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A&M agrees to pay $2.1 million in bonfire case

October 29, 2008

Striving for closure to a painful episode, Texas A&M University agreed Tuesday to pay $2.1 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from the 1999 bonfire collapse that killed 12 people and injured 27.

 

It’s the first time the university has paid money in the bonfire litigation. The families of four students who died and three who were hurt had sued the university, school officials and construction contractors hired to help build the 59-foot-high stack of logs that roughly resembled a wedding cake.

 

The agreement, filed in state District Court in Brazos County, resolves all remaining claims against current and former A&M employees, including Ray Bowen , who was president at the time of the collapse. Claims against the contractors are pending, and the university is a third-party defendant in those matters.

 

The university said in a written statement that it “regrets” that the bonfire “grew into a massive project without adequate design and construction supervision by an engineering professional and pledges to do all that it can to prevent any future loss of life associated with a student activity.”

 

Read Article: Austin American Statesman

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Attorneys seek class action in FEMA trailers suit

Attorneys representing hurricane victims who lived in government-provided trailers that contained potentially hazardous fumes have asked a judge to combine the cases into a class-action lawsuit.

 

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt is presiding over a batch of cases filed on behalf of roughly 800 residents of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama who lived in trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Thousands of people lived in FEMA trailers after the 2005 storms.

 

Government tests on hundreds of occupied FEMA trailers found elevated levels of formaldehyde, a preservative commonly found in building materials that can cause breathing problems and is classified as a carcinogen.

 

Read Article: New Orleans Times-Picayune

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Bicyclist will receive net verdict of $450,000 in personal injury lawsuit

A bicyclist who sued the City of Columbia and Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission following a 2005 accident, will receive $450,000 out of the $1.8 million awarded Tuesday evening in the comparative fault personal injury lawsuit.

The jury found the bicyclist, Krysten Chambrot, to be 75 percent at fault for the Aug. 18, 2005 accident at the intersection of College and Rollins Avenues involving two vehicles and a bicycle. According to the comparative fault formula, her percentage of fault will be proportionally deducted from the $1.8 million gross verdict.

 

On Aug. 18, 2005, Chambrot was crossing College Avenue when she was first struck by a car driven by Pope and thrown from her bicycle. She was then hit and dragged by a Columbia Water and Light truck driven by Arens.

The accident resulted in injuries that required the amputation of Chambrot’s left leg below the knee. She is an MU graduate student and an employee of the Missourian.

 

Read Article: Columbian Missourian

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

Countrywide Shareholder Settlement Delayed by Judge (Update2)

Countrywide Financial Corp. shareholders who sought more money in the $2.5 billion takeover by Bank of America Corp. must wait to learn whether a judge will approve a settlement of a lawsuit contending directors failed to get the best price.

 

Delaware Chancery Court Judge John Noble in Wilmington today listened to objections to the settlement from other investors during a four-hour hearing. He said he would issue a ruling later.

 

“There are some issues I need to reflect upon,” Noble told lawyers for shareholders and the companies. “I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” He also delayed ruling on a request by plaintiffs’ lawyers for $1.4 million in fees and expenses.

 

Bank of America, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, bought Countrywide July 1 in a stock swap, exchanging each share of the home lender for 0.1822 of the bank’s shares. Countrywide, hurt by collapse of the subprime mortgage market, faced bankruptcy as payment defaults and foreclosures increased.

 

Read Article: Bloomberg

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

$3.2M award upheld in SoCal tainted tuna case

An appeals court upheld a $3.2 million award to a woman who said she suffered permanent nerve damage after eating tainted sushi.

 

Alexis Sarti, 25, of Costa Mesa won the money from a jury more than two years ago but a judge overturned the award. In a 30-page decision made public Monday, the 4th District Court of Appeal reversed that decision.

 

“The money wasn’t an issue for me. I had my day in court and I was happy with it. The money doesn’t make me a better person,” she said.

Sarti became ill after eating raw ahi tuna at the Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point in April 2005. Her lawsuit contended that the tuna was contaminated by bacteria from raw poultry.

 

A message left for the restaurant’s attorney, Roy G. Weatherup of Los Angeles, was not immediately returned Tuesday.

 

Read Article: San Diego Union Tribune

 

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney

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