By Former Rep. Charlie Melancon, (D-La.) – 05/29/12 11:41 AM ET “Cutting waste, fraud and abuse” is Washington D.C.’s most tired cliché. But it is also becoming perhaps its most dangerous. Elected officials across the political spectrum widely accept that the federal government needs to eliminate some of its bloated and redundant programs. Entitlement reform […]
Could you be blamed for a car crash because you sent a text message?
A New Jersey judge will decide later this week if the sender of a text message might be partially liable for a horrific auto accident that occurred because the driver was reading that message on his cell phone and drifted into oncoming traffic. With nearly half a million U.S. drivers injured in distracted driving-related accidents every year, […]
Child Abuse Hotline Calls Up Since Sandusky Case
By Susan K. Livio/Statehouse Bureau TRENTON — New Jersey’s child abuse hotline has been flooded with phone calls since the Penn State sexual abuse scandal shocked the nation late last year, according to Children and Families Commissioner Allison Blake. The number of calls soared to as many as 750 a day in November, when a Pennsylvania grand […]
Defrocked Priest Pleads Guilty in Child Sexual Abuse Case
Priest’s guilty plea throws wrinkle into Philadelphia sexual abuse trial By Sarah Hoye, CNN updated 8:04 PM EDT, Mon April 23, 2012 Defrocked priest Edward Avery of the Philadelphia Archdiocese admitted to sexually assaulting an altar boy. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Defense, prosecution argue about which witnesses jurors should be allowed to hear James Brennan accused of […]
Oregon sex abuse case highlights teacher-student texting debate
This case out of Bend raises many questions and concerns about student-teacher texting. Should students be individually texting their teachers? Redmond Proficiency Academy director Michael Bremont at school (left) in Redmond, Ore., and in the Deschutes County Jail. (AP Photos/The Bulletin, Rob Kerr; Deschutes County Jail, File) BEND, Ore. (AP) – The text messages, some […]
Tom Petersen lends his expertise to a KTVL10 special report on Sexual Abuse in Schools.
Tom Petersen, partner with Black, Chapman, Petersen and Stevens and resident sexual abuse attorney, lends his voice to a KTVL News Channel 10 special report on sex abuse in area schools. If you missed the series titled Between the Cracks you can watch the videos below. Tom’s segment is in the second video. Between the […]
Lawsuit Settled Against Medford and Phoenix-Talent School Districts
MEDFORD, Ore. — Families of children who say two Southern Oregon teachers inappropriately touched them have settled lawsuits with the school districts. Chris Gilman from the Medford School District and George Kuhns from Phoenix-Talent were fired last year after accusations of inappropriate behavior, but that wasn’t the first time Gilman was accused of inappropriate touching. Families […]
Insult to Injury: Texas Workers’ Comp System Denies, Delays Medical Help – from the ABA
This is an amazing look at the Workers’ Comp system in Texas and it’s penchant for repeat delays and denials. The article, from the ABA, details decades of changes in the state system that made it almost impossible for claimants to receive representation. It’s a long story but well worth the read. As Deputy Sheriff […]
Farmers Insurance in hot water over PIP claims
This case involves personal injury protection (PIP) benefits offered by insurance policies written by Farmers. Both by statute and by contract, Farmers was obligated to pay “[a]ll reasonable and necessary expenses of medical, hospital, dental, surgical, ambulance and prosthetic services incurred within one year after the date of the person’s injury,” up to a certain […]
Distracted Driving Kills 5,500 and injures 450,000 per year
Cell Phone use and driving has become such an issue that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration set-up a website and campaign to help bring attention to this senseless killer. At www.distraction.gov users can find stats, hear personal stories of loss, like the story of 16-year-old Cady Reynolds below, and download media files and graphics […]