Understand Your Rights. Solve Your Legal Problems
Some 200 individuals have issued a class action lawsuit against South Korean automaker Hyundai over a string of battery fires in their electric vehicles (EVs).
One of the plaintiffs, a Hyundai Kona EV owner who asked to be identified only by his surname Kim, was among those seeking compensation from Hyundai for what they believe to be the reduced value of their EVs and other losses. The plaintiffs also want the company to replace the Kona EVs’ entire battery pack, not just update the software, as Hyundai’s recall provides; the battery is by far the most expensive part of the vehicle.
A lawyer representing Kim said that they were initially seeking 8 million won ($7,200) per plaintiff but this figure could increase as the trial develops.
Meanwhile, General Motors has issued a recall of nearly 70,000 EVs with batteries from LG Chem Ltd, the same manufacturer that supplies the batteries used in the Hyundai Kona EV. GM said that five EV owners had reported fires, and two had suffered minor injuries.
Hyundai itself has issued a global recall of over 74,000 Kona EVs after 16 caught fire across South Korea, Europe and Canada within two years. The Kona EV is the company’s top-selling electric car.
South Korea’s safety regulator is currently investigating the cause of the fires in Kona vehicles. Depending on the results, analysts estimate that Hyundai and LG Chem could be made liable for costs up to $540 million if they are forced to replace all of the affected batteries. Hyundai has said that it is not considering setting money aside for recalls, as it expects that its incoming software fix will be able to detect and prevent internal problems before they become fires.
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This court filing of the class action suit is not a public record, according to Reuters.
The chief executive officers of Twitter and Facebook testified before Congress on Tuesday in a hearing during which several lawmakers raised the possibility of amending or repealing the protections that social media platforms currently hold under US law.
Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg were issued subpoenas in October to appear at the hearing on Tuesday in order to “review the companies’ handling of the 2020 election”. Throughout the hearing they faced challenges from Republican and Democratic senators on their platforms’ content moderation policies and what their users are allowed to post.
Republican lawmakers focused on the companies’ decisions to limit the circulation of an article from the New York Post about Hunter Biden in October. Twitter at the time blocked users from posting links or images of the report due to scepticism over the authenticity of “the origins of the materials” within the article, allegedly pulled from a laptop left by Hunter Biden at an independent computer repair shop in Delaware. The company later walked its response back, while Facebook placed milder limitations on the sharing of the article due to questions about its validity.
“When you have companies that have the power of government, have far more power than traditional media outlets, something has to give,” said Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham, adding that he hoped Section 230 could be changed.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers focused on the platforms’ policies towards violent speech, with Senator Richard Blumenthal attacking Facebook’s refusal to shut down the account of former White House adviser Steven Bannon after he suggested the beheading of two US officials.
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Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 holds that “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider", effectively ensuring social media networks are not held liable for the posts of their users. President-elect Biden has said that he favours repealing Section 230, while Congressional Democrats have suggested reforming the law more deliberately.
During an October hearing, Dorsey and Zuckerberg indicated openness to some reforms in the law governing social media content.
Apple has received two complaints from a group founded by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, alleging that a tracking tool used in the company’s iPhone line violates data collection laws in Europe.
The complaints were filed by Austria-based group NOYB – meaning “None Of Your Business” – and concern Apple’s use of a specialised tracking code called Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). A unique IDFA is automatically generated for every iPhone that is set up and provides the company and third-party advertisers with user behaviour relating to their online, application and mobile usage.
NOYB has claimed that, as it tracks these behaviours without iPhone users’ consent, the IDFA technology violates Article 5(3) of the EU’s e-Privacy Directive. The Article requires a user’s consent before installing cookie-like technology and using the information gleaned from it.
“Apple places codes that are comparable to a cookie in its phones without any consent by the user,” said NOYB lawyer Stefano Rossetti. “This is a clear breach of European Union privacy laws.”
Apple has directly rebutted NOYB’s legal claims, saying that they were “factually inaccurate and we look forward to making that clear to privacy regulators should they examine the complaint”.
“Our practices comply with European law and support and advance the aims of the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, which is to give people full control over their data,” the company said.
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Apple also publicised a plan to restrict IDFA access for third parties. However, NOYB has maintained that this would not repair the violation, as Apple itself would still retain access to users’ behavioural information without their consent.
NOYB and Max Schrems have filed suit against tech companies in the past and were recently granted judicial review by the Irish High Court to challenge Facebook’s use of data tracking technology.
Reed Smith has apologised for its handling of sexual harassment allegations made against disgraced former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke by a former member of staff 15 years ago.
In October, Reed Smith opened a review into how it handled allegations of misconduct against Elphicke, who was a partner at the firm. The review was prompted by a former staff member telling the Guardian that she left the firm’s London office due to Elphicke’s behaviour, and that she was “particularly disappointed” that no formal investigation was undertaken given the severity of her complaint.
