Updates

November 17, 2014 In Updates

Mining Company Must Pay for West Virginia Water Pollution

Public Justice settlement could lead to stricter federal regulation of “minefills” A U.S. District Court judge has approved a settlement between environmental activists represented by Public Justice, and Coresco, Inc. that could influence federal regulators preparing to make effective rules on the disposal of coal…

November 17, 2014 In Updates

Consumer and Environmental Litigator Esther Berezofsky Becomes President of Public Justice

Esther Berezofsky, a litigator known for her accomplishments in leading pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, and representing communities impacted by environmental contamination, became Public Justice’s President at its Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., in late July. “I’m excited about the privilege of serving as Public…

November 10, 2014 In Updates

Fighting for The Safety of Kids in Foster-Care System

By Aidan O’SheaCommunications Specialist When an Ohio couple began adopting high-risk foster children, social services flagged them as a “go-to family.” That couple’s abuse of those children could have been stopped. Witnesses at the criminal trial of Michael and Sharen Gravelle for the abuse of…

October 20, 2014 In Updates

Jury Finds Trinity Guardrail Defrauded Government, Must Pay $175 Million in Damages

An image from the United States ex rel. Harman v. Trinity complaint Key records from the case remain under seal A Texas jury has found that cost-cutting measures and deliberate withholding of information about those measures by highway guardrail manufacturer Trinity Industries Inc. defrauded the government…

October 15, 2014 In Updates

Public Justice Litigates Coal Ash Disposal: An Explainer

photo credit: Waterkeeper Alliance Inc. via photopin cc Public Justice’s Coal Ash Litigation Project, part of our Environmental Enforcement Project, protects communities and wildlife from toxic pollution, and forces coal companies to confront and pay the full cost of the damage they do. Here’s a…

September 29, 2014 In Updates

Student Raped After School Uses Her as “Bait” in Sting Operation

A 14-year-old was raped when an Alabama public school used her as bait in a botched plan to catch a boy “in the act” after she reported his sexual harassment. She believes the school bears responsibility for her suffering, and is seeking to hold it…

September 29, 2014 In Updates

Executive Director Paul Bland Featured in Alliance for Justice Forced Arbitration Film

Public Justice Executive Director Paul Bland is featured in the new Alliance for Justice short documentary Lost in the Fine Print, about the prevalence and impact of forced arbitraton clauses on consumers and workers. Watch the full film below, and read more at the Alliance for…

September 9, 2014 In Updates

Court Approves $1.25 Million Settlement for Family of Deceased Prisoner Francisco Castaneda

Francisco Castaneda Settlement is with two California medical employees; family’s total recovery in case is $3.2 million. A federal judge in Los Angeles yesterday approved a $1.25 million settlement in the long-running case filed by the family of the late Francisco Castaneda against two California…

August 28, 2014 In Updates Consumers' Rights

Court Determining Issue of Tribal Immunity in Payday Loan “Rent-a-Tribe” Case

Andrea Felts Image via KipMalone.com. By Aidan O’Shea Communications Specialist A years-long fight to win justice for consumers who say they were victimized by online payday lenders now hinges on a strange-seeming question: What makes a business part of a sovereign Native American tribe? A…

August 18, 2014 In Updates

Public Justice Board Member Daryl Parks Representing the Family of Mike Brown

Parks and partner Benjamin Crump say autopsy confirms Brown’s attempt to surrender Daryl D. Parks, a Florida litigator who specializes in civil rights, personal injury, and wrongful death cases, and a member of Public Justice’s Board of Directors, is currently helping the family of Mike…