Posted inSettlements

Nursing a Community

A row of colorful, modern townhouses with gabled roofs. Each house is painted differently in shades of green, grey, peach, and blue. The buildings have small bushes and shrubs lining the entrance. The street is empty and overcast skies loom above.
Delivering housing options

This summer, a settlement is set to receive final approval, which would benefit thousands of Medicaid recipients living in nursing homes across the state of Massachusetts.  The original lawsuit was filed in October 2022 on behalf of seven nursing home residents that argued the state was within violation of a 1999 US Supreme Court ruling, which characterizes the failure to provide a means for services to those who wish to live outside of care facilities as discriminatory.  In the settlement, the state of Massachusetts would agree to pay $1 billion over the next eight years toward community support options.

2 minutes
Posted inLawsuits

Infectious Menu

A close-up of a cheeseburger on a black slate. The burger has a sesame seed bun, lettuce, tomato slices, onion rings, pickles, melted cheese, and a beef patty. Ketchup is visible, and the background is a dark blurred surface.
Contaminated health

Following the filing of a personal injury lawsuit, a fast-food restaurant that claims its recipes are driven by a high level of quality may now have to defend its slogan.  Despite Wendy’s dedication to incorporating fresh ingredients into its food, a Michigan franchise location may be held liable for contributing to the permanent health issues of a young consumer.  After citing almost 20 health code violations, the Ottawa County Health Department (OCHD) temporarily closed the location in July 2022, and on August 11, 2022, the OCHD closed the restaurant for a second time after discovering additional violations.

2 minutes
Posted inLawsuits

List the Hysteria

A slice of cheese on a wooden surface, surrounded by fresh lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and basil leaves.
Food contamination

Due to a Listeria outbreak and the resulting deaths of two consumers, a selection of dairy products sold by Modesto, California-based company Rizo López Foods has been recalled.  The items were sold in retail stores, such as Walmart, Costco, and Trader Joe’s.  The roughly 60 items removed from store shelves range from various salad dressings, salad kits, taco kits, layered dips, queso fresco, and cotija cheese.  As early as June 2014, at least 26 people have reported illnesses tied to the consumption of the recalled products.  Since December 2023, the investigation was reopened.

2 minutes
Posted inLawsuits

Bottled Up Tensions

Five dolphins swim gracefully in clear turquoise water, their sleek bodies casting gentle ripples on the surface.
Natural resource disaster

The Army Corps of Engineers may face the harsh repercussions associated with opening the Bonnet Carré Spillway and subsequently causing the direct and indirect injury and death of a significant portion of the area’s bottlenose dolphin population.  The spillway was opened in 2019 for a record 120 days.  Over this extended period, as polluted fresh water from the Mississippi River traveled into the Mississippi Sound saltwater, the impact of the flooding proved detrimental.  Many of the dolphins that did survive suffered from skin lesions.

2 minutes