Before becoming LegalReader's Editor-in-Chief, Jay W. Belle Isle worked as a freelance copywriter with clients on four continents. Jay has a degree in Business Administration from Cleary University and a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Jay has also worked as a contracts administrator for a DOD contractor specializing in vehicle armor.
4/29/2015 There aren’t too many dirtier words for lawyers than “tort reform.” Well actually, it’s properly referred to as tort “reform,” the placement of the quotation marks being all-important. Much like platform shoes, tort reform’s time is over. Frankly, it shouldn’t have even begun. Hence, the rallying cry of “Tort reform: what a waste of
Colorful Pills by Vera Kratochvil Continual increases have states asking big pharma about astronomical drug prices. Many states are even proposing legislation that will force big pharma to share its development costs and profits as justification for ever-increasing prices. Tony DeLuca, a democratic representative in Pennsylvania, introduced legislation this week saying, “We need to have some
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on same sex marriage today. Arguably one of the nation’s hottest hot topics, SCOTUS is preparing to drop the hammer once and for all on whether I can marry Brad Pitt. The actual decision won’t surface until June, which is fine because… summer wedding! The justices heard two and
A federal judge ordered Mississippi AG Hood to produce documents in Google case that’s been ongoing since last fall. Judge Henry Wingate ruled in favor of Google’s motion for a TRO in March and again last week in a different matter. The most recent ruling requires Hood to turn over to Google draft subpoenas given
A recently filed class action lawsuit claims Monsanto lied about Roundup safety. The suit, filed in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County claims that the mega-corporation’s herbicide is not safe for humans as has been promised by Monsanto. Monsanto states that Roundup targets a specific enzyme (EPSP synthase) that is only found in
The hotly debated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) patent protection could cost lives as big pharma uses the duration extensions to keep affordable medicine priced out of reach of most Americans. In short, the TPP’s benefits to patent holders could result in shocking detriments to humanity. Remember smallpox and polio? Public health efforts focused on saving lives,
State representative Chip Baltimore is blocking legislation that would keep convicted rapists from having parental rights to the children who were conceived due to the rape. This Iowa republican favors parental rights for convicted rapists and dismissed the proposed bill as “feel-good” legislation. His take on it: “It’s a feel-good piece of legislation that quite
Olympus Corp., manufacturer of the TJF-Q180V duodenoscope, might have known about a risk involving their product at least two years ago. At least that’s when it issued letters to European hospitals warning that, without proper cleaning, it’s a possibility that Olympus duodenoscopes carry deadly disease. Unfortunately, in the U.S. that possibility may have become a
The once-taken-seriously Heritage Foundation filed a 100-page amicus brief as SCOTUS prepares to hear the issue again. In the brief, the Heritage Foundation tells SCOTUS legalizing gay marriage kills 900,000 fetuses. The “logic” behind this mind-numbingly stupid claim? If “the gays” can legally marry, there will be fewer opposite sex marriages, which means more women
The Mirena IUD may increase the chances of developing pseudotumor cerebri creating a potential new cause of action. Certain plaintiffs in a 2014 suit regarding the Mirena IUD even asked to have their pseudotumor cerebri claims separated into a unique class. The request was denied based on there not being enough pseudotumor cerebri claims to