalf of a Colorado-based Mortgage Company.

www.rothlawgroup.com

Professional License Defense Attorney Michael Khouri Featured in the Mercury News

2008-04-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Stanford Doctor Free to Practice

Abuse, Embezzlement charges dropped; status of old job in unclear
By Elise Banducci – Mercury News

Stanford physician Cheryl Walker, cleared of charges she abused her elderly grandmother and embezzled from her estate, is once again free to practice medicine in California.

However, officials at Stanford Medical Center, which put the world-renowned reproductive science expert on unpaid leave after charges surfaced, did not return calls for comment on whether she would also be reinstated in her job.
The Medical Board of California suspended Walker’s license in May 2002, several months after she and her mother, Janice Walker, were indicted in what prosecutors said was a scheme to loot the estate of family matriarch Mary Lee Koleber, 95, and hasten her death with a “lethal cocktail” of drugs.

Prosecutors dropped charges against Cheryl Walker and cut a deal with her mother last month after a key witness against the pair admitted forging documents, shattering his credibility.

The medical board had 30 days after the charges were dropped –which was Thursday – to file papers to keep the suspension in place, said David Carr, deputy attorney general representing the medical board. Though the suspension expired, the board has up to three years after the arrest to investigate and take further action.

Friday, Walker paid the renewal fee for her medical license, which expired during the suspension, her attorney Mike Khouri said. Khouri said he did not know the status of his client’s discussions with Stanford.

“I would hope that since the criminal charges have been dismissed, and since her license has been reinstated, that Stanford would do the right thing and reinstate her to her position,” he said. Khouri also said Walker was weighing various academic and clinical opportunities elsewhere.

In her statement last week to the judge, before hoer mother was sentenced, Cheryl Walker said that her career had suffered irreparable harm and that she would have to move to start over.

Her mother, a 74-year-old retired nurse, pleaded no contest earlier this month to elder abuse and embezzlement and received a two-year sentence. She is expected to be releases on parole after no more than eight months in a minimum security prison. Walker, 45, has two young children.

Khourilaw.com

Mary Lee Wegner - Employment Counsel

2008-04-10T09:57:00.001-07:00

Mary Lee Wegner is an employment lawyer with more than 21 years of experience litigating employment cases and advising employers and employees about their respective workplace obligations.

Her current practice focuses heavily on employment counseling, investigation of harassment, discrimination, retaliation and other allegations, and pre-litigation resolution of employment claims. She also drafts and negotiates employment and separation agreements and provides training to individuals and groups regarding harassment and discrimination prevention, anger management and techniques for improved management and communication skills.

Ms. Wegner spent several years as a commercial and employment litigator with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles and then moved in-house to provide counsel to ABC, Inc. and Occidental Petroleum Corporation. More recently, she was a partner at Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan from 1998 to 2006, until she decided to form her own practice in 2007 focusing primarily on employment counseling, training and investigations.

While at ABC and Occidental Petroleum, Ms. Wegner supervised litigation, managed outside counsel, responded to EEOC and DFEH complaints, conducted internal harassment, discrimination and other EEO investigations, worked closely with human resources professionals to develop, draft and revise employment policies and provided a substantial amount of employment counseling and advice. In private practice, Ms. Wegner has tried cases and argued appeals, handled DFEH and EEOC claims, investigated and advised employers about harassment, discrimination and retaliation claims, drafted handbooks for, and provided employment counseling to, companies of all sizes, negotiated and drafted employment agreements and severance packages, negotiated with state and federal EEO and other agencies and handled a number of mediations and arbitrations involving both employment and complex commercial issues.

Ms. Wegner lectures frequently in the area of employment law and has conducted a number of training sessions for clients regarding sexual harassment and discrimination prevention, diversity issues, anger management, ways to improve management skills and communication and other employment topics. She is also the co-author of a chapter on trial preparation and procedure for the Rutter Group publication entitled, “California Practice Guide: Employment Litigation."

Employment Counsel & Attorney

The Khouri Law Firm - Professional License Defense Attorney

2008-04-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Michael Khouri has been practicing law in Orange County for over 26 years.
He is considered an expert in professional licensing defense and the defense of Medi-Care/Medi-Cal audits, and has tried in excess of 100 cases. An expert in representing health care providers, Michael has proven his abilities with a number of cases and has spoken at multiple events. He is recognized throughout California and the Country for his integrity and firm resolve to help his clients get the best possible resolution to their licensing or criminal matters.

Mr. Khouri started his career as a Deputy District Attorney in Orange County.
He routinely practiced before the trial and appellate courts when he was a prosecutor and focused his practice on the legality of police conduct in major narcotics investigations. In this regard, Mr. Khouri argued the case of People v. Bravo (1987) 43 Cal.3d 600 before the California Supreme Court and represented the state wide association of prosecutors. The Bravo case established a new standard for the search of repeat narcotic offenders.

Once in private practice, Mr. Khouri began to develop a specialty representing health care providers (ie doctors, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors, pharmacists, psychologists etc) in criminal cases such as medical billing fraud, narcotics cases and sexual assault on patients, including rape. He has handled these cases across the country and has lectured nationally in front of state wide medical associations. Mr. Khouri is a member of the indigent defense panel in the U.S. District Court-Central District of California and in that capacity acts as a privately contracted federal public defender. He recently was lead counsel on the Mexican Mafia organized crime case and has represented other major defendants in large drug conspiracy cases, alien smuggling cases, bank robberies and more. Mr. Khouri is AV rated by Martindalle-Hubbell.

