Brianna Smith, Author at Legal Reader

Brianna Smith is a freelance writer and editor in Southwest Michigan. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, Brianna has a passion for politics, social issues, education, science, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys the simple life with her husband, daughter, and son.

VTech Recalls 280,000 Baby Rattles Over Safety Concerns

January 26, 2018

If you or someone you know has a small child or children, the latest toy recall issued by Vtech warrants attention. The company is “recalling 280,000 Shake & Sing Elephant Rattles” because the “ears on the toys can break off and cause children to choke.” Wondering if you have one of the recalled items? Well, according to the recall notice, only rattles with the “model number 80-184800” are affected by the recall. Additionally, the particular toy has a “purple elephant with yellow and blue ears at one end, with a black and white plastic teething ring at the other end,” and ‘Vtech’ is printed “on the elephant.”

Image of the Denver, Colorado State Capitol

Equifax Breach Prompts Colorado Lawmakers to Improve Consumer Protections

January 26, 2018

A lot has happened since the Equifax data hack that happened last year. Since news of the hack broke, businesses and lawmakers alike have proposed and even implemented safeguards to prevent similar hacks from occurring in the future. In fact, just recently Republican and Democrat lawmakers in Colorado have begun to “crack down on companies that collect and store personal information that could be used by identity thieves.”

Overdose Lawsuit Between Family of Slipknot Bassist and Doctor Ends with Settlement

January 26, 2018

A lawsuit connected to the 2010 drug overdose death of Slipknot bass player Paul Gray recently reached a settlement. The lawsuit itself was filed by members of Gray’s family against “health care providers whom they blamed for his drug-overdose death.” But what happened, exactly, and why did the family blame Gray’s healthcare providers?

Are Hospital Patients Less Likely to Survive Cardiac Arrest After Hours?

January 26, 2018

Did you know hospital patients who experience a cardiac arrest might “be more likely to die if it happens in the middle of the night or on a weekend than if it occurs on a weekday” during regular business hours? That’s what one U.S. study is suggesting. After examining data on “more than 151,000 adults who had a cardiac arrest at 470 U.S. hospitals between 2000 and 2014,” researchers determined that cardiac arrest patients had a better chance of living if the potentially fatal medical emergency occurs during the day, Monday through Friday.

$40M Settlement Reached Between Delaware County Family and Hospital, Ending Medical Malpractice Case

January 26, 2018

Recently, a Delaware County jury awarded “$40 million to the family of a 6-year-old who suffered a spinal injury during birth.” The settlement is the largest of its kind in the county, but how will it be divided up, and what was the lawsuit about that resulted in such a large settlement? For starters, the settlement is related to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Grayson Charlton, a young girl who has been paralyzed “from her mid-chest down” since birth due to a medical error. According to the settlement agreement, “$10 million will go towards past and future pain and suffering, while the rest of the award will go toward future economic damages.”

Image of a Recalled Green Bean Sysco Label

National Frozen Foods Corporation (NFFC) Voluntarily Recalls Green Beans Over Listeria Concerns

January 25, 2018

A voluntary nationwide recall was recently announced by the National Frozen Foods Corporation (NFFC) involving “a limited quantity of Not-Ready-To Eat Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) green beans and IQF mixed vegetables because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.” Potential Listeria contamination is a serious matter because the organism has the potential to “cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.” Even healthy individuals can experience symptoms such as fever, nausea, stiffness, and abdominal pain, among others.

$12M Settlement Awarded in Medical Malpractice Case

January 25, 2018

A recent medical malpractice lawsuit ruled against the University of Arizona Health Network, now Banner-University Medical Center Tucson and awarded $12 million to a “Tucson woman in a vegetative state” due to a medical error. The largest medical malpractice lawsuit in Pima County in the last decade, the suit stems from an incident that occurred on September 13, 2013. In that day, Esmeralda Tripp visited the ER alone and had “been to the same emergency room multiple times dealing with the same issue,” seizures. According to her daughter, Jamaica Tripp-Serrano, she was “generally treated with a Vitamin K shot or plasma and released.” In addition to the frequent seizures, Tripp was also on “Coumadin, a blood thinner medication.”

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Infant Death Results in Lawsuit Against West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

January 20, 2018

Losing a child is always hard, especially when the death could have been prevented. One father who lost a child in such a manner recently decided to file a wrongful death lawsuit against those he feels are responsible for his child’s untimely death, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Eric Gillispie lost his three-month-old daughter, Raynna Rae Boggs, in May 2010 when the child’s mother “passed out on top of her while under the influence of drugs and alcohol at her home in South Charleston.”

175,000 UGG Comforters Recalled Over Concerns of Potential Mold Contamination

January 20, 2018

Are you or someone you know a fan of UGG comforters? If so, this latest recall is for you. Yesterday the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the voluntary recall of nearly 175,000 “Bed Bath & Beyond UGG comforters due to the risk of mold exposure.” According to the recall notice, “mold could be present, posing a risk of respiratory or other infections in individuals with compromised immune systems, damaged lungs or an allergy to mold.” In a statement regarding the matter, UGG said, “The determination to recall the product at the retail level was made after a few mild spores were detected on a minimal number of units.”

Settlement Reached Between the Eagles and Hotel California Baja LLC

January 19, 2018

Who doesn’t enjoy a good Eagles song? Many people grew up listening to the popular band, and even today some of the band’s more famous songs are easily recognizable by even members of the younger generation. Take the band’s catchy tune, Hotel California, for example. However, the band recently settled a lawsuit it filed against a Mexican hotel, Hotel California Baja LLC, to prevent it from “calling itself Hotel California.” Since agreeing to the settlement, the hotel “withdrew their application for a U.S. trademark.”

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