- Mike Simon | March 29, 2007 12:31 PM |
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MiscellaneousAs part of a deal with the Mississippi Insurance Commissioner, State Farm has agreed to reexamine 35,000 claims arising out of Hurricane Katrina. The agreement includes claims that are in mediation, those that already in lawsuits, and those that already have been settled.Under the terms of the deal, State Farm will make a minimum of $50 million available to settle the claims.Not all viewed the...
- Mike Simon | March 28, 2007 9:14 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsTwo local boys riding a bicycle were injured when they were struck by a truck on March 6. The accident happened at the intersection of Big Wheeling Creek Road and Lakomy Road in Marshall County. The officer who responded to the call said a 16-year-old girl was driving the truck when the boys got into the path of the truck by riding out of a driveway. Police do not anticipate filing charges.
- Mike Simon | March 27, 2007 9:11 AM |
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Wrongful DeathOver a year has passed since the Sago mine explosion killed twelve miners. International Coal Group, the owner of the Sago mine, as well as state investigators have concluded that the explosion was caused by a lightning strike, which ignited methane gas in the mine.The United Mine Workers, however, has put forth a different theory. The union argues that it was not a lightning strike that...
- Mike Simon | March 26, 2007 9:08 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsAn ATV versus car accident occurred at 3:20 a.m. on March 18 on Route 2 near Flat Rock, West Virginia. The ATV was traveling on the roadway, and had two riders when it was struck by an oncoming automobile. One rider was dead at the scene, and the other passed away later at an area hospital.The driver of the automobile has been charged two counts of DUI causing death. Police continue to...
- Mike Simon | March 23, 2007 12:19 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsA Boone County woman was killed in a motor vehicle accident on March 17 when she struck a truck head-on while traveling east in the westbound lanes on Interstate 64. According to police, there were no skidmarks or signs of braking at the scene of the accident. The investigation is ongoing, and it remains unclear why or how the woman ended up traveling the wrong way on the Interstate.
- Mike Simon | March 21, 2007 9:27 AM |
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MiscellaneousA lawsuit filed by The Prescription Access Litigation Project, a consumer action group, alleges that Mylan Laboratories, Inc. accepted money from Cephalon, one of its competitors, to delay marketing of a generic version of the drug Provigil.Generic drugs typically cost much less, and the suit alleges that consumers paid more as a result of the $136 million pay-off Mylan and other generic drug...
- Mike Simon | March 20, 2007 9:25 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe Roane County judge who presided over the class action trial that awarded a $405 million verdict to class members says that he is likely to reduce the award pursuant to the defendant's post-trial motions.In a hearing on March 5, Judge Tom Evans indicated that he agreed with an argument made by counsel for Chesapeake Energy Corp. and NiSource Inc. that the jury inflated damages by 30%. If the...
- Mike Simon | March 19, 2007 9:21 AM |
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Wrongful DeathA December mining accident in Monongalia County that resulted in the death of a miner has been blamed on a failure by the operator to make sure that the mine was safe. John Elliott of Newburg, West Virginia was killed on December 17 when the roof collapsed in the Dana Mining Company mine he was working in.The Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training blames the accident on a failure by...
- Mike Simon | March 15, 2007 6:41 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsConAgra Foods has extended the peanut butter recall for its Peter Pan and Great Value brands to October 2004 due to possible salmonella contamination. The recall includes all peanut butter, as well as a number of topping products incorporating the peanut butter used in restaurants throughout the US.Numerous people have been sickened by the outbreak of salmonella caused by the peanut butter. ...
- Mike Simon | March 07, 2007 8:29 AM |
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Wrongful DeathThe Supreme Court has overturned a $79.5 million punitive damages verdict against Philip Morris for the death of a smoker. The verdict came from an Oregon jury who had awarded the verdict to the widow of a man who was a longtime smoker of Marlboro cigarettes.In Philip Morris USA v. Williams, the Court narrowly decided in a 5-4 decision to overturn the award, basing its ruling on a finding that...
- Mike Simon | March 02, 2007 2:41 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe FDA has indicated that the contamination of peanut butter manufactured by ConAgra Foods may have been due to dirty jars and equipment.Additionally, the recall was again expanded. The recall had previously included all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter made from May, 2006, forward, but now includes all peanut butter made by ConAgra at its Sylvester, Georgia plant from December 2005...