Chinese-made drywall blamed by homeowners for ruining household appliances and causing health problems is chemically different from domestic wallboard, federal investigators have determined. However, investigators stopped short of linking any chemical differences to health problems. As many as 60,000 homes could have been installed with Chinese drywall during the housing boom, according to some estimates.
The family of a man killed in a 2008 drunken driving accident has filed a lawsuit against the driver blamed for the crash, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The driver reportedly admitted to authorities that she had been drinking prior to the crash. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from the driver and her parents.
The owner of the Ka Loko Dam in Hawaii has reached an undisclosed settlement with the families of seven people who died in a 2006 dam breach, the Honolulu Star Bulletin reports. In a separate criminal case, state authorities have accused dam owner James Pflueger of triggering the breach by covering an emergency spillway. The settlement was approved by Kauai Circuit Judge Kathleen Watanabe on Thursday.
Radio Statio
A California jury awarded more than $16 million Thursday to the family of a woman who died after participating in a radio station promotion. In the verdict, jurors found that Entercom Sacramento LLC was negligent in the death of Jennifer Lea Strange. Jennifer Strange died in 2007 of apparent water intoxication after participating in the station’s “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” promotion.
Drug makers failed to complete one-third of required studies after drugs were approved by federal regulators, a report released Monday concluded. The finding from the Government Accountability Office is the latest knock against the enforcement power of federal agencies that oversee drug and medical device makers. Some studies had been pending for five to eight years, the report noted.
The growing number of electronic devices carried by passenger onto planes may pose an increased risk of in-flight fires, the New York Times reports. The primary culprits in such fire, federal aviation officials say, are rechargeable lithium batteries used to power devices ranging from cell phones to flash lights. While 22 battery fires aboard planes have been reported since 1999, regulators say many more incidents go unreported.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit Monday accusing a Pompano Beach used car dealer of defrauding customers and selling useless warranties. According to the lawsuit, Hollywood Auto Gallery and its owner sold cars that broke down soon after they were purchased and refused to issue refunds. The suit also alleges that the dealer forced customers to purchase vehicles after they made a “deposit.”
A Florida fire department was negligent in the death of a firefighter killed in a 2007 training exercise, a lawsuit filed by his widow claims. In the lawsuit, Kristen Curry alleges that Volusia County Fire Services failed to provide proper equipment, training and instruction to her husband prior to the brush-fire training exercise. John “J.J.” Curry was crushed when a large tree fell on him during the exercise.
A Philadelphia jury on Monday awarded undisclosed punitive damages to an Illinois woman who developed breast cancer after taking the hormone-replacement drug Prempro. The exact amount Pfizer Inc. subsidiary Wyeth was ordered to pay was sealed by the trial judge. Earlier this year, the plaintiff was awarded $3.7 million in compensatory damages.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is planning to enact new rules regulating so-called side-by-side off-road recreational vehicles, commonly known as ROVs. The move comes after more than 100 reported deaths and scores of injuries involving the four-wheel vehicles. The agency said that voluntary regulation proposed by makers of the vehicles would be largely inadequate.
