A Las Vegas woman whose husband was killed in a car wreck in December has filed a lawsuit against Toyota Motors, claiming the wreck happened due to a “faulty accelerator and floor mat.” According to the lawsuit, the gas pedal of the woman’s Toyota became stuck under floor mat, causing the wreck. The suit also names a local service repair shop as a defendant, claiming they were aware of the potential problem but failed to mention it. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

A retired police sergeant in Bell, Calif., has accused other officers of voter fraud in a lawsuit he filed against the city. The plaintiff claims in his suit that in 2009, officers passed out absentee ballots to voters, telling them which candidates to vote for, and filed out voter cards for deceased individuals. The plaintiff says he reported this to the FBI last year and was demoted and eventually forced out of the department because of it. He has also filed a claim for damages against the city and with the state Department of Fair Employment.

An FDA panel has made a recommendation  to the agency that the controversial diabetes drug Avandia should either be taken off the market or its sale should be severely restricted.  Avandia has recently come under attack for trial results that revealed that patients taking Avandia are at an increased risk of heart attack. In order to keep the drug on the market, the panel decided that the maker, GlaxoSmithKline must complete another clinical trial to prove it is safe.

As is typical when there is an accident involving a car and a motorcycle, generally the motorcycle looses.  This was true at Powers & Grinnell  where one of the two people on the motorcycle did not survive and the other is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Drivers of cars need to be particularly aware of motorcyclists during the summer months – it is not easy to see a motorcycle when driving.

The American Red Cross has been hit with a $16,000,0000 fine the the F.D.A. for multiple violations of federal laws regarding blood collection and processing,  During 2008 and 2009 blood collections, the Red Cross encountered problems such as mislabeling of blood, failing to record complete information about donor and potential air contamination.

A Palm Beach, FL jury awarded $6 million to the family of a 16-year-old girl killed in a car rash in 2003.  The girl was riding in a car being driven at speeds up to 100 mph in a residential area, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The driver escaped with only minor injuries but is service a 5 1/2 year sentene for vehicular homicide.

The widow of actor David Carradine has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against firm production company MS2S.A. claiming they did not provide the actor with sufficient assistant while he was shooting a movie for them.  Carradine died last June and after his death, which was initially though to have been a suicide and was ruled not to have been.

A $6 million settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit against Eclipse brand guy and mints make William Wrigley Jr. Co. over their claim that the gum and mints kill germs that cause bad breath.  The claim allowed Wrigley to charge premium prices.  Wrigley agreed to remover the claim for Eclipse gum and mint packages.

McDonald’s has recalled all “Shrek” glasses after determining that the paint was tainted with Cadmium.  They warn that children sohould NOT drink from the glasses again.

Whirlpool has issued a recall of 1.7 million dishwashers in the U.S. due to potential fire hazards.  There have been 12 reported cases of overheating resulting in fires, but no injuries reported.  The fires are caused by a failure in the dishwasher’s electrical system.  The machines in question were sold from February 2006 to April 2010.