Following the conclusion of the review, Reed Smith’s EME managing partner Tamara Box issued a statement acknowledging the firm’s failure to pursue the allegations. “I am saddened to say that based on our findings, the manner in which the firm dealt with the matter at the time did not meet the standards that we set ourselves and expect today.”
She continued: “Our standards require us to fully investigate all concerns of this nature and take all appropriate action to deal with any concerns we identify. The firm’s response in 2005 fell short of this standard and, rightly, we have apologised for this.
“We are confident that the firm’s current policies and procedures would not allow this to happen now, and we will continue to take all appropriate steps to ensure that our values and standards are met by all who work at the firm.”
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Elphicke, who was MP for Dover between 2010 and 2019, was sentenced in September to two years in prison after being found guilty of three counts of sexual assault. He was described by the judge as a “sexual predator”.
Elphicke is currently appealing his conviction. A spokesperson told the Guardian that the allegations against him were “false and entirely untrue”.
Big Law firm Porter Wright has withdrawn its attorneys from representing President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign in a Pennsylvania lawsuit.
The lawsuit aims to stop the state from certifying the results of its election after President Trump’s Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, was declared the winner there on 7 November.
Porter Wright announced its withdrawal from the case in a court filing. "Plaintiffs and Porter Wright have reached a mutual agreement that plaintiffs will be best served if Porter Wright withdraws, and current co-counsel and such other counsel as plaintiffs may choose to engage represent plaintiffs in this case," an attorney wrote.
The move follows mounting public backlash to law firms representing President Trump or the Republican Party in post-election litigation. Another firm, Snell & Wilmer, also withdrew from election litigation in Arizona.
Following Porter Wright’s withdrawal, the Trump campaign’s case in Pennsylvania will be counselled by solo practitioner Linda Kerns. A central portion of the suit – the allegation that 682,479 mail-in and absentee ballots were illegally processed out of sight of the Trump campaign’s poll watchers – has been dropped. However, an allegation that “Democratic-heavy counties” violated the law by identifying technically defective ballots and then giving the voters who cast them a chance to fix their mistake, will still be heard in Williamsport on Tuesday.
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Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh attributed Porter Wright’s withdrawal to “cancel culture” employed by “leftist mobs”.
Fellow Big Law firm Jones Day continues to represent the Republican Party’s legal efforts in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, though it has stressed that it does not represent President Trump or his campaign.
You’ve worked hard and got yourself a good job in a fairly good neighbourhood. You’re finally started saving and paying off your student debt. You have a pet, healthy social interactions and life is good. All you need is a sweet little home to move in, while you work.
But then suddenly, the brutal reality of mandatory renters’ insurance hits you. Now you have no idea what it is, because you never thought a non-owner would need insurance. But there’s no need to freak out. Our quick little guide should definitely help to get you started.
For the same reason anyone needs any insurance. It helps to insure your household belongings and products such as jewellery, cutlery, silverware, electronics etc. against damages.
Moreover, accommodation expenses that might be needed by you when you’re staying elsewhere during repair of said damages are also covered by most renters’ insurance. Even personal injury is covered, in that if a friend or relative visiting your place slips and breaks a bone, he or she can claim the charges for medical bills from your insurance. In fact, damages caused by your pet to others is also covered under renters’ insurance.
Sometimes landlords will make it mandatory to own renters’ insurance, especially if you own a pet. This is because landlords’ insurance covers the property and damages along with it, but it does not cover you, or your belongings. Thus, any damage to them is not covered by this insurance.
Sometimes landlords will make it mandatory to own renters’ insurance, especially if you own a pet.
Renters’ insurance works on the basis of perils. These are predetermined events that your insurance is bound to cover when they cause damage to you or your belongings. Most of them include acts of God. There are 2 kinds of policies to be aware of, in this regard:
People often lie about theft saying it happened on site. However, we’d suggest being honest. This is more so because several policies do cover theft off premises, like in your car or your workplace. If you do live in an unsafe neighbourhood, it is best to read through your policy and specifically check if this feature is present or not. However, items covered off premise may pay only a fraction of the amount if items are damaged in your house.
In almost all democracies with a state and federal structure, this depends quite a bit on your state. In that, it is the state that regulates insurance, and hence it is the state that draws up the rules of estimating damage. The worth of your belongings is therefore determined by the method the state decides to employ.
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There are 2 common methods of property value estimation:
The question about how much is renters’ insurance going to pay you thus depends on the kind of policy you choose as well as the state you live in.
Yes. Almost all insurance can be moved from one rental to another as long as the list of your belongings stays the same. This is because renters’ insurance covers your belongings and has little to do with the property you rent. A few questions about your new location and a possible re-evaluation of your list of belongings might be the only formalities you will have to go through for this transfer to be a smooth and seamless experience.
