The Legal section explores developments shaping the justice system—from landmark court decisions and legislative updates to consumer protection issues and civil rights cases. Our Legal section coverage helps readers understand how new laws, legal trends, and significant verdicts impact individuals, families, and communities nationwide.
Last week, the Associated Press published a lengthy article on the consequences of allowing priests who’ve been accused of the sexual abuse of children to remain unsupervised after their dismissal from their diocese or religious order. In far too many of the cases cited by…
It’s been nearly two decades now since the latest iteration of the childhood sex abuse crisis rocked the Catholic Church. This isn’t the first time in the church’s history that it has faced such a crisis over the abuse of children. The canons of…
Recently, I blogged about the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) proposed changes to the Hours-of-Service (HOS) standards that regulate the commercial trucking industry. The proposed HOS updates were introduced in an Aug. 14 notice issued by the FMCSA with the stated goal of “enha
This year, Nevada officials have been working hard on efforts to reduce the number of DUI traffic fatalities on state roads. These stepped up efforts come after last year’s reports of an uptick in fatal DUI crashes across the Las Vegas Valley Area. One such…
Attorney Altom M. Maglio was elected to lead a group focused on the ongoing litigation against Johnson & Johnson over the company’s Pinnacle and ASR metal on metal hip replacements. The American Association for Justice (AAJ), the primary organization for plaintiffs’ trial lawyers in the United State
Vermont Governor Phil Scott last week signed a new law that removes the time limit for victims of child sexual abuse to bring civil claims against their abusers and the institutions that protected them. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said HB 330…
Several Catholic dioceses in California have announced plans to offer compensation to survivors of sexual abuse through a compensation program similar to the programs operating in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. The programs will be administered by the same people who administer the ones…
An Australian appellate court has upheld the conviction of former Vatican official and Australian Cardinal George Pell on charges he sexually molested children. “By majority (2 to 1), the Court of Appeals has dismissed Cardinal George Pell’s appeal against his conviction for the commission of…
In spite of last summer’s Grand Jury Report and the existence of compensation funds in each Pennsylvania diocese, survivors of sexual abuse remain frustrated by an archaic statute of limitations that prohibits them from seeking justice in civil court. However, the Superior Court has ruled…
On Wednesday August 13, over 400 people who were sexually abused as children in New York sued the Roman Catholic Church. It was the first day a new law – The Child Victims Act – went into effect that gives adult victims of childhood…
Obstruction, improper conduct, blatant disregard, and gamesmanship are just a few of the charges leveled at the corporate giant in a newly released motion filed by the plaintiffs attorneys in the Pinnacle hip replacement litigation. The attorneys asked MDL Judge Ed Kinkeade to sanction, or…
As of August 1, 2019, it will be illegal to use your cellular device with your hands while driving any vehicle in the State of Minnesota for any purpose other than contacting emergency services. This includes your smart-watches as they are considered electronic devices under…
