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Consumer Alerts: Public Interest and Environment Archives 2007

Bigger Fine Sought for BP: Plaintiff's Lawyers Say Amount Should Be $1 Billion

December 27, 2007

"BP's penance for the deadly 2005 blast at its Texas City refinery has been costly -- but not costly enough for lawyers who represent people suing the London-based oil giant. They say the company should be punished with a $1 billion fine. With lawsuit settlements whittling down chances to entice that from a civil jury, a group of plaintiffs' lawyers are pushing for a federal judge to lower the hammer. 'I'd like to see a jury be able to assess the punishment,' said Mark Lanier, one of several lawyers pushing for U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal to impose the 10-digit punishment in the federal criminal case against the company's North American products division. 'Certainly if not, a judge ought to be able to do it independently and not after a prearranged deal has been cut by the Justice Department and the company,' Lanier said. BP's North American products division has agreed to plead guilty to a felony federal envi ronmental crime, pay a $50 million fine and be on probation for three years. Rosenthal can approve the plea agreement and punishment as structured or reject it and impose something else. The company's plea hearing is slated for February." SOURCE: Macro World Investor

Taking Playthings Seriously: Toxic Toys Emphasize Urgency for Safety Reform

December 10, 2007

"Why does buying toys this year seem like Chinese roulette?' Sen. Dick Durbin asked the other day. The Illinois Democrat refers, of course, to the multiple massive recalls this year of toys manufactured in China. Mr. Durbin is a driving force behind bipartisan legislation that would dramatically increase the funding and reach of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency tasked with testing toys. Among other pro-consumer provisions, the bill would increase penalties for safety violations, come down harder on corporate violators, increase the number of inspectors and make it easier for the CPSC to warn the public about dangerous products." SOURCE: Dallas Morning News

A Small Firm Wages a '100 Year War' on Tort Reform

December 10, 2007

"Attorney Robert Peck and his nine law firm partners at the Center for Constitutional Litigation in Washington look like average plaintiffs' lawyers when they walk into courtrooms around the country, but they're not. They are the lawyers to trial lawyers nationwide, fighting 'tort reform,' or what their clients might call 'tort deform.' The center's attorneys are on retainer for the trial lawyers' trade group, the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), and pursue cases to overturn state and federal laws that they allege rob Americans of legal redress. The center's attorneys have 40 cases pending across the United States in which they are helping plaintiffs challenge government limits on tort claims, such as state caps on medical malpractice damages and federal legal immunity for rental car companies and gun manufacturers. 'We are often in a case because there's some impedimen t to having your day in court,' Peck said." SOURCE: National Law Journal- Subscription Required

California Sues 20 Companies for Toys with Unlawful Amounts of Lead

November 20, 2007

"California Attorney General Jerry Brown has sued 20 companies, including Mattel Inc. and Toys R Us, accusing them of selling toys that contain unlawful amounts of lead and failing to warn the public of the health dangers. Brown's lawsuit, filed Monday in Alameda County Superior Court, alleges that the companies violated the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, a voter-approved law passed as Proposition 65, because they didn't notify customers of toys in the marketplace that contained high concentrations of lead. Lead, known to cause cancer and reproductive harm, also can cause mental and physical retardation as well as behavioral and other health problems in children. In adults, it can damage the nervous system. The state's legal action follows a string of nationwide recalls by Mattel, Fisher-Price and other companies that make popular toys, including some Ernie, Elmo and Big Bird toys in the Sesame Street line, s ome SpongeBob figures, a 'Sarge' jeep from the movie 'Cars' and parts of the wooden railway series Thomas & Friends." SOURCE: San Fransisco Chronicle

Judge Rejects Medical Suit Caps

November 14, 2007

"The controversy over limits on medical malpractice awards was ignited again after a Cook County judge on Tuesday struck down a 2-year-old state law that capped compensation to victims, a measure that had created a friendlier environment for doctors and health-care institutions and their insurers. At issue is the state's system of legal accountability for health-care providers. Doctors and other supporters have argued for years that rising professional insurance costs, fueled by skyrocketing jury awards, are driving physicians out of business and compromising patient care. Attorneys for personal-injury victims and consumer groups say that caps on jury awards in medical malpractice cases strip patients of their right to seek redress in court. Illinois lawmakers have tried to strike a balance for years but have been overruled by the courts on three occasions." SOURCE: Chicago Tribune

Independent Testing for Toys on the Table

November 13, 2007

"They've been exposed to lead from wooden trains and the 'date rape' drug from arts and crafts beads. Recalls of millions of toys and cribs have followed trips to the emergency room and even a few comas. Lawmakers are now working on legislation that would beef up safety standards for toys, but to really protect kids, consumer advocates say Congress and the president need to agree about a key measure: the independence of toy testers. 'It is our goal to get independent third-party testing that is certified by the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission),' said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director with U.S. Public Interest Research Group. 'The industry has been trying in all the bills to insert language that allows it to do its own testing.' Legislation is moving on Capitol Hill that would require manufacturers of toys intended for young children to have their products tested by a qualified lab, but critics are concerned that in-house labs-- testing labs run by a toymaker--would be allowed to certify products." SOURCE: MarketWatch

White House Sets Tougher Plan for Safety of Imports

November 6, 2007

"The Bush administration, responding to a wave of recent food and product recalls, is set to announce today its most aggressive regulatory proposals yet on policing imports. But much of their success depends on congressional action, and some lawmakers and outside experts already contend they are inadequate. The initiative aims to steer the nation toward a prevention-based regulatory system that targets the riskiest products. It calls for giving more authority to agencies that regulate food and consumer goods, improving data-gathering on imports, and increasing cooperation between agencies and with U.S. trading partners. The Food and Drug Administration, for example, would be granted power to require manufacturers and importers of 'high risk' products to take steps to prevent contamination and other problems. The FDA could require producers and importers of such goods to certify they comply with FDA standards. The FDA could bar imports if it is given no access or only limited access to production records. The agency would also be able to mandate recalls on tainted products, something it can't do now." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

