Empty McDonalds fries

California Woman Files Class Action Against McDonald’s Over Happy Meals

Earlier this month we predicted that in 2011 there will be increasing backlash against fast food, particularly when marketing it toward children. By way of example, we cited the recently enacted San Francisco ban of McDonald’s Happy Meals. Now, in keeping with this trend, a Sacramento women, Monet Parham, has filed a class action lawsuit […]

Thermometer and prescription pills

FDA Uncovers More Manufacturing Problems at Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Plant

The safety of our pharmaceutical supply is of the utmost importance and the failure to control the quality of medications produced can have serious ramifications, including long lasting injuries, side effects and even death. In recent years,recalls of medications have become more frequent as manufacturers cut corners in an effort to curb costs. In one […]

Human brain scan

New Jersey Governor Signs Brain Injury Awareness Legislation

There is no such thing as a “mild” concussion, according to recent scientific research. Every brain injury is a traumatic brain injury and requires careful medical follow up. Recent studies have shown that young athletes are increasingly suffering from concussions at an alarming rate. This marked increase in student athlete brain injuries prompted the United […]

White courthouse

Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission Ruling Reviewed by Court

Help at Home v. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, No. 4-09-0977 WC, is a case in which the appellant challenged the Circuit Court of Morgan County’s decision in regard to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission’s (the Commission) determination in this case. The workers’ compensation claimant alleged that she was injured while employed by Help at […]

Ankin law logo

A Look Back at 2010

2010 was a memorable year and throughout the year we covered an assortment of interesting legal issues on this blog. There were a few, however, that stood out and that we discussed repeatedly. First, a notable decision for Chicago was the United States Supreme Court’s decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago (08-1521). At issue […]

SUV speeding

Judge Allows Class Action Lawsuit to Proceed Against Toyota

There has been an onslaught of lawsuits against Toyota in recent years due to design flaws with some of its vehicles. Most recently, two auto product liability lawsuits were filed in August 2010 against Toyota in which the plaintiffs cited six different incidents between 2003 and 2010 involving sudden acceleration and claimed that the automaker […]

Surgeons performing operation

Surgical Errors Continue to Persist in High Numbers

The recent report published in the Archives of Surgery in October 2010 paints a grim picture regarding surgical errors. According to the report, there is a “persisting high frequency of surgical ‘never events, or errors that are entirely preventable and should never occur, despite the fact that hospitals must abide by a universal protocol of […]

heart rate monitor during surgery

Johnson & Johnson Recalls two hip replacement systems affecting thousands

DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, recently recalled two of its popular hip replacement systems the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System due to a higher-than-normal failure rate of the devices. Despite the devices’ marketed success since they were approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in […]

Woman pushing child in stroller

Graco Recalls 2 Million Popular Strollers

Graco recently recalled approximately 2 million Graco strollers because the strollers have been known to cause entrapment and strangulation, including four deaths between 2003 and 2005. There have also been several reports of infants becoming entrapped in the stroller, resulting in cuts, bruises and difficulty breathing. The recall includes the older versions of the Graco […]

Empty McDonalds fries box

San Francisco Bans Popular McDonald’s Happy Meal

The city of San Francisco has effectively banned McDonald’s Happy Meal. The city’s Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance on November 2, 2010 requiring that meals that include toys with their purchase, like the popular Happy Meal does, meet specific nutritional guidelines. Since the Happy Meal currently does not meet such nutritional requirements, it is […]