Latest Legal News | Orlando Legal Examiner

Nursing Homes May Be Reimbursed for Employee Screening

A bill submitted by U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) will allow Medicare and Medicaid to pay long term care facilities for the background check of applicants for hire. It also provides for a centralized database from all states from which the background checks can be made. The Patient Safety and Abuse

By The Legal Examiner

/ 4 Aug 2007

Renewed FDA Warning of Recalled Contact Lens Solution

Today the FDA re-issued a recall of Complete MoisturePlus Multpurpose Contact Lens Solution. The original recall was announced in May 2007, but since occurences of the rare eye infection continue to be reported the FDA is concerned that consumers are not aware of the recall and are still using the s

By The Legal Examiner

/ 3 Aug 2007

I-35 Bridge Collapses in Minneapolis

The I-35 bridge crossing the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis collapsed around 6:00 p.m. yesterday plunging at least 50 vehicles to the river below. Some vehicles landed in the water; others fell with the roadbed and landed upright on the surface of the sunken bridge or, like the school bus

By The Legal Examiner

/ 2 Aug 2007

Lead Paint in Chinese Manufactured Toys Leads to Recall

A front page story in the Orlando Sentinel on August 2nd attributed to two A.P. writers reports that Fisher-Price has recalled 967,000 toys because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead. The article reports that the problem was discovered by an internal probe at Fisher-Price and was reporte

By Council Wooten

/ 2 Aug 2007

No Civil Liability on Hospitals to Ensure Financial Compliance of Medical Staff

Under the Florida Statutes (FS 458.320) in order for a doctor to have hospital medical staff privileges the physician must meet certain financial requirements in order to pay medical malpractice judgments against the doctor for negligent medical care. However, the Florida Surpeme Court held a hospit

By The Legal Examiner

/ 1 Aug 2007

Government Agencies Liability Limited

Did you know that under the Florida Statutes a recovery for personal injuries is limited against a government agency? Under Florida’s sovereign immunity statute the most a government agency will have to pay is $100,000.00 per an individual’s claim. If a jury awards more than the cap on damages the i

By The Legal Examiner

/ 31 Jul 2007

Jury Finds USF Doctor Negligent

A Tampa jury awarded a family $23.5 million dollars for the wrongful birth of their second child. The jury found a University of South Florida physician was negligent for giving the go ahead to the couple to have a second child even though the couple’s first child had severe disabling birth defects.

By The Legal Examiner

/ 30 Jul 2007

$44.9 Million Verdict for Car Crash in Death and Injury Case

It appears that justice was served last Thursday when a Jury in Polk County, Florida returned a verdict of nearly $45 million in a wrongful death and personal injury case. Last year, Morgan Bryant, 9, and Brittany Hooten, 8, were killed when the car they were riding in was struck practically head on

By Michael Damaso

/ 30 Jul 2007

Castleberry Foods Expands Food Recall

This past weekend the Castleberry Food Company expanded its voluntary recall of canned meat products after 16 cans of chili sauce tested positive for botulinum toxin, the toxin resulting in botulism. FDA officials said the cans showed signs of swelling, a telltale indicator of botulism contamination

By The Legal Examiner

/ 26 Jul 2007

America Safer as Truckers Will Not Be Driving Longer Hours

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned a rule set in place by the Bush Administration that allowed truckers to work longer hours, which increased the number of fatigue related truck accidents. The new rule had increased the average number of driving hours from app

By The Legal Examiner

/ 25 Jul 2007

Drug Maker Fined Millions for Fraud

The manufacturer of Oxycontin pain medicine was fined over 600 million dollars for fraudulently representing to physicians that OxyContin was less addictive and less subject to abuse than other pain medications. In fact just the opposite was true as the drug is so addictive it has been compared to h

By Ed Normand

/ 24 Jul 2007

Fatal Car Accident Closes I-4

One person was killed and three more injured in an early morning car crash involving three vehicles on I-4. One of the vehicles left the highway, went thru a guardrail and landed on a power pole below at the intersection of Wymore and Rogers. After being ejected from the vehicles, one of the injured

By The Legal Examiner

/ 24 Jul 2007