AK- Palin Says State to Support Valdez Plaintiffs

November 5, 2007

"The state of Alaska will petition the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 33,000 plaintiffs mired in a $2.5 billion punitive damages dispute with Exxon Mobil Corp., Gov. Sarah Palin said Monday. Palin said Attorney General Talis Colberg will file an amicus brief with the high court. Such legal filings reflect backing for one side of an argument, but come from someone not directly involved with the case. Palin said the state has until Jan. 22, 2008 to file the brief. She said she wasn't sure what the effect would be, but added that the support is something the plaintiffs have lacked in the past." SOURCE: Associated Press

Congress Weighs Sweeping Overhaul of Consumer Product Commission

October 30, 2007

"Spurred by a spate of scares over the safety of imported goods, Congress is weighing the most significant consumer-safety legislation in a generation -- even as states and nonprofit groups step up their own watchdog efforts. A bill that would substantially boost fines, add staffers and increase transparency at the embattled Consumer Product Safety Commission is moving through the Senate. The moves represent efforts to address what consumer groups and critics widely see as the weakness and inefficiency of the commission, the tiny federal agency charged with regulating at least 15,000 types of consumer products, from toys to all-terrain vehicles to mattresses." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

Medtronic Recall Exposes Gaps in Medical Safety

October 30, 2007

"In late January, something unsettling happened at the Minneapolis Heart Institute. On two successive days, patients came to the clinic after their heart defibrillators had jolted them with huge, unnecessary and painful electric shocks. One 65-year-old woman said she'd been zapped 14 times in an hour. Doctors checked the hospital's records and discovered four similar cases had occurred in recent months. Each stemmed from a broken wire -- called a lead -- that tells a defibrillator when to send an electric shock to a malfunctioning heart. All six cases involved the Sprint Fidelis 6949, manufactured by Medtronic Inc., a leading medical-device maker. Within days, the Heart Institute concluded that the Sprint Fidelis wasn't safe enough, told the company of its concerns, and stopped using the product." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (AOL Money & Finance)

Many Red Flags Preceded a Recall of Hamburger

October 23, 2007

"Over the summer, as Americans fired up their grills, the Topps Meat factory here scrambled to produce thousands of frozen hamburger patties for Wal-Mart and other customers, putting intense pressure on workers. As output rose, federal regulators said in interviews, the company was neglecting critical safeguards meant to protect consumers. Three big batches of hamburger contaminated with a potentially deadly germ emerged from the plant, making at least 40 people sick and prompting the second-largest beef recall in history. Topps is now out of business, but the case points up broader problems in the nation's system for protecting consumers from food-borne illness. Five years ago, the government demanded more stringent safeguards against contamination because of a deadly form of the germ E. coli. But federal regulators now acknowledge that the controls are not working in some meat plants. They are trying to figure out what went wrong and how to overcome the dangers." SOURCE: New York Times

Chamber Outspending Everyone on Lobbying

October 17, 2007

"U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform President Lisa Rickard complained bitterly about lobbying on Capitol Hill. The objects of Ms. Rickard's ire were attorneys who had dared to meet their congressional representatives (letter to the editor, "Trial lawyers storm Capitol," Oct. 3). The irony is, of course, that no one invests more in lobbying than Ms. Rickard's group. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, over the last decade the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its fake 'think tank,' the Institute for Legal Reform, have plowed more than $338 million into lobbying Congress. Its largesse has been double that of any corporation, association or trade group in the country." SOURCE: The Hill

EPA Joins Settlement of Lawsuit but Adds a Waiver

October 11, 2007

"Although the Environmental Protection Agency joined in a legal settlement this week to force the largest power-plant pollution cleanup in U.S. history, the Bush administration signaled in the agreement that it has no intention of taking enforcement actions against the utility for the same kind of Clean Air Act violations in the future. The language of the settlement indicates that the administration has not wavered in its distaste for a Clinton-era policy of using the law to force power plants to upgrade their pollution controls whenever they significantly update or expand a plant. That marks a significant victory for the power industry, which has strenuously opposed the "New Source Review," saying that it penalizes them for efficiency improvements that ultimately benefit consumers and the environment." SOURCE: Washington Post

Global Warming Suits

October 8, 2007

"It's old news that public nuisance theories increasingly are pleaded in an attempt to impose liability on product sellers when more traditional products liability theories would not work. See, e.g., J. Russell Jackson, 'Public Nuisance Theories,' NLJ, May 16, 2005, at 12. Many -- but certainly not all -- courts confronted with such attempts have refused the invitation to extend public nuisance theory beyond its historic property-based origins and into the realm of products liability. Two recent federal district court decisions have wrestled with an even more novel use of the public nuisance theory: the attempt to impose on product sellers and raw material and energy suppliers costs allegedly attributable to global warming. In both instances, the courts have concluded that these suits ask the judiciary to do something it cannot do -- namely, exercise legislative and executive power to establish environmental policy through common law judgments." SOURCE: National Law Journal (membership required)

Senate Votes to Ban Asbestos Imports and Use

October 4, 2007

"The Senate voted Thursday to ban the import and use of asbestos, a fiber used in automobile brakes, roofing and other common products, because of its link to deadly diseases such as cancer. The Senate unanimously approved the legislation, which now goes to the House. 'Today 2,500 metric tons (of asbestos) are being imported every year in hair dryers, ceiling tiles, brake pads' and other products, said Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat who has been pushing for the prohibition for seven years. The government estimates that 10,000 Americans die annually from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. About one-third of mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos while serving in the U.S. Navy or working at shipyards, according to experts. The legislation notes that many people in the United States incorrectly believe that asbestos has been banned and that there is no risk of exposure through the use of new products." SOURCE: Business Insurance

DupPont Found Negligent In Waste-Site Lawsuit

October 1, 2007

"DuPont was negligent in creating a 112-acre waste site tainted with arsenic, cadmium and lead, a civil jury ruled Monday, siding with the claims of 10 West Virginians who argued the chemical maker should clean up the mess and perhaps compensate residents who now fear for their health. The verdict in Harrison County Circuit Court clears the way for a second proceeding that will determine whether thousands of residents in and around the small town of Spelter are entitled to routine health screenings. The same jury will decide that question and how much DuPont should spend on that program. DuPont has already set aside $15 million to deal with possible claims. That part of the case will begin Tuesday. Regardless of how the medical monitoring phase ends, a third phase of the class-action lawsuit will address property damage claims, while the final phase will address whether DuPont's conduct merits additional punitive damages." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