The most important takeaway here is possibly that every policy differs ever so slightly and comes with its own pros and cons. It would be best to set up a list of your expectations and then go through several policies to see which one comes closest to fulfilling your use case scenario.
Cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the body start replicating at a rate beyond the body’s control. The medical complication can occur in any part of the body where cell division takes place. After some time, the problem spreads to other areas. Some people are more prone to cancer than others. Some of the risk factors include genetics and external environmental factors.
The consequences of dangerous drug injuries can be devastating. One of the common external factors that may lead to cancer is prescription drugs. Scientists are still researching to establish how drugs cause cancer. Drugs that cause cancer are divided into three major categories:
Ideally, you take various medications to prevent or alleviate the symptoms of various complications. However, some drugs will increase the risk of getting cancer. Here are some of the common drugs that may increase the chances of getting the disease.
The two drugs are classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Some studies have linked the medications to testicular cancer. For the former, scientists recorded 14 cases of cancer with a relative risk of 2.51 after about 10 months of use. On the other hand, they observed 11 cases and a relative risk of 2.44 within the same duration.
Between the users of both drugs, the researchers only identified three cases of overlap. Scientists have evaluated various antidepressants in laboratory experiments and epidemiological studies but have recorded mixed results. Some of them have also recommended several prevention methods.
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In humans, researchers focused mainly on breast cancer and identified no relationships. The scientists have no human data about the impact of the two drugs on testicular cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be more than 9,610 new testicular cancer cases by the end of 2020.
This is one of the most popular heartburn medications in the US. Medical experts from the Food and Drug Administration say the drug has impurities that increase the risk of getting cancer. The announcement was made after one of the local pharmaceutical firms alerted the Federal body that it had identified NDMA in the heartburn drugs.
The regulatory body revealed it has been investigating the use of carcinogens in heart failure and blood pressure medications since 2018, and it is evaluating whether low levels increase the risk of getting the disease among the users. However, it advised patients to continue using the drug unless instructed by their healthcare providers to stop.
The FDA noted that NDMA was harmful in large amounts and was still evaluating the level of carcinogens in the medications. According to some researchers, all types of Zantac they had investigated were unstable and should be recalled as soon as possible.
Some blood pressure drugs have been recalled after realising they contained NDMA. It was established that these two medications contain carcinogens. The Food and Drug Administration recalled Losartan in 2019. According to Federal health experts, the drug had unacceptable levels of NMBA.
The announcement came amid a string of many other blood pressure medications after being found to contain the carcinogen. The agency said that it had identified traces of the carcinogen in Valsartan after being in the market for four years. The FDA estimates that there will be one more case above the average rate for every 8,000 people on the highest dose of the drug.
The announcement came amid a string of many other blood pressure medications after being found to contain the carcinogen.
The medications are used to treat heartburn and acid reflux and are some of the most popular in the country. Some researchers found that PPIs increase the risk of developing stomach cancer by up to 250% after long-term use. The drugs work by suppressing acid production in the stomach.
Before you take any drug, you should talk to your doctor about any possible negative effects, including the possibility that it could cause cancer. If you have any questions or doubts about a medication you are taking now, you should not hesitate to bring it up with your physician.
For this reason, it is not unusual to wonder when you will receive money from your car accident settlement, especially when your injuries are the fault of someone else’s negligence or carelessness.
One of the most important things you can do is to take steps to protect yourself after a car accident in order for your settlement to move quickly. Keep reading to learn how.
One of the things that will have an impact on how quickly your settlement will be finalised is the significance of your injuries and how long you will be under medical care. In most cases, you will want to complete all treatments to be sure you receive the compensation you are entitled to under the law.
Insurance companies are not likely to issue a settlement until they know the total cost of your treatments and whether you will have a full recovery. If an insurance company attempts to offer a settlement while you are still recovering, your case may be worth more than you think and it is better to wait. It may also indicate that the person responsible for the accident has a very low insurance limit.
High insurance limits may result in it taking longer for a settlement to be reached. For example, if your medical costs are $20,000 and the insurance coverage limit is $200,000, the insurance company knows that it is unlikely a jury will award you more than the policy limit, so there is no need to settle quickly.
High insurance limits may result in it taking longer for a settlement to be reached.
However, if your bills are $90,000 on the same policy, there is a chance a judge or jury could award more than the policy limits, which encourages the insurance company to settle quickly rather than take the case to court.
If it is clear who is at fault in an accident, the insurance company may be willing to settle quickly. If the other driver was issued a ticket by the police and you were not or if the other driver was clearly negligent, such as driving under the influence, this will influence the company's decision.
