Monthly Archives: April 2012

‘You Can Tell When a Lawyer Is Smelling Death’

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Stanley Iola LLP

Between 1961 and 1990, John Johnson had worked as a carpenter, auto mechanic and plumber. According to an article published in the Los Angeles Times on April 22, 2012, he was a water skier, a motorcycle racer and an avid cyclist. It was during a ride one day in early 2010 that he was unable to catch his breath, with the Newport Beach, California man eventually being brought into the Veterans Affairs hospital in Long Beach. “The surgeon opened him up, then closed him up and told him to go home and die,” his widow, Sue, told the Times. “That’s just the way he put it.” Johnson, a Marine veteran, was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, leading him and his wife to sue 65 companies they believed were likely to have made asbestos-bearing equipment that Johnson worked with. The lawsuit was filed in October, but the Times reported that in November,…
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KC Police File Class Action against City, Board of Commissioners

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Stanley Iola LLP

A class action lawsuit filed by the Kansas City Fraternal Order of Police alleges that city officials and police board members acted illegally when they consolidated the city and Police Department’s health insurance plans earlier this month, the Kansas City Star reported on April 16, 2012. The lawsuit is seeking to block the consolidation and also asks for money to cover health care cost increases incurred by current and retired police officers. The Star reported that the lawsuit accuses the city of “using $5 million in police raises to pressure the police board into agreeing with the consolidation.” According to KCMO-TV, “thousands of officers said they have thought about looking for jobs outside the agency” because of the health insurance issue. The lawsuit states that “Chapter 84,” a 1939 Missouri statute, gave control of the police department to a state-run police board to keep the department “free from the influence…
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Legendary Golfer Assigns Presidents Cup Funds to Mesothelioma Research

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Stanley Iola LLP

While soft-spoken and easygoing in nature, professional golfer Fred Couples is popularly known as “Boom Boom” for his long drives. Now, he’s being recognized for his charitable efforts, as the 15-time PGA Tour event winner designated a check for $25,000 to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation). According to the website MyMeso.org, Couples chose the Meso Foundation with his girlfriend and caddy, Midge Elo Trammell, whose father, Gerorge Sheldon Elo, passed away in 2009 following a battle pleural mesothelioma. The contribution was a portion of the charitable proceeds generated from The Presidents Cup 2011 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, a golf event that offers no purse or prize money. Instead of being paid for participation, each competitor, captain and captain’s assistant allocates their portion of the proceeds generated to chosen charitable causes. Couples served as captain of the victorious U.S. Team for the second consecutive…
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Wage-And-Hour Lawsuits Quadrupled Over Past Decade

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Stanley Iola LLP

More American workers have been suing their employers under federal and state wage-and-hour laws, USA Today reported on April 15, 2012. The 7,006 wage-and-hour lawsuits filed in federal court last year were nearly four times the 2000 total, and many of those were class action lawsuits. According to USA Today, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has added 300 wage-and-hour investigators over the past two years, increasing its staff by 40 percent to 1,050. Nancy Leppink, deputy administrator of the wage-and-hour division, told USA Today that the DOL “has stepped up its efforts to protect workers,” particularly “in high-risk industries that employ low-wage and vulnerable workers,” such as hotels and restaurants. The article noted that workers had to put in more than 40 hours a week without overtime pay through various practices, such as: Being forced to work off the clock. Having jobs misclassified as exempt from overtime requirements. Smartphones…
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