Industries Turn to Bracewell Lobbyists to Scuttle Product Safety Rules
Business groups call on well-connected lobbying firm to help thwart unwanted federal standards. They have not been disappointed.
Consumer Protection
Environment
Bug Bombs Are Duds at Killing Insects Yet May Pose Harm to People, Study Finds
Pesticides released by bug bombs can linger in homes for weeks at a time, which some researchers claim is a potential health risk.
Consumer Protection
With Smack-Talking Invective, Lawyer Groups Appeal to Public as One Big Jury Pool
Business groups that howl about bogus lawsuits and plaintiff lawyers who claim to fight for ordinary folks victimized by corporations engage in a war of words.
Labor
Law Puts Big Retailers on the Hook for Pay Owed to Truckers
For years, truck drivers hauling billions in consumer goods have complained about rampant wage law violations by the trucking firms that hire them. But even when truckers’ claims have been upheld by state authorities, they have often found it nearly impossible to collect.
Consumer Protection
Feds Find Memory Boosters Were Falsely Labeled But Refuse to Say Which Ones
Consumer advocates fault U.S. investigators for withholding information on two widely sold products determined to be lacking a promised ingredient.
Labor
When Workers Are Killed on Small Farms, OSHA’s Hands Are Tied
A fateful decision by Congress more than 40 years ago gives the sites unique immunity from safety oversight, even as hundreds of employees have been killed or seriously injured.
Consumer Protection
A Lawyer’s Battle to Puncture Secrecy and Legal Misconduct by Goodyear
Attorney David Kurtz's suit for 4 crash victims morphed into a legal fight calling into question the integrity of America’s No. 1 tire maker.
Public Health
Efforts Mounting to Bar Gun Possession by Those Convicted of Animal Cruelty
Evidence linking animal cruelty and violence against people spurs authorities to toughen penalties and step up prosecutions.
Labor
With Rise in Chemotherapy for Pets, Higher Risks for Veterinary Staff
As more dogs and cats are treated for cancer, veterinarians and their assistants increasingly face the risk of exposure to hazardous drugs, which are often being handled without proper safeguards.
Consumer Protection
Safety Agency Nixes Tracking Deaths Involving ROVs
Despite mounting casualties from crashes of recreational off-highway vehicles, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has shot down a proposal to track injuries and deaths involving the popular trail machines.
Public Health
Mistrial Declared in High-Stakes Johnson & Johnson Talc-Cancer Case
A mistrial was declared today after a California state court jury deadlocked on whether Johnson & Johnson was responsible for the asbestos-related cancer of a woman who blamed her illness on longtime use of contaminated baby powder.
Consumer Protection
Safety Would Take a Back Seat if Senate Passes Bill on Driverless Cars, Critics Say
Consumer advocates are attacking a bill heading for a vote soon in the U.S. Senate that would clear legal obstacles for the deployment of driverless cars.
Environment
Critics Say ‘Whoa’ to Federal Moves to Rein in Wild Horses
When wild horses and burros were threatened with extinction nearly 50 years ago, Congress rode to the rescue with a law providing broad protections. Horse numbers have soared, however, along with government costs to manage the herds. And the animals increasingly compete with privately owned livestock for food and water on public lands. There is broad agreement that something has to give.
Labor
Nebraska Firm and Its Owners Hit With Criminal Charges in Blast That Killed 2 Workers
The Justice Department announced a 22-count criminal indictment against a Nebraska railroad services company and its owners related to an April 2015 explosion that killed two workers.
Labor
Feds Extract Penalties in Crashes That Killed Five Migrant Farm Workers
For the second time in recent months, the U.S. Department of Labor has extracted penalties from a California farm business blamed for the deadly crash of a vehicle transporting migrant field workers to their jobs.