A man who lost his leg after a 2007 jet ski crash won a multimillion-dollar settlement last month after the insurance company refused to settle for $500,000. The crash occurred on Lake Norman when Howard Hazlett and Frederick Gibb were operating jet skis borrowed from their acquaintance, Royce Syracuse. Gibb’s jet ski collided with Hazlett’s, […]
Wake Co. headmaster sentenced for sexual assault on teacher
A former Wake County school headmaster has been sentenced to 120 days in jail in connection with the sexual assault of two teachers under his supervision. A jury found Brandon Smith guilty of one count of sexual battery and one count of sexual assault for pulling down a teacher’s pants to see the tattoo on […]
Seeking justice for victims of sterilization
A new law made effective this summer is intended to bring justice to those individuals forcibly sterilized by the state of North Carolina more than 40 years ago. Session Law 2013-630 establishes the Office of Justice for Sterilization Victims, dedicated to compensating those individuals or the estates of individuals involuntarily sterilized or asexualized by the […]
Injured window washer wins $2.25 million
A window washer permanently disabled after falling at least 20 feet won $2.25 million after suing the owner of the building from which he fell. Tom Gjonaj also sued the tenant who occupied the second story of the building, alleging that the tenant and the building’s owner failed to provide safe and adequate protection as […]
Worker Sues for Asbestos exposure
Workers at a Missouri power plant were tasked with secretly disposing of materials containing asbestos so that company personnel assigned to oversee such health hazards would be none the wiser, a Joplin-based newspaper reports. Employees at Empire District Electric Company’s Riverton plant were exposed to asbestos insulation around pipes, ducts and wires that was peeling […]
Texas TBI sufferer wins suit against employer
A Texas man who suffered traumatic brain injury from an on-the-job fall won about $5.53 million dollars after suing his former employer, West Star Transportation, for negligence. Charles Robison, 52, was standing on top of an overloaded flatbed truck when he fell approximately 15 feet to the concrete below. In addition to fractures to his […]
Fall victim’s family wins $2 million
Attorneys for the family of a North Carolina man killed on the job when he fell through a whole in a work stand have negotiated a $2 million settlement with the company that repainted the 25-foot high device. The defendant, whose name was withheld because of a confidentiality agreement, maintained that the worker had received […]
Kids’ dental clinic sued for negligence, malpractice and Medicaid fraud
A New York judge has allowed a lawsuit to proceed against a pediatric dental chain accused of mistreating children who received treatment through Medicaid. Allegations against the dental chain Small Smiles include horrific accusations of malpractice and negligence, including performing painful procedures like extractions and fillings without anesthesia while using immobilizing devices and radios to […]
School bus fatalities prompt safety recommendations
Two fatal school bus crashes have led the National Transportation Safety Board to make new recommendations regarding the manufacturing and maintenance of school buses. The first fatal crash occurred in February 2012 when a school bus in Chesterfield, NJ collided in an intersection with a dump truck that had the right of way. Two children, […]
Former college football players sue NCAA
Three former college football players, including one who once played for North Carolina State University, filed a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA in a federal court in Chattanooga, TN this week, according to the Associated Press. The former players allege the NCAA neglected its players’ health by failing to educate them about the risks of […]