Blog

June 14, 2016

With summer fast approaching, New Jersey families, including many young people, will soon be headed to popular NJ amusement parks and water parks to have a good time and enjoy themselves in the sun. However, it is important for anyone entering the gates at an amusement park to be extremely careful because the rides, including dangerous roller coasters, are not always entirely safe. A recent accident at a carnival in Nebraska provides an example of the kind of catastrophic damage that can be done to a person who trusts amusement park operators to do their jobs and ensure the safety…

May 9, 2016

The CEO of Volkswagen recently apologized to President Obama for the automotive company’s emissions scandal. Matthias Mueller spoke with the media and said that he personally met with Obama during the President’s trip to Hannover, Germany. The Volkswagen emissions scandal generated a great deal of media coverage and outrage from around the world as the company admitted to rigging its diesel-free cars to pass pollution tests. The computer systems in the vehicles were set up to automatically reduce emissions when the cars were undergoing emissions tests. As soon as the test was over and the vehicle was back on the…

May 6, 2016

When a person who lives in New Jersey suffers a work-related injury and files a Workers’ Compensation claim to cover their medical costs and related expenses, the claims process is very different than it would be for someone injured while working in a state like California. That’s because each state has its own Workers’ Compensation system. In New Jersey, Workers’ Comp claims are handled by the New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation, which is overseen by the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Nearly every worker who performs services for wages within the state is eligible for Workers’…

April 28, 2016

Uber, the major online transportation company, has resolved two class-action lawsuits by drivers who wanted the company to make changes to improve work conditions and provide Uber drivers with “employee status. The lawsuits were filed in California and Massachusetts. Uber, which is based in San Francisco, CA, provides online car services across the country. However, the company’s drivers do not receive any of the benefits or protections usually afforded to employees because they are currently classified as “independent contractors. If the plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuits had been successful at getting Uber to significantly change its policies and pay drivers…

April 5, 2016

Bumble Bee Foods recently recalled its popular brand of canned Chunk Light Tuna due to concerns about consumer health. Another company, Tri-Union Seafoods, also issued a tuna recall after learning that certain types of tuna it was selling may have been under-processed. When announcing the recall in a public statement, Bumble Bee Foods said that the company became aware of manufacturing issues that specifically affected the products’ “commercial sterilization process. The end result, said company officials, was that some cans of tuna may have been contaminated by “spoilage organisms or pathogens. At this time, there have been no reported illnesses…

March 30, 2016

A major distributor of pistachios in the U.S., Canada and Mexico recently announced that it would be issuing a recall of several products due to a Salmonella outbreak. Wonderful Pistachios, which is located in California, said that it was voluntarily recalling a number of products, including Roasted No Salt In Shell Pistachios, Roasted Salt and Pepper In Shell Pistachios and Roasted Sweet Chili Pistachios. The FDA provides a comprehensive list of all of the products that should be disposed of or returned to grocery stores. The recall was issued after reports emerged of multiple people suffering serious illnesses after consuming…

March 22, 2016

Nestle recently announced that it was voluntarily recalling roughly three million frozen food items because of health risks posed by the presence of small glass pieces in boxes. The product recall is garnering major media attention because Nestle, based out of Switzerland, is one of the largest transnational food and beverage companies in the world. Nestle issued the recall after a number of consumers reported finding small pieces of glass in the company’s popular spinach-based products. Thankfully, no actual injuries or illnesses have been reported at this time, according to a recent press release issued by Nestle. We have offices…

March 7, 2016

Johnson & Johnson, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of medical devices, pharmaceutical goods and consumer packaged goods, recently admitted to including cancer-causing ingredients in their products. Now Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $72 million in damages after a jury found that the company’s talc-based products resulted in the wrongful death of a Missouri woman. Jacqueline Fox, the victim, was 59 years old when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After Fox died last year at the age of 62, doctors said that her death was caused by the cancer. The attorneys for the victim’s family…

March 4, 2016

A nonprofit auto safety organization is asking the federal government to follow up on its earlier recall of certain older-model Jeep SUVs because the vehicles are reportedly still causing wrongful deaths on U.S. roadways. The Jeeps, which include 1993-1998 Grand Cherokees and 2002-2007 Liberty SUVs, reportedly have plastic gas tanks that are prone to ruptures, spills and potentially deadly explosions. The Center for Auto Safety issued the recent call to action after analyzing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data and learning that as many as 11 people have died in fire-related car accidents involving Jeeps since June…

February 23, 2016

NJ TRANSIT recently announced that it will be prohibiting passengers from using or carrying hoverboards on trains and light rail vehicles. The NJ TRANSIT senior public information officer said that the risk of people falling and injuring themselves has become too great to ignore. Moreover, customers and public transit employees have also been deemed at risk of potentially catastrophic injury due to a possible product defect in the batteries used by the hoverboards. New York MTA Bans Hoverboards The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), New York’s massive public transportation system, has also declared that hoverboards will not be allowed on…