In some states, if it can be proven that you were in any way at fault for the accident, your settlement may be reduced by the percentage you were at fault. Other states will not let you collect at all if you have any responsibility. If there is any chance that you may have contributed to the accident or if fault is not clear, your settlement could be delayed.
Some insurance companies have a reputation for not settling cases, while others are known for making very low settlement offers. If you are dealing with one of these companies, you may have to do a lot of negotiating, or it may require filing a lawsuit to resolve the case. This can delay settlement for some time, even several years. Some insurance companies have in-house lawyers who can delay the case and delay settlement as well.
If your accident involved someone who was working for a governmental entity, such as a city, state, or the federal government, you must file certain information before the government will take steps to pay your claim. In some areas, you may not be permitted to file a lawsuit against the governmental entity at all.
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Your case may take some time to be resolved. The same is true if Medicare or Medicaid is involved, as they may require that the insurance company reimburse any amounts they paid for your treatment.
If you have been involved in a car accident, it is important that you hire a personal injury attorney to guide you through the process in order to get your settlement as quickly as possible.
Slip and fall accidents can cause severe and debilitating injuries or even death in extreme cases. A person may suffer from different types of injuries and may impact their day to day activities, or may leave permanent damage to his body. The damages can be broken bones like arm and hip fractures, spine injuries, and head trauma. The victim might be entitled to compensation for their medical bills and other losses if the accident happens on someone else’s property. It is necessary to have immediate steps following the accident, and that’s what we are going to discuss in this article.
Health should be the number one priority after the accident, and you must always be cautious, regardless of whether you can still move properly. On some occasions, a person can hit their head during the slip and fall but think that they are fine, and afterward found out the severe complications. If you’re hurt, it’s vital to receive proper treatment, and this should be properly documented. Your medical records are crucial pieces of evidence should you decide to seek compensation later on.
Whether you had a fall at the office or any public area, make sure the management knows about your injury. Remember to get all the details in writing. You can ask the owner or landlord or, if the police are summoned, ask how to get a copy of the written incident report. This is very important evidence that your slip and fall attorney will ask for should you decide to seek assistance. The incident report will be used in the preliminary investigation to identify the value of your case and the types of compensation you may be entitled to.
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Have your version of the events reinforced by listing down all the relevant information, the location where it occurred, time, anyone involved, and every detail. You can also take note of the name of employees you spoke to if you happened to have an accident on one of the business premises. Take photos of the injuries and possibly the cause of the accident. If you slipped on a wet or slippery area without a warning sign, take a picture before they can clean up. It’s better to have a wide shot of the location. Don’t forget to document your bruises, bandages, cast, neck braces, or any proof of your injury.
Do not post any details related to the accident on social media. Keep it private as much as possible, and remain calm. Limit your communication with the property owner and to the insurance company unless you have already consulted your attorney. Your statements must be used against you afterward. Do not accept blame nor assign blame to anyone else and wait for the thorough investigation of professionals.
Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere at any time, and you might be caught off guard. This incident might not be your fault, but you should remember the necessary steps. Have yourself checked by medical experts and received the right treatment for your injuries. It’s important to act promptly to protect your rights and seek the appropriate compensation for the damages.
Jones Day has come under fire for representing the Republican Party in litigation over Pennsylvania’s extended deadline to receive mail-in ballots.
Several of Jones Day’s clients, including Verizon and General Motors, were tweeted at by critics urging them to drop the firm. A $500,000 campaign has also been launched by anti-Trump Republican group The Lincoln Project to pressure Jones Day’s corporate clients to cut ties.
Jones Day and fellow big law firm Porter Wright Morris & Arthur have filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of the Republican Party, including four in Pennsylvania. Jones Day has made more than $20 million in fees from Trump-affiliated groups since 2015.
Several cases brought by the Republican Party challenging the electoral ballot-counting process have been tossed out by courts on the grounds that the Trump campaign’s claims of voter intimidation or ballot fraud are based on hearsay.
Critics have alleged that the Pennsylvania lawsuits are not intended to produce a meaningful legal result, but instead are part of a strategy coordinated by President Trump and the Republican Party to undermine public confidence in the electoral process. The New York Times quoted several Jones Day lawyers, speaking anonymously, who appeared to corroborate these claims.
In a statement on its website, Jones Day pushed back against the notion that its suits are frivolous, noting that four Supreme Court justices have expressed support for Pennsylvania Republicans’ claims that the state’s decision to count ballots received after 3 November is unconstitutional.
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“Jones Day is not representing President Trump, his campaign, or any affiliated party in any litigation alleging voter fraud,” the firm said. “Jones Day also is not representing any entity in any litigation challenging or contesting the results of the 2020 general election. Media reports to the contrary are false.” The statement stressed that its client in the mail-in ballot suits is the Pennsylvania Republican Party.
