Kellogg Co. is recalling approximately 28 million boxes of its popular breakfast cereals Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and Honey Smacks. The lining of the cereals’ boxes is emitting a “waxy” smell that has led to customer complaints, including five who reported vomiting and nausea. The company is investigating the cause of the problem. The products at issue were distributed nationwide beginning in late March.
According to a recent investigative report by the USA TODAY, catering facilities that prepare food served onboard most of the country’s major airlines have been repeated violators of federal health and sanitation rules.
According to inspections conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, many facilities run by three large caterers had a variety of safety violations, including storing food at improper temperatures, using unclean equipment, and