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Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary McNeil PPC have been hit with a Tylenol death lawsuit. The parents of 2-month-old Markus Cherry have accused the companies of negligent manufacturing, selling a defective product, misrepresentation and consumer fraud. A healthy Cherry died in April 2010 just three days after being given Concentrated Tylenol Infant Drops. Tests concluded that the medication had been contaminated with harmful bacteria. Cherry’s death led to a nationwide recall of 40 different types of infants’ and children’s medications, according to CBS....

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Shark Week. And while some viewers kick back, marvel at the raw beauty and destructive power of sharks, and think, “Thank goodness I don’t have to encounter those in my daily life,” others are wondering, “Can I get one of those in my living room?” The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is: It depends on the shark! If you’re just seeing some great whites, hammerheads, or tiger sharks swimming around, eating just about everything in their path, you may be shocked to learn there are over 400 different species of sharks, and not all of them so enormous and … toothy....

Sorry Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle, but a federal court in New York found a manager’s use of the N-word among blacks in the workplace was sufficiently hostile and discriminatory to warrant damages. The jury in this case awarded $250,000 in compensatory damages to a black employment agency worker, Brandi Johnson, after being subject to an N-word-full tirade by her black boss, Rob Carmona. But how does the N-word create a hostile work environment?...

Baby furniture manufacturer LaJobi Inc. is recalling almost 5,000 of its drop-side cribs because of defects that can pose an entrapment and strangulation risk for infants. The specific crib models being recalled by New Jersey-based LaJobi are: The problem with the “Pinehurst” and “Hudson” cribs is that a mechanism defect can cause the drop side to detach, creating a gap that poses a suffocation, entrapment, and fall risk. Get detailed information on the “Pinehurst” and “Hudson” crib recall: CPSC News Release....

Whether on account of a disability or religious practice, employees who require a modification or adjustment to their job duties have the right to request that an employer make a reasonable accommodation. Under federal employment discrimination laws, an employer may be required to agree to reasonable accommodations that do not create an undue hardship or expense for the employer. These accommodations may include modifying schedules, providing new or modified equipment, adjusting employee policies, or making exceptions to company dress codes....

Protests during a heated labor dispute has led to police brutality, a Longshore union claims. The Washington union has sued the sheriff and police chief in response to the violence. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) accuses Longview police of intense harassment and following protestors home. The union is locked in a months-long labor dispute at the Port of Longview. The ILWU claims that its members should be allowed to work in the newly-built grain terminal....

When you go to the doctor or hospital, you probably don’t judge the equipment. Unless you work in a field that deals with your particular injury or illness, it is unlikely that you know about the latest innovations in medicine. As such, you may not realize when negligence has occurred. Medical malpractice can happen for all kinds of reasons, including using old and outdated medical equipment. This kind of negligence is often particularly difficult to uncover because it requires a certain expertise in order to understand how things went wrong and what might have been expected....

The slow march toward integrating openly gay servicemen and women into the U.S. military appears to have begun with testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee today in Washington D.C. Testifying before the committee was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen. The New York Times reports that in an unusually strong statement, Adm. Mullen told the committee, “allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do....

There are some who claim that police misconduct, if it does happen, is a rare occurrence, and even so, a few bad apples shouldn’t spoil the whole bunch. There are others who claim such misconduct is rampant, and dirty cops outnumber the good ones. The problem for both sides of the argument has been one of transparency: most police departments aren’t required to release investigations into officer abuse or misconduct or even the number of complaints they receive....

A woman has named film producer Stuart Parr in a dog bite lawsuit along with an Aspen hotel. Parr, his girlfriend Allison Sarofim, and his juvenile daughter were staying at The Little Nell with their black Labrador, Babu, when the incident occurred. Though on a leash, the dog allegedly “lunged” at Beth Fischer and bit her left hand. She’s had to undergo multiple surgeries, one of which left her with a staph infection....

A North Carolina judge has been publicly reprimanded by the state’s Judicial Standards Commission for his online activities relating to a case before him. His misdeeds? “Friending” the defense counsel and discussing the case with him online plus doing extra-curricular online research regarding the plaintiff. Though judges (if foolish enough) can now do it online via Twitter, Facebook or whatever comes next, these are examples of long standing no-no’s for judges: “ex-parte” communications and doing independent research about cases before them....

While many people would expect California to lead the way on legalized marijuana, the state is a mess of overlapping and sometimes contradictory legislation that can vary from county to county or even city to city. When Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom announced his campaign for the governor spot in February, he called the Golden State “the worst of all worlds” when it came to regulating the pot industry. So it’s only natural you’d have a California mayor taking bribes to protect some medical marijuana dispensaries while ordering police raids on others....

You don’t need to Google “school bus crash” to know that the buses we trust to take our kids safely to school don’t always have the safest trips. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates there were 1,214 fatal crashes involving school transportation vehicles from 2004 to 2013, averaging 134 fatalities each year. What do you need to know to keep your children safe on school buses? And what should you do if your child is injured in a school bus accident?...

Hiring at a small business can be a bit of a nightmare. The time spent sifting through piles of resumes and scheduling interviews is only balanced by the benefit of finding a dedicated new worker who can add to the company. But what if you can’t find one? For small firms looking to take on new staff, the high unemployment rate doesn’t necessarily mean a flood of qualified applicants. A survey of small business owners showed that a large minority could not fill jobs posted in July because applicants were unqualified....

Starbucks’ CEO has a “respectful request” for gun-toting customers: Leave your firearms at home, please. In an open letter, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz emphasized that this is merely a request, and not an outright ban or change to company policy. Schultz also clarified that, unless a customer is an authorized law enforcement officer, the request applies to everyone – even at stores in states where “open carry” is allowed. “We recognize the deep passion for and against the ‘open carry’ laws adopted by many states,” Schultz wrote in his letter....

Several states are backing Albert Snyder, who sued anti-gay protesters over their demonstration at the 2006 military funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, a Marine killed in Iraq. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia have submitted a brief to the Supreme Court to show their support for Albert Synder, the Associated Press reports. In the brief, the states argued they have a compelling interest in protecting the sanctity of funerals....

Texas is suing the EEOC to preserve its absolute ban on hiring felons for certain state positions. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed suit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in federal court Monday, arguing that the EEOC’s guidelines “limit employers from excluding convicted felons from employment,” according to the Dallas Business Journal. What does this suit mean for Texas employers, and can your business refuse to hire felons?...

The stereotypical retiree moves south for better weather and a more relaxed lifestyle. (Picture couples playing shuffleboard in Fort Lauderdale.) But there might be some better reasons to change states after you retire. Some states are known for having more friendly tax laws for retirees. So where should you take your shuffleboard skills and your IRA? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Alaska We know, it’s cold. And really dark half the year....

Yamaha Motor Corp. announced today that it is recalling its Rhino 450 and 660 off-road vehicles for free repairs, after the company received reports of 46 rollover deaths involving the popular two-seater vehicles. The free repair offered by Yamaha will include a number of fixes to try to improve the vehicle’s handling and reduce the chance of a rollover: 1) installation of a spacer on the vehicle’s rear wheels, 2) removal of the rear anti-sway bar, and 3) installation of half doors and passenger handholds (if not previously installed) to help keep riders’ arms and legs inside the vehicle, according to the CPSC....

The controversy over the Bair Hugger surgical warming blankets has escalated beyond expectations. When the federal court initially accepted the case as a multi-district litigation case, there were just over a dozen cases. Now, just one year later, there are nearly 900 cases claiming the Bair Hugger caused surgical site infections. Currently, the parties and the court are working on figuring out which cases will be tried as representative (Bellweather) cases....