Chattanooga Law Blog

Opioid overdoses are a national health crisis, and local governments are taking steps to hold someone accountable. Over 450 lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts by cities and counties across the nation. Most of those lawsuits accuse the five main manufacturers of opioid pain medications of instigating the crisis with false claims about the drugs' efficacy and risks.

Many of the lawsuits also name doctors. At least 80 cases name three specific doctors and at least 18 include a fourth, who is apparently named in fewer suits simply because he lacks insurance. These physicians allegedly participated in research, consulting, public speaking, continuing medical education and other activities which promoted the use of opioid drugs. Allegedly in exchange, they and organizations they led received tens of thousands of dollars from the drug makers.

Just as a Florida jury sat down for its first day of deliberations, the parties in a mesothelioma lawsuit agreed to a confidential settlement. The plaintiff, a former tile worker, had been seeking $11.5 million in damages from Vanderbilt Minerals, LLC, which produces talc used in ceramic products. According to the plaintiff's attorney, Vanderbilt Minerals' talc products are largely the product of a single mine which has been shown to contain asbestos.

As is common in mesothelioma cases, the defense argued that there were a number of plausible sources of asbestos to which the plaintiff might have been exposed. For example, the plaintiff could have been exposed when performing brake jobs, which he occasionally did as a hobby. Furthermore, the defense argued that the plaintiff's employer, Florida Tile Company, may not have provided adequate safety training for working with talc.

The Tennessee legislature is considering changing the state's implied consent law, which requires drivers to provide breath or blood samples when suspected of DUI. You can lawfully refuse the test, but there are consequences. For a first offense, your driver's license will be revoked for a year.

Revocation of your license may be inconvenient, but it is considered an administrative as opposed to a criminal penalty. In some circumstances, however, refusal can be criminal. When a suspect is driving on a revoked license, refusing a breath or blood test is a Class A misdemeanor. It's also a Class A misdemeanor to prevent or obstruct someone from taking the test.

If you are a parent whose child has suffered a head injury, you have every reason to be concerned.

After all, it's becoming more and more widely known that mild-to-severe brain injuries can have long-term negative effects.

But is it true that even less-severe brain injuries suffered by children can lead to enhanced risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?