Updates

May 1, 2012 In Updates

U.S. Supreme Court Allows Immunity for Public Health Service Officials Involved in Detainee’s Medical Neglect and Death

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) officials are immune from suit for violating the Constitution and causing Francisco Castaneda’s death.Castaneda was the 35-year-old native of El Salvador whose penis was amputated after state and federal immigration officials in California repeatedly…

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Supreme Court Lets Companies Limit Court Scrutiny of Mandatory Arbitration

In a case that originated in Nevada, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that companies can force their employees and customers into mandatory arbitration using form agreements with a “delegation clause” that delegates decisions on the validity of the arbitration agreement itself to the arbitrator.Written by…

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Laredo, Tex., Attorney Named ‘Trial Lawyer of the Year’ at Public Justice Foundation Event

Ronald Rodriguez, the Laredo, Tex., attorney who took on one of the country’s largest private prison companies in the beating death of a man who was about to be released from a Texas prison has been named the 2010 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the…

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Laredo, Tex., Attorney Named ‘Trial Lawyer of the Year’ at Public Justice Foundation Event

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Renowned Attorney from Washington State Honored as ‘Champion of Justice’

Paul L. Stritmatter, a Hoquiam, Wash., attorney known for taking on complex consumer cases, has received the Public Justice Foundation’s “Champion of Justice Award” for his leadership and record of accomplishments in public interest law.The Foundation honored Stritmatter in Vancouver, B.C., at its annual Gala…

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Public Justice Brief Fights Preemption Claim in Vehicle Crash Case Before Supreme Court

Fighting for access to justice, Public Justice has filed an amicus brief in Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., a U.S. Supreme Court case involving federal preemption of claims that a minivan was defective because its aisle seat lacked a lap/shoulder harness.The United States…

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Federal Court Orders Patriot Coal to Pay $45 Million to Treat Toxic Selenium from W. Va. Coal Mines, Holds Patriot in Contempt

In what environmental leaders are calling a “game changer,” a federal judge has ordered Patriot Coal to clean up selenium pollution from two West Virginia coal mines within two years and to set aside $45 million to cover the costs of treating the discharge. In…

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Public Justice Joins Fight Against Health Insurer’s Attempt to Seize Benefits from Personal Injury Victim

Public Justice has agreed to fight for a Washington state woman being sued by her employer’s health insurance plan for the money it paid to cover her medical expenses after she was seriously injured in an auto accident.The insurance carrier claims that Rhonda Rose must…

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Public Justice Urges West Virginia Supreme Court to Strike State Law Capping Non-Economic Damages

In a case involving a man who fell seriously ill after taking an erroneously prescribed medication, Public Justice has filed an amicus brief urging the West Virginia Supreme Court to strike down the state’s statutory cap on non-economic damages as unconstitutional under the state constitution.The…

May 1, 2012 In Updates

Denied Job Because of Sikh Identity, Beard and Turban, North Carolina Man Sues Convenience Store Chain

A North Carolina man who practices the Sikh faith was denied a job because of his religion and race — a violation of federal and state civil rights laws — according to a federal lawsuit filed by Public Justice and its co-counsel, Winslow Wetsch, PLLC,…