GJEL Blog » Legal News

Reacting to the growing public denunciation of distracted driving and consumer distrust of the auto industry following Toyota’s massive worldwide safety recall, an auto safety overhaul is moving rapidly through Congress. Last week, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to pass a bill that, after debate and compromise, has earned the support of consumers and automakers.

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Catastrophic injury and wrongful death lawsuits are not your regular personal injury fare, writes GJEL Accident Attorneys’ managing partner Andy Gillin this month for California Lawyer Magazine. In the “Expert Advice” column, Andy says that more often than not, a lawyer makes or breaks a case in the first 100 days.

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One of the hallmarks of Bay Area legal news has announced a significant forum switch. Following the trend among nationwide newspapers and magazines, The Recorder, formerly a San Francisco daily newspaper, announced that it will beef up its website to integrate more static blog and multimedia coverage, and reduce its print presence to a weekly product.

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That old Operation game has come to life, to the detriment of an abnormally high number of patients at California hospitals. In the past two years, doctors have left surgical instruments inside patients after their operation 350 times. Such faux pas are called “never events” becuase they are never supposed to happen. But in reality, “retained foreign objects” incidents account for 14 percent of all preventable hospital errors and are running up the bill on penalties and legal fines statewide.

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If you thought Toyota’s unintended acceleration problems prompted a legal whirlwind, the aftermath of the BP oil spill in the Gulf will blow your mind. Lawsuits are already popping up on all sides of the issue. Local fishermen, farmers, and business people are suing BP; the federal government has launched a criminal investigation into the British oil giant; and environmental groups are now considering a challenge to the EPA over its use of harmful chemical dispersants in the spill. While BP isn’t likely to be economically devestated by cleanup or regulatory fees resulting from the spill, it’s a PR disaster that is already starting to take a toll.

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On May 28, Peter Erlinder, an American lawyer and professor at Minnesota’s William Mitchell College was arrested in Rwanda for allegedly denying the existence of the country’s 1994 genocide and supporting genocidal ideals. Erlinder has served as a defense attorney for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda since 2003, but was only arrested when he began defending Victoire Ingabire, a leading (Hutu) opposition leader challenging 16-year president Paul Kagame for the presidency this August. The fragile hullabaloo has galvanized a movement among American free speech activists and lawyers hoping to get Erlinder released.

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Toyota managed to survive the last week of May without being threatened with any multi-million dollar fines. That’s likely because the embattled Japanese auto company already paid the Department of Transportation $16.4 million due to the hullabaloo surrounding its unintended acceleration problems, or because safety advocates are focusing on the BP oil disaster in the Gulf Coast for now. But that doesn’t mean Toyota had a dull week.

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Last month, we told you about the personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits pestering celebrities including Hulk Hogan, the Notorious B.I.G., and Owen Wilson. A month later, there has been no shortage of celebrity lawsuits in the news. Of course, most revolve around Lindsay Lohan and her substance-related antics. This week, ‘Seinfeld’ star Jason Alexander, rap mogul Suge Knight, and former Miami Dolphin O.J. McDuffie hit the spot light.

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While national TV will attempt to televise British Patroleum’s newest attempt to plug their massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico this week, class action lawsuits continue to pop up against the embattled oil company. The Economist reports that in the two weeks following the April 20 spill alone, more than 70 legal challenges sprouted up, many of which were class action suits on behalf of clumps of victims. Will these lawsuits devastate the British oil giant?

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Many ethical issues related to alcohol consumption are notoriously shaded in gray. Ideally, it would be up to the consumer to set his or her own limits to avoid drinking dangerously. But since so many in our culture are destructive drinkers, some need an extra line of defense in the form of a bartender or party host refusing that last drink to a patron or a driver. That’s why California lawmakers are pushing to close a state loophole that lets bartenders and hosts off the hook for alcohol-related injuries or wrongful death claims.

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