In many ways online business and product reviews level the playing field. They can be a quick and easy way to find out if you're about to waste your money on a shoddy product or shoddy company.But these companies and their lawyers almost always think these reviews are...
Missoula Legal Blog
Winter Driving Tips
At Paoli Law Firm we're well aware of the hazards of all types of driving, especially highway driving. Couple that with severe weather conditions, and winter driving can make the most joyous season the most tragic. We've represented many individuals and families who...
FRSA Requires RR to Let You Return to Work If Your Doctor Says You’re Ready
A recent federal Department of Labor administrative law judge ("ALJ") decision highlights the tactics railroads use against their employees and one possible statutory remedy for those tactics. Jonette Nagra v. National R.R. Passenger Corp., Case No. 2012-FRS-74...
Health Insurance: It Makes Sense to Shop Around
This post won't go into whether the Affordable Care Act (known in some quarters as "Obamacare") was good or bad public policy. This post is about misleading communications by insurance companies. Our firm knows about insurance company deception and we think the...
The Railroad Can’t Discipline You for Following Doctor’s Orders
On September 27, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Review Board confirmed that railroads can't legally discipline employees for missing work on the orders of a treating physician, even if the treatment is for an off-duty injury. The decision apparently...
New Jersey Court Rules Text SENDERS May Be Liable for Distracting Drivers
The Appellate Division of the New Jersey Supreme Court just ruled that senders of text messages that distract drivers may be liable for causing car wrecks, if the sender knows the recipient is behind the wheel and likely to actually look at the message when it comes...
FRA Issues Emergency Haz Mat Order
The FRA has issued an emergency order in response to the tragic July 19 runaway, derailment, and explosion in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. FRA notes that the provisions of its order are similar to an emergency order issued by Transport Canada, the federal agency responsible...
UP Official’s Threats Illegally Retaliated Against Sick Locomotive Engineer
Union Pacific engineer Lonnie Smith reported for duty at Green River, WY with a stuffy nose. On the way west to Pocatello, ID, Smith's symptoms ripened into a splitting migraine headache, nausea, and pressure behind one eye that made it hard to see. He believed the...
Dept of Labor Rules Railroads Can’t Interfere With Medical Treatment
A recent decision by the U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Review Board explains that railroads cannot interfere with an employee's injury-related medical treatment at any point during the treatment, not just the period immediately following the injury.The...
DePuy Recalls Artificial Hips
On August 24, 2010, the DePuy Orthopaedics unit of Johnson & Johnson recalled two kids of metal-on-metal hip implants, the ASR XL Acetabular System (ASR XL) and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System. The ASR XL is a hip socket used in traditional hip replacement, while...
