This month a former worker sued the Lafayette Housing Authority for back wages, claiming that she was wrongfully terminated in violation of her employment contract. This lawsuit marks the fourth lawsuit against the organization by former contract workers. As of now, two lawsuits have been settled for a total of…
This week Bank of America agreed to pay $335 million to people across the United States to settle claims of consumer discrimination. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Illinois Attorney General sued Bank of America, alleging that the bank’s recently acquired Countrywide Financial Unit offered mortgages to black consumers…
The Louisiana Supreme Court recently ruled that a plaintiff bringing a legal malpractice suit does not need to first appeal his original case prior to filing a legal malpractice suit against his attorney. The Court also stated that expert testimony is not always required to prove a legal malpractice claim…
November has been a tragic month for air travel. Three separate private planes have already been in the headlines this month. The first plane crash, killed two Oklahoma State University coaches and all passengers on board. The second plane crashed in Arizona, tragically killing an entire family. The third plane…
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently reported its annual winnings for victims of workplace discrimination for the 2011 Fiscal Year. This year, the EEOC recovered a record $365 million for victims of workplace bias through administrative enforcement. The EEOC also recovered an additional $91 million dollars for victims…
A federal court judge recently ruled that the Mississippi attorney general’s lawsuit against the Gulf Oil Spill Fund’s administrator must be heard in state court. The judge ordered the case to be heard in state court because the lawsuit was brought under Mississippi’s consumer protection laws. In his claim, Mississippi’s…
Two Louisiana workers suffered fatal work-related injuries this month. In Houma, a Gulf Island Fabrication worker was killed when a cable at his work site loosened in the process of moving a 700-pound metal sheet piling. Also, a R&R Construction contractor was electrocuted and killed while working on a chlor-alkali…
Last week, the Senate proposed a bill purporting to accelerate the FDA’s review times for medical devices. The proposed legislation would relax current conflict of interest rules that apply to FDA advisers, reversing an existing law. Currently, federal law prohibits an expert with a financial stake in medical device companies…
The Supreme Court is back in session with a full docket for the month of October. Early this month, the Court confronted the controversial question of whether the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) applied to a school teacher at a Lutheran school. The Court heard oral arguments this week, but…
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed two felony charges in a bill of information in a Lafayette federal district court against Pelican Refining Company for knowingly violating its permit issued by the Clean Air Act at its refinery located in Lake Charles. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that from 2005…