Professional License Defense Attorney

Ringler, Kearney, Alvarez L.L.P.

2006-12-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

Ringler Kearney Alvarez LLP specializes in high value, highly sophisticated litigation in the areas of class actions, business torts and catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death matters.The firm deploys its well-honed trial abilities, in-depth legal knowledge, and vast investigative resources to provide tenacious and highly focused representation to every client. Each client is represented by a highly skilled legal team lead by experienced trial attorneys specializing in the specific legal issues surrounding the case. Our courtroom victories and proven results position the firm as leaders in the practice of trial law. The firm's areas of legal expertise and case achievements are detailed throughout this site. Ringler Kearney Alvarez LLP looks forward to an opportunity to assist you or your business with its legal needs. Contact us to discuss your legal matter further.

www.rkallp.com

Costell & Cornelius Law Corporation

2006-12-28T17:34:00.002-08:00

The firm of Costell & Cornelius Law Corporation was originally formed by Jeffrey Lee Costell in January of 1993 and presently consists of six attorneys. The firm prides itself in being an established, full-service real estate law firm with a high-quality practice in the areas of real estate litigation, transactions, leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, finance, valuation, and development, as well as in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, debtor/creditor rights and general commercial and business litigation and transactions.The firm has significant experience in the representation of a wide-variety of real estate clients, including real estate owners, landlords, tenants, developers, investors, borrowers, lenders, financiers and other real estate-related companies. The firm also represents non-profit organizations, institutional entities, entrepreneurs, corporations, small businesses, partnerships and numerous mid-sized companies or entities involved in a variety of businesses.The firm has also represented foreign clients and governments, such as the State of Israel. The firm's Chief Executive Officer and Senior Attorney, Jeffrey Lee Costell had several years of experience with large, national law firms, but then made a deliberate choice to grow his practice in a smaller firm environment in order to most efficiently serve his clients. The Firm continues to provide enhanced service to its clients by virtue of it's relationship-oriented approach to representation. This approach is characterized by a global view of the engagement in the context of the client's overall business operations and extensive, prompt and ongoing communication with the client as to the direction of each matter. Costell & Cornelius founding principles are the creation of successful, long-term relationships with clients, and a dedication to the profession and to being good corporate citizens in the community where we live and work.

www.costell-law.com

Fleischman & Walsh L.L.P.

2006-12-28T17:34:00.001-08:00

Since its founding in 1976, Fleischman and Walsh, L.L.P. has effectively served its clients in the telecommunications, cable television, broadcasting, energy, transportation, corporate, and financial areas, representing large international and domestic corporations, established and start-up companies, and individuals and closely held entities, helping each client to achieve its optimum goals. Being a mid-sized firm, Fleischman and Walsh, L.L.P. is the ideal size for personalized and highly specialized client service. We seek to represent each of our clients, large or small, with a thorough, thoughtful and result-oriented approach. To obtain additional information about Fleischman and Walsh, our lawyers, practice areas, or to request that someone contact you, please send an email to the address below. If you would like to be placed on our mailing list to receive Fleischman and Walsh newsletters or regulatory updates, please indicate which topics are of interest to you.

www.fw-law.com

Progressive Tax Group

2006-12-28T17:32:00.000-08:00

Progressive Tax is dedicated to helping Taxpayers in their time of crisis. We are here to help you find the best solution available in order to help you resolve your tax problems quickly. We recognize this is a difficult time for you and you are looking for help.Our experienced tax attorneys and associates will treat you with care in this stressful time of your life. We recognize this is often a confusing, frightening and sometimes embarrassing time for clients and we resolve to help you through your tax problem with compassion and understanding. With Progressive, you get straight answers to your questions and our forward thinking positive attitude about how we can help you eliminate your debt now and plan for your future.We will quickly evaluate your case with a review of the facts, which will allow us to provide you with the options and solutions available for you. We will give you a proven strategy for solving your tax problem in a timely and professional manner. We are proud of the help we have provided to our clients and look forward to helping you get the best possible solution for your problems.We will work with the IRS or state tax authority on your behalf, so you don't have to. We have the experience and knowledge to help you avoid their "collection techniques" and find the best path through their confusing processes to gain the best outcome available. The tax collection experts at the IRS have one job and that is to collect information from you in order to collect the maximum amount of money from you as quickly as possible. They are not required to help you or advise you, but work for the IRS to collect money from YOU.With Progressive, you will get communication access to the people working on your case. You will be encouraged to speak to us regarding your case, ask questions, and be comforted by the knowledge that the people working your case care about you. If at any time you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask, we are here to make this process as easy as possible for you.At Progressive Tax, we encourage our clients to do themselves and their loved ones a favor by exercising their right to have our expert representation represent them before the IRS. From our years of experience, we know that waiting only makes matters worse. Once a client retains us, we take over all communication with the IRS. In taking this first step, our clients no longer have to worry about getting that dreaded knock on the door, and can begin sleeping at night.

www.progressivetaxgroup.com