Watchdog Group Backs Feingold on Consumer Disputes

October 1, 2007

"Binding mandatory arbitration, a popular way for credit card companies to keep consumer disputes out of court, overwhelmingly favors corporations, according to a public advocacy group report. Public Citizen said credit card companies and debt-buying companies won 94.7 percent of the 19,000 California arbitration cases it studied. 'This is a system that is unfair to consumers, many of whom are struggling financially, and a huge gift to business,' Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook said at a news conference. The report was challenged by the American Bankers Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform and the Minneapolis-based National Arbitration Forum. They said the group's study conclusions are flawed...Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., whose Senate bill would end the practice, said binding arbitration is fine when both parties choose it after a dispute arises. But he objects to situations where consumers 'have little choice and are essentially forced into arbitration." SOURCE: Post-Crescent

Bush's EPA Is Pursuing Fewer Polluters

September 30, 2007

"The Environmental Protection Agency's pursuit of criminal cases against polluters has dropped off sharply during the Bush administration, with the number of prosecutions, new investigations and total convictions all down by more than a third, according to Justice Department and EPA data. The number of civil lawsuits filed against defendants who refuse to settle environmental cases was down nearly 70 percent between fiscal years 2002 and 2006, compared with a four-year period in the late 1990s, according to those same statistics. Critics of the agency say its flagging efforts have emboldened polluters to flout U.S. environmental laws, threatening progress in cleaning the air, protecting wildlife, eliminating hazardous materials, and countless other endeavors overseen by the EPA." SOURCE: Washington

Wal-Mart Finds Traces Of Melamine in Dog Treats

August 23, 2007

"Tests of two Chinese brands of dog treats sold at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. found traces of melamine, a chemical agent that led to another massive pet-food recall in March, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. Wal-Mart, of Bentonville, Arkansas, stopped selling Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading in July, after customers said the products sickened their pets. No recall was announced at that time, but Wal-Mart said in a statement Tuesday that customers who bought one of the products should return it to the nearest store for a refund." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

FDA Requires Avandia, Actos To Have 'Black Box' Warning

August 15, 2007

"The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it will require a class of diabetes drugs that includes Avandia and Actos to carry the agency's toughest 'black box' warning that the drugs are linked to an increase in heart failure. The makers of the drugs, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, of England, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., of Japan, have agreed to add the warnings, the FDA said. The black-box warning doesn't address more recent concerns that Glaxo's Avandia could increase the risk of heart attacks. Takeda's Actos hasn't been linked to an increase in heart attacks. Avandia and Actos have long been shown to increase the risk of heart failure, a condition that develops over time and is characterized by the heart's inability to properly pump blood and is different from a heart attack. In June, the FDA proposed strengthening existing heart-failure warnings on the drugs by adding a black box to the drugs' labels." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal

Some Baby Bibs Said to Contain Levels of Lead

August 14, 2007

"Certain vinyl baby bibs sold at Toys 'R' Us stores appear to be contaminated with lead, laboratory tests have shown, making the inexpensive bibs another example of a made-in-China product that may be a health hazard to children. The vinyl bibs, which feature illustrations of baseball bats and soccer balls and Disney's Winnie the Pooh characters, are sold for less than $5 each under store brand labels, including Especially for Baby and Koala Baby. Tests this summer, financed by the Center for Environmental Health of Oakland, Calif., found lead as high as three times the level allowed in paint in several styles of the bibs purchased from both Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us stores in California. A separate test by a laboratory hired by The New York Times of the same Toys 'R' Us bibs, purchased in Maryland, found a similar level of contamination. " SOURCE: The New York Times

Oil Spill Adds To Misery Of Plain Floods Victims

July 3, 2007

"The flood is bad enough, engulfing homes to the rooftops and turning neighborhoods into floating junkyards of children's toys and family heirlooms. But the floodwaters here also carry some of the 42,000 gallons of crude oil that spilled from the Coffeyville Resources refinery on Sunday, coating everything they touch with a slimy, smelly layer of goo. 'My question is how are they going to get all that oil out of the environment,' said Mary Burge, a heart surgery patient who was forced to breathe from her portable oxygen tank because the petroleum odor Monday was so strong it could be detected by helicopters passing overhead." SOURCE: USA Today

Wider Sales Seen For Toothpaste Tainted In China June 28, 2007

"After federal health officials discovered last month that tainted Chinese toothpaste had entered the United States, they warned that it would most likely be found in discount stores. In fact, the toothpaste has been distributed much more widely. Roughly 900,000 tubes containing a poison used in some antifreeze products have turned up in hospitals for the mentally ill, prisons, juvenile detention centers and even some hospitals serving the general population. The toothpaste was handed out in dozens of state institutions, mostly in Georgia but also in North Carolina, according to state officials. Hospitals in South Carolina and Florida also reported receiving Chinese-made toothpaste, and a major national pharmaceutical distributor said it was recalling tainted Chinese toothpaste. The Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers to discard all Chinese-made toothpaste, regardless of the brand." SOURCE: New York Times

EPA Agrees to Reduce Lead In Children's Products April 15, 2007

"Companies that make or distribute toys, zippers and other kids' products will face tougher government scrutiny to keep out any lead that could poison and kill children or harm their brain development. The Environmental Protection Agency agreed in response to legal pressure to write up to 120 importing and manufacturing companies by the end of the month, instructing them to provide health and safety studies if any lead might be found in the products they make for children." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (subscribtion)

Lawyers Set to Argue New Legal Theory in Pet-Poisoning Cases April 10, 2007

"Class action litigators and animal law attorneys are joining forces across the country to sue Menu Foods Inc. and pet food distributors over the poisoning of dogs and cats, with some lawyers aiming to set a new precedent in recoveries for pet-owner clients. They may get bigger damages awards than from similar past cases partly because the incident is unique in the high number of pets -- hundreds or perhaps thousands -- that have been injured or killed by the poisoning, the lawyers said." SOURCE: National Law Journal, Law.com

Merck Ends Lobbying For Cervical-Cancer Vaccine February 21, 2007

"Merck & Co. said it would stop lobbying states to pass laws requiring that preteen girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer in the face of a growing backlash among parents, physicians and consumer advocates. Merck's aggressive lobbying campaign was intended to boost sales of its Gardasil vaccine, which received Food and Drug Administration approval last year. Gardasil provides protection against two strains of the human papillomavirus that are thought to cause the majority of cervical-cancer cases." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Only)

Alert On Peanut Butter Expanded By The FDA February 20, 2007

"All Peter Pan peanut butter bought since May 2006 should be discarded, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday in a statement broadening its warning about salmonella-contaminated peanut butter. More than 290 people from 39 states have become ill in the food poisoning outbreak, and 46 have been hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. ConAgra Foods Inc., the Omaha, Neb., maker of Peter Pan, said last week that it was checking the source of the contamination, which may have also affected the Great Value label peanut butter it makes for retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Only)

NV: Goodyear Loses Suit, Must Pay $30 Million February 14, 2007

"Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has been ordered by a Las Vegas jury to pay $30 million to the victims of a rollover accident that left three dead and a teenage boy with severe brain damage. Frank Enriquez, Andre Torres and Ervetina Trujillo Tapia were killed and Joseph Enriquez, 14, was injured when the 15-passenger van they were riding in flipped after the right rear tire blew out. Their families sued Akron- based Goodyear, the largest North American tire maker, claiming the tire was defective." SOURCE: Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Blind Pedestrians Say Quiet Hybrids Pose Safety Threat February 13, 2007

"Hybrids deliver better mileage and less pollution than traditional cars by switching between a gasoline engine and an electric motor. But when operating on the electric battery, especially when idling at a stop or running at low speeds, the engine in a hybrid is almost silent. A hybrid vehicle is generally quieter than a vacuum cleaner. 'I'm an environmentalist, and I'm all for quiet cars,' says Mr. Osborn. 'But it poses a particular problem for somebody who has no vision.' Blind pedestrians using a guide dog or cane are largely dependent on the sounds of traffic to cross streets safely." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Only)

Bill May Be Introduced To Regulate Tobacco Products February 12, 2007

"Bipartisan legislation to give the federal Food and Drug Administration regulatory control over tobacco products may be introduced next week. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Thomas Davis III, R-Va., urged colleagues in a letter circulated this week to join in co-sponsoring their bill. Waxman is the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Davis is its senior Republican. They asked allies to sign on by 5 p.m. yesterday. The legislation may be introduced as early as Monday, said a congressional aide who asked not to be identified." SOURCE: Journalnow.com

MS: Richland Girl Sues Over Easy-Bake Entrapment February 8, 2007

"A 6-year-old Richland girl is suing the maker of the Easy-Bake Oven, Hasbro Inc., for $1.2 million after she got her hand stuck in an oven for more than three hours. Emergency room doctors were forced to cut the device off with a bone saw after conventional methods failed…About 985,000 Easy-Bake Ovens sold since last May have been recalled because children can get their hands or fingers caught in the oven's opening, which poses an entrapment or burn hazard." SOURCE: Associated Press, WAPT

FDA Scrutinizes Birth Control Drugs January 23, 2007

"The government is considering setting higher standards for birth control drugs used by millions, saying that newer pills appear to be less effective at preventing pregnancy than those approved decades ago. The Food and Drug Administration will ask a panel of experts Tuesday and Wednesday whether it should require new contraceptive drugs to meet a standard of effectiveness before they are approved for the market." SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

Consumer Reports Retracts Article on Car Seats January 19, 2007

"Consumer Reports magazine on Thursday retracted an article on infant car seats, published two weeks ago, that said most of them had failed side-impact crash tests. The tests were supposed to simulate an impact at 38 miles an hour, but actually simulated more than 70 m.p.h., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which was so startled by the article that it tried to duplicate the magazine's results at a government laboratory last weekend. The agency does not have a standard for side impacts but said that at 38 m.p.h., the seats all appeared to do well." SOURCE: New York Times

Nicotine Boost was Deliberate, Study Says January 18, 2007

"Data supplied by tobacco companies strongly suggest that in recent years manufacturers deliberately boosted nicotine levels in cigarettes to more effectively hook smokers, Harvard researchers conclude in a study being released today." SOURCE: Boston Globe

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	< BACK TO Public Interest and Environment Main Consumer Alerts: Public Interest and Environment Archives 2007 Bigger Fine Sought for BP: Plaintiff's Lawyers Say Amount Should Be $1 Billion December 27, 2007 "BP's penance for the deadly 2005 blast at its Texas City refinery has been costly -- but not costly enough for lawyers who represent people suing the London-based oil giant. They say the company should be punished with a $1 billion fine. With lawsuit settlements whittling down chances to entice that from a civil jury, a group of plaintiffs' lawyers are pushing for a federal judge to lower the hammer. 'I'd like to see a jury be able to assess the punishment,' said Mark Lanier, one of several lawyers pushing for U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal to impose the 10-digit punishment in the federal criminal case against the company's North American products division. 'Certainly if not, a judge ought to be able to do it independently and not after a prearranged deal has been cut by the Justice Department and the company,' Lanier said. BP's North American products division has agreed to plead guilty to a felony federal envi ronmental crime, pay a $50 million fine and be on probation for three years. Rosenthal can approve the plea agreement and punishment as structured or reject it and impose something else. The company's plea hearing is slated for February." SOURCE: Macro World Investor Taking Playthings Seriously: Toxic Toys Emphasize Urgency for Safety Reform December 10, 2007 "Why does buying toys this year seem like Chinese roulette?' Sen. Dick Durbin asked the other day. The Illinois Democrat refers, of course, to the multiple massive recalls this year of toys manufactured in China. Mr. Durbin is a driving force behind bipartisan legislation that would dramatically increase the funding and reach of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency tasked with testing toys. Among other pro-consumer provisions, the bill would increase penalties for safety violations, come down harder on corporate violators, increase the number of inspectors and make it easier for the CPSC to warn the public about dangerous products." SOURCE: Dallas Morning News A Small Firm Wages a '100 Year War' on Tort Reform December 10, 2007 "Attorney Robert Peck and his nine law firm partners at the Center for Constitutional Litigation in Washington look like average plaintiffs' lawyers when they walk into courtrooms around the country, but they're not. They are the lawyers to trial lawyers nationwide, fighting 'tort reform,' or what their clients might call 'tort deform.' The center's attorneys are on retainer for the trial lawyers' trade group, the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), and pursue cases to overturn state and federal laws that they allege rob Americans of legal redress. The center's attorneys have 40 cases pending across the United States in which they are helping plaintiffs challenge government limits on tort claims, such as state caps on medical malpractice damages and federal legal immunity for rental car companies and gun manufacturers. 'We are often in a case because there's some impedimen t to having your day in court,' Peck said." SOURCE: National Law Journal- Subscription Required California Sues 20 Companies for Toys with Unlawful Amounts of Lead November 20, 2007 "California Attorney General Jerry Brown has sued 20 companies, including Mattel Inc. and Toys R Us, accusing them of selling toys that contain unlawful amounts of lead and failing to warn the public of the health dangers. Brown's lawsuit, filed Monday in Alameda County Superior Court, alleges that the companies violated the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, a voter-approved law passed as Proposition 65, because they didn't notify customers of toys in the marketplace that contained high concentrations of lead. Lead, known to cause cancer and reproductive harm, also can cause mental and physical retardation as well as behavioral and other health problems in children. In adults, it can damage the nervous system. The state's legal action follows a string of nationwide recalls by Mattel, Fisher-Price and other companies that make popular toys, including some Ernie, Elmo and Big Bird toys in the Sesame Street line, s ome SpongeBob figures, a 'Sarge' jeep from the movie 'Cars' and parts of the wooden railway series Thomas & Friends." SOURCE: San Fransisco Chronicle Judge Rejects Medical Suit Caps November 14, 2007 "The controversy over limits on medical malpractice awards was ignited again after a Cook County judge on Tuesday struck down a 2-year-old state law that capped compensation to victims, a measure that had created a friendlier environment for doctors and health-care institutions and their insurers. At issue is the state's system of legal accountability for health-care providers. Doctors and other supporters have argued for years that rising professional insurance costs, fueled by skyrocketing jury awards, are driving physicians out of business and compromising patient care. Attorneys for personal-injury victims and consumer groups say that caps on jury awards in medical malpractice cases strip patients of their right to seek redress in court. Illinois lawmakers have tried to strike a balance for years but have been overruled by the courts on three occasions." SOURCE: Chicago Tribune Independent Testing for Toys on the Table November 13, 2007 "They've been exposed to lead from wooden trains and the 'date rape' drug from arts and crafts beads. Recalls of millions of toys and cribs have followed trips to the emergency room and even a few comas. Lawmakers are now working on legislation that would beef up safety standards for toys, but to really protect kids, consumer advocates say Congress and the president need to agree about a key measure: the independence of toy testers. 'It is our goal to get independent third-party testing that is certified by the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission),' said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director with U.S. Public Interest Research Group. 'The industry has been trying in all the bills to insert language that allows it to do its own testing.' Legislation is moving on Capitol Hill that would require manufacturers of toys intended for young children to have their products tested by a qualified lab, but critics are concerned that in-house labs-- testing labs run by a toymaker--would be allowed to certify products." SOURCE: MarketWatch White House Sets Tougher Plan for Safety of Imports November 6, 2007 "The Bush administration, responding to a wave of recent food and product recalls, is set to announce today its most aggressive regulatory proposals yet on policing imports. But much of their success depends on congressional action, and some lawmakers and outside experts already contend they are inadequate. The initiative aims to steer the nation toward a prevention-based regulatory system that targets the riskiest products. It calls for giving more authority to agencies that regulate food and consumer goods, improving data-gathering on imports, and increasing cooperation between agencies and with U.S. trading partners. The Food and Drug Administration, for example, would be granted power to require manufacturers and importers of 'high risk' products to take steps to prevent contamination and other problems. The FDA could require producers and importers of such goods to certify they comply with FDA standards. The FDA could bar imports if it is given no access or only limited access to production records. The agency would also be able to mandate recalls on tainted products, something it can't do now." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal AK- Palin Says State to Support Valdez Plaintiffs November 5, 2007 "The state of Alaska will petition the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 33,000 plaintiffs mired in a $2.5 billion punitive damages dispute with Exxon Mobil Corp., Gov. Sarah Palin said Monday. Palin said Attorney General Talis Colberg will file an amicus brief with the high court. Such legal filings reflect backing for one side of an argument, but come from someone not directly involved with the case. Palin said the state has until Jan. 22, 2008 to file the brief. She said she wasn't sure what the effect would be, but added that the support is something the plaintiffs have lacked in the past." SOURCE: Associated Press Congress Weighs Sweeping Overhaul of Consumer Product Commission October 30, 2007 "Spurred by a spate of scares over the safety of imported goods, Congress is weighing the most significant consumer-safety legislation in a generation -- even as states and nonprofit groups step up their own watchdog efforts. A bill that would substantially boost fines, add staffers and increase transparency at the embattled Consumer Product Safety Commission is moving through the Senate. The moves represent efforts to address what consumer groups and critics widely see as the weakness and inefficiency of the commission, the tiny federal agency charged with regulating at least 15,000 types of consumer products, from toys to all-terrain vehicles to mattresses." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal Medtronic Recall Exposes Gaps in Medical Safety October 30, 2007 "In late January, something unsettling happened at the Minneapolis Heart Institute. On two successive days, patients came to the clinic after their heart defibrillators had jolted them with huge, unnecessary and painful electric shocks. One 65-year-old woman said she'd been zapped 14 times in an hour. Doctors checked the hospital's records and discovered four similar cases had occurred in recent months. Each stemmed from a broken wire -- called a lead -- that tells a defibrillator when to send an electric shock to a malfunctioning heart. All six cases involved the Sprint Fidelis 6949, manufactured by Medtronic Inc., a leading medical-device maker. Within days, the Heart Institute concluded that the Sprint Fidelis wasn't safe enough, told the company of its concerns, and stopped using the product." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (AOL Money & Finance) Many Red Flags Preceded a Recall of Hamburger October 23, 2007 "Over the summer, as Americans fired up their grills, the Topps Meat factory here scrambled to produce thousands of frozen hamburger patties for Wal-Mart and other customers, putting intense pressure on workers. As output rose, federal regulators said in interviews, the company was neglecting critical safeguards meant to protect consumers. Three big batches of hamburger contaminated with a potentially deadly germ emerged from the plant, making at least 40 people sick and prompting the second-largest beef recall in history. Topps is now out of business, but the case points up broader problems in the nation's system for protecting consumers from food-borne illness. Five years ago, the government demanded more stringent safeguards against contamination because of a deadly form of the germ E. coli. But federal regulators now acknowledge that the controls are not working in some meat plants. They are trying to figure out what went wrong and how to overcome the dangers." SOURCE: New York Times Chamber Outspending Everyone on Lobbying October 17, 2007 "U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform President Lisa Rickard complained bitterly about lobbying on Capitol Hill. The objects of Ms. Rickard's ire were attorneys who had dared to meet their congressional representatives (letter to the editor, "Trial lawyers storm Capitol," Oct. 3). The irony is, of course, that no one invests more in lobbying than Ms. Rickard's group. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, over the last decade the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its fake 'think tank,' the Institute for Legal Reform, have plowed more than $338 million into lobbying Congress. Its largesse has been double that of any corporation, association or trade group in the country." SOURCE: The Hill EPA Joins Settlement of Lawsuit but Adds a Waiver October 11, 2007 "Although the Environmental Protection Agency joined in a legal settlement this week to force the largest power-plant pollution cleanup in U.S. history, the Bush administration signaled in the agreement that it has no intention of taking enforcement actions against the utility for the same kind of Clean Air Act violations in the future. The language of the settlement indicates that the administration has not wavered in its distaste for a Clinton-era policy of using the law to force power plants to upgrade their pollution controls whenever they significantly update or expand a plant. That marks a significant victory for the power industry, which has strenuously opposed the "New Source Review," saying that it penalizes them for efficiency improvements that ultimately benefit consumers and the environment." SOURCE: Washington Post Global Warming Suits October 8, 2007 "It's old news that public nuisance theories increasingly are pleaded in an attempt to impose liability on product sellers when more traditional products liability theories would not work. See, e.g., J. Russell Jackson, 'Public Nuisance Theories,' NLJ, May 16, 2005, at 12. Many -- but certainly not all -- courts confronted with such attempts have refused the invitation to extend public nuisance theory beyond its historic property-based origins and into the realm of products liability. Two recent federal district court decisions have wrestled with an even more novel use of the public nuisance theory: the attempt to impose on product sellers and raw material and energy suppliers costs allegedly attributable to global warming. In both instances, the courts have concluded that these suits ask the judiciary to do something it cannot do -- namely, exercise legislative and executive power to establish environmental policy through common law judgments." SOURCE: National Law Journal (membership required) Senate Votes to Ban Asbestos Imports and Use October 4, 2007 "The Senate voted Thursday to ban the import and use of asbestos, a fiber used in automobile brakes, roofing and other common products, because of its link to deadly diseases such as cancer. The Senate unanimously approved the legislation, which now goes to the House. 'Today 2,500 metric tons (of asbestos) are being imported every year in hair dryers, ceiling tiles, brake pads' and other products, said Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat who has been pushing for the prohibition for seven years. The government estimates that 10,000 Americans die annually from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. About one-third of mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos while serving in the U.S. Navy or working at shipyards, according to experts. The legislation notes that many people in the United States incorrectly believe that asbestos has been banned and that there is no risk of exposure through the use of new products." SOURCE: Business Insurance DupPont Found Negligent In Waste-Site Lawsuit October 1, 2007 "DuPont was negligent in creating a 112-acre waste site tainted with arsenic, cadmium and lead, a civil jury ruled Monday, siding with the claims of 10 West Virginians who argued the chemical maker should clean up the mess and perhaps compensate residents who now fear for their health. The verdict in Harrison County Circuit Court clears the way for a second proceeding that will determine whether thousands of residents in and around the small town of Spelter are entitled to routine health screenings. The same jury will decide that question and how much DuPont should spend on that program. DuPont has already set aside $15 million to deal with possible claims. That part of the case will begin Tuesday. Regardless of how the medical monitoring phase ends, a third phase of the class-action lawsuit will address property damage claims, while the final phase will address whether DuPont's conduct merits additional punitive damages." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal Watchdog Group Backs Feingold on Consumer Disputes October 1, 2007 "Binding mandatory arbitration, a popular way for credit card companies to keep consumer disputes out of court, overwhelmingly favors corporations, according to a public advocacy group report. Public Citizen said credit card companies and debt-buying companies won 94.7 percent of the 19,000 California arbitration cases it studied. 'This is a system that is unfair to consumers, many of whom are struggling financially, and a huge gift to business,' Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook said at a news conference. The report was challenged by the American Bankers Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform and the Minneapolis-based National Arbitration Forum. They said the group's study conclusions are flawed...Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., whose Senate bill would end the practice, said binding arbitration is fine when both parties choose it after a dispute arises. But he objects to situations where consumers 'have little choice and are essentially forced into arbitration." SOURCE: Post-Crescent Bush's EPA Is Pursuing Fewer Polluters September 30, 2007 "The Environmental Protection Agency's pursuit of criminal cases against polluters has dropped off sharply during the Bush administration, with the number of prosecutions, new investigations and total convictions all down by more than a third, according to Justice Department and EPA data. The number of civil lawsuits filed against defendants who refuse to settle environmental cases was down nearly 70 percent between fiscal years 2002 and 2006, compared with a four-year period in the late 1990s, according to those same statistics. Critics of the agency say its flagging efforts have emboldened polluters to flout U.S. environmental laws, threatening progress in cleaning the air, protecting wildlife, eliminating hazardous materials, and countless other endeavors overseen by the EPA." SOURCE: Washington Wal-Mart Finds Traces Of Melamine in Dog Treats August 23, 2007 "Tests of two Chinese brands of dog treats sold at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. found traces of melamine, a chemical agent that led to another massive pet-food recall in March, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. Wal-Mart, of Bentonville, Arkansas, stopped selling Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky from Shanghai Bestro Trading in July, after customers said the products sickened their pets. No recall was announced at that time, but Wal-Mart said in a statement Tuesday that customers who bought one of the products should return it to the nearest store for a refund." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal FDA Requires Avandia, Actos To Have 'Black Box' Warning August 15, 2007 "The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it will require a class of diabetes drugs that includes Avandia and Actos to carry the agency's toughest 'black box' warning that the drugs are linked to an increase in heart failure. The makers of the drugs, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, of England, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., of Japan, have agreed to add the warnings, the FDA said. The black-box warning doesn't address more recent concerns that Glaxo's Avandia could increase the risk of heart attacks. Takeda's Actos hasn't been linked to an increase in heart attacks. Avandia and Actos have long been shown to increase the risk of heart failure, a condition that develops over time and is characterized by the heart's inability to properly pump blood and is different from a heart attack. In June, the FDA proposed strengthening existing heart-failure warnings on the drugs by adding a black box to the drugs' labels." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal Some Baby Bibs Said to Contain Levels of Lead August 14, 2007 "Certain vinyl baby bibs sold at Toys 'R' Us stores appear to be contaminated with lead, laboratory tests have shown, making the inexpensive bibs another example of a made-in-China product that may be a health hazard to children. The vinyl bibs, which feature illustrations of baseball bats and soccer balls and Disney's Winnie the Pooh characters, are sold for less than $5 each under store brand labels, including Especially for Baby and Koala Baby. Tests this summer, financed by the Center for Environmental Health of Oakland, Calif., found lead as high as three times the level allowed in paint in several styles of the bibs purchased from both Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us stores in California. A separate test by a laboratory hired by The New York Times of the same Toys 'R' Us bibs, purchased in Maryland, found a similar level of contamination. " SOURCE: The New York Times Oil Spill Adds To Misery Of Plain Floods Victims July 3, 2007 "The flood is bad enough, engulfing homes to the rooftops and turning neighborhoods into floating junkyards of children's toys and family heirlooms. But the floodwaters here also carry some of the 42,000 gallons of crude oil that spilled from the Coffeyville Resources refinery on Sunday, coating everything they touch with a slimy, smelly layer of goo. 'My question is how are they going to get all that oil out of the environment,' said Mary Burge, a heart surgery patient who was forced to breathe from her portable oxygen tank because the petroleum odor Monday was so strong it could be detected by helicopters passing overhead." SOURCE: USA Today Wider Sales Seen For Toothpaste Tainted In China June 28, 2007 "After federal health officials discovered last month that tainted Chinese toothpaste had entered the United States, they warned that it would most likely be found in discount stores. In fact, the toothpaste has been distributed much more widely. Roughly 900,000 tubes containing a poison used in some antifreeze products have turned up in hospitals for the mentally ill, prisons, juvenile detention centers and even some hospitals serving the general population. The toothpaste was handed out in dozens of state institutions, mostly in Georgia but also in North Carolina, according to state officials. Hospitals in South Carolina and Florida also reported receiving Chinese-made toothpaste, and a major national pharmaceutical distributor said it was recalling tainted Chinese toothpaste. The Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers to discard all Chinese-made toothpaste, regardless of the brand." SOURCE: New York Times EPA Agrees to Reduce Lead In Children's Products April 15, 2007 "Companies that make or distribute toys, zippers and other kids' products will face tougher government scrutiny to keep out any lead that could poison and kill children or harm their brain development. The Environmental Protection Agency agreed in response to legal pressure to write up to 120 importing and manufacturing companies by the end of the month, instructing them to provide health and safety studies if any lead might be found in the products they make for children." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (subscribtion) Lawyers Set to Argue New Legal Theory in Pet-Poisoning Cases April 10, 2007 "Class action litigators and animal law attorneys are joining forces across the country to sue Menu Foods Inc. and pet food distributors over the poisoning of dogs and cats, with some lawyers aiming to set a new precedent in recoveries for pet-owner clients. They may get bigger damages awards than from similar past cases partly because the incident is unique in the high number of pets -- hundreds or perhaps thousands -- that have been injured or killed by the poisoning, the lawyers said." SOURCE: National Law Journal, Law.com Merck Ends Lobbying For Cervical-Cancer Vaccine February 21, 2007 "Merck & Co. said it would stop lobbying states to pass laws requiring that preteen girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer in the face of a growing backlash among parents, physicians and consumer advocates. Merck's aggressive lobbying campaign was intended to boost sales of its Gardasil vaccine, which received Food and Drug Administration approval last year. Gardasil provides protection against two strains of the human papillomavirus that are thought to cause the majority of cervical-cancer cases." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Only) Alert On Peanut Butter Expanded By The FDA February 20, 2007 "All Peter Pan peanut butter bought since May 2006 should be discarded, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday in a statement broadening its warning about salmonella-contaminated peanut butter. More than 290 people from 39 states have become ill in the food poisoning outbreak, and 46 have been hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. ConAgra Foods Inc., the Omaha, Neb., maker of Peter Pan, said last week that it was checking the source of the contamination, which may have also affected the Great Value label peanut butter it makes for retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Only) NV: Goodyear Loses Suit, Must Pay $30 Million February 14, 2007 "Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has been ordered by a Las Vegas jury to pay $30 million to the victims of a rollover accident that left three dead and a teenage boy with severe brain damage. Frank Enriquez, Andre Torres and Ervetina Trujillo Tapia were killed and Joseph Enriquez, 14, was injured when the 15-passenger van they were riding in flipped after the right rear tire blew out. Their families sued Akron- based Goodyear, the largest North American tire maker, claiming the tire was defective." SOURCE: Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer Blind Pedestrians Say Quiet Hybrids Pose Safety Threat February 13, 2007 "Hybrids deliver better mileage and less pollution than traditional cars by switching between a gasoline engine and an electric motor. But when operating on the electric battery, especially when idling at a stop or running at low speeds, the engine in a hybrid is almost silent. A hybrid vehicle is generally quieter than a vacuum cleaner. 'I'm an environmentalist, and I'm all for quiet cars,' says Mr. Osborn. 'But it poses a particular problem for somebody who has no vision.' Blind pedestrians using a guide dog or cane are largely dependent on the sounds of traffic to cross streets safely." SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Only) Bill May Be Introduced To Regulate Tobacco Products February 12, 2007 "Bipartisan legislation to give the federal Food and Drug Administration regulatory control over tobacco products may be introduced next week. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Thomas Davis III, R-Va., urged colleagues in a letter circulated this week to join in co-sponsoring their bill. Waxman is the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Davis is its senior Republican. They asked allies to sign on by 5 p.m. yesterday. The legislation may be introduced as early as Monday, said a congressional aide who asked not to be identified." SOURCE: Journalnow.com MS: Richland Girl Sues Over Easy-Bake Entrapment February 8, 2007 "A 6-year-old Richland girl is suing the maker of the Easy-Bake Oven, Hasbro Inc., for $1.2 million after she got her hand stuck in an oven for more than three hours. Emergency room doctors were forced to cut the device off with a bone saw after conventional methods failed…About 985,000 Easy-Bake Ovens sold since last May have been recalled because children can get their hands or fingers caught in the oven's opening, which poses an entrapment or burn hazard." SOURCE: Associated Press, WAPT FDA Scrutinizes Birth Control Drugs January 23, 2007 "The government is considering setting higher standards for birth control drugs used by millions, saying that newer pills appear to be less effective at preventing pregnancy than those approved decades ago. The Food and Drug Administration will ask a panel of experts Tuesday and Wednesday whether it should require new contraceptive drugs to meet a standard of effectiveness before they are approved for the market." SOURCE: Los Angeles Times Consumer Reports Retracts Article on Car Seats January 19, 2007 "Consumer Reports magazine on Thursday retracted an article on infant car seats, published two weeks ago, that said most of them had failed side-impact crash tests. The tests were supposed to simulate an impact at 38 miles an hour, but actually simulated more than 70 m.p.h., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which was so startled by the article that it tried to duplicate the magazine's results at a government laboratory last weekend. The agency does not have a standard for side impacts but said that at 38 m.p.h., the seats all appeared to do well." SOURCE: New York Times Nicotine Boost was Deliberate, Study Says January 18, 2007 "Data supplied by tobacco companies strongly suggest that in recent years manufacturers deliberately boosted nicotine levels in cigarettes to more effectively hook smokers, Harvard researchers conclude in a study being released today." SOURCE: Boston Globe Public Interest Bigger Fine Sought for BP: Plaintiff's Lawyers Say Amount Should Be $1 Billion Taking Playthings Seriously: Toxic Toys Emphasize Urgency for Safety Reform A Small Firm Wages a '100 Year War' on Tort Reform California Sues 20 Companies for Toys with Unlawful Amounts of Lead Judge Rejects Medical Suit Caps Independent Testing for Toys on the Table AK- Palin Says State to Support Valdez Plaintiffs Congress Weighs Sweeping Overhaul of Consumer Product Commission Medtronic Recall Exposes Gaps In Medical Safety Many Red Flags Preceded a Recall of Hamburger Chamber Outspending Everyone on Lobbying EPA Joins Settlement of Lawsuit but Adds a Waiver Global Warming Suits Senate Votes to Ban Asbestos Imports and Use Dupont Found Negligent in Waste-Site Lawsuit Watchdog Group Backs Feingold on Consumer Disputes Bush's EPA Is Pursuing Fewer Polluters Wal-Mart Finds Traces of Melamine in Dog Treats FDA Requires Avandia, Actos to have 'Balck Box' Warning Some Baby Bibs said to Contina Levels of Lead Oil Spill Adds to Misery of Plains Flood Victims Wider Sales Seen For Toothpaste Tainted In China EPA Agrees to Reduce Lead In Children's Products Lawyers Set to Argue New Legal Theory in Pet-Poisoning Cases Merck Ends Lobbying For Cervical-Cancer Vaccine Justices Overturn Tobacco Awards Peter Pan Peanut Butter Alert Expanded by FDA Goodyear Loses Suit Blind Pedestrians Say Quiet Hybrids Pose Safety Threat Bill to Regulate Tobacco Products Easy-Bake-Oven Lawsuit FDA Scrutinizes Birth Control Drugs Consumer Reports Retracts Article on Car Seats Nicotine Boost was Deliberate, Study Says Warning Given on Drug's Use to Treat Lupus
	The Corson & Johnson Law Firm serves clients throughout Oregon, including Eugene, Portland, Brownsville, Springfield, Hood River, Brookings, Corvallis, Salem, Redmond, Roseburg, Medford, Klamath Falls, Myrtle Creek, Bend, Albany, Creswell, Ashland, Central Point, Grants Pass, Junction City, Florence, Tigard, Cottage Grove, Coos Bay, North Bend, Newport, Oregon City, Hillsboro, Gresham, Beaverton. Benton County • Clackamas County • Coos County • Crook County • Deschutes County • Douglas County • Jackson County • Jefferson County • Josephine County • Klamath County • Lane County • Lincoln County • Linn County • Marion County • Multnomah County • Polk County • Tillamook County • Washington County The Corson & Johnson Law Firm does not offer any guarantee of case results. Past success in litigation does not guarantee success in any new or future civil action. Our web site describes some of the cases that Don Corson or The Corson & Johnson Law Firm has worked on in the past. Our description of those cases is summary in nature. The results obtained in each of the cases depended on the particular facts of each case. The results of other cases will differ based on the different facts involved. FULL DISCLAIMER