Articles Posted in Uncategorized

Tom Donahue, the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has said that litigation is “one of our most powerful tools for making sure that federal agencies follow the law and are held accountable.” For years however, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been using litigation as a tool to block Americans from receiving justice while using the courts for their own corporate advantage. A recent news report by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) exposes the Chamber as one of the most aggressive litigators in Washington D.C. In 2009 the Chamber appeared in 131 cases, “a new record for litigation activity.” The Chamber also spent hundreds of millions of dollars closing courthouse doors to Americans by lobbying anti-consumer candidates and preventing justice from being received.
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California law requires that all drivers be insured. This law makes sense and seeks to hold people financially responsible for their actions no matter what the circumstances be it distracted driving, a DUI, or other type of car accident that may occur while operating a motor vehicle. For many however, the cost of insurance is too high to maintain and many low-income drivers simply go without to the detriment of everyone. Assemblyman Dave Jones’ bill, which was set to expire, was signed by Schwarzenegger on September 28, 2010 extending the bill for another five years. The first of its kind in the nation, the bill offers low cost basic insurance to qualifying, low-income drivers with good records.
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The following is a guest blog post from the Texas Maritime Lawyers of Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. regarding common ailments and injuries affecting injured seamen and other offshore workers.

Over the past five years, maritime workers have experienced an uptick in cardiovascular diseases and infectious diseases such as MRSA, Hepatitis and even Leprosy. Despite our technological advances as a society providing access to more health information, healthy practices can be harder to come by. Sometimes, in an offshore setting, this can be because adequate medical care is not immediately available. Additionally, work at sea is extremely physically demanding.
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Governor Schwarzenegger chose not sign Assembly Bill 2059. AB 2059 would have made it easier to hold foreign drivers accountable for the damages they cause while driving rental cars in California by allowing process to be served on the rental car company. The Governor wrote that “it does not seem reasonable or justified to simply shift that burden from the plaintiff to the rental car company.”

While Schwarzenegger did say that he appreciates and understands the difficulty that exists with serving a potential defendant that lives outside the country, he was unable to sign the bill into law and returned it without his signature.

After receiving strong legislative support, sponsors of the measure intend to reintroduce this it in 2011.
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Supporters of AB 1894 such as the personal injury lawyers at Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys and CAOC were pleased when Governor Schwarzenegger signed the bill which consolidates and improves Code of Civil Procedure Section 170.6. Code of Civil Procedure Section 170.6 permits a party to bring a motion to disqualify a judge within 10 days from the assignment of a judge. AB 1894 extends the time frame under Code of Civil Procedure 170.6 from 10 to 15 days and requires notice to be served on all parties within 5 days of the filing of the motion.
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Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that helps prevent mistakes involving CT scans and other high radiation devices for patients undergoing such treatment. The protocols and safety measures that the bill requires will protect patients from exposure to excess levels of radiation.

SB 1237

SB 1237 was sponsored by Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) after more than 330 patients in Los Angeles hospitals and other California hospitals suffered radiation overdoses while undergoing CT scans last fall. Both the CAOC and the personal injury lawyers at Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys are in support of this bill.
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Located in Los Angeles County, Pasadena is a beautiful city full of natural scenic beauty and lively nightlife. If you have ever watched the Rose Bowl, then you have seen Pasadena. Every year Pasadena hosts the annual Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl football game. Although its citizens cherish this beloved city, Pasadena personal injury lawyers know that no city is immune to injury accidents.
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The California personal injury lawyers at Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys are proud to announce the results of Boys to Men 100 Wave Challenge. Surfers picked up their boards and headed to the beach last Saturday in support of a worthy cause. Each one of the 70 participants woke up early to surf in 60-degree water with an ambitious goal of raising $1,000 each by catching 100 waves in 12 hours. Almost all of the surfers meet their goals this year and about 75% completed 100 waves!

The event went great. Surfers were provided with breakfast from the Souplantation, lunch from Rubios, and massages in the afternoon. The group was able to show off their skills, raise money for a great cause, and give a number of passerbys the opportunity to get more information about Boys to Men.
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Trust the Europeans to say it right without being politically correct. According to Tor Svenson, the president of Det Norske Veritas, environmental concerns have taken over the maritime safety agenda, and this has serious repercussions for shipping safety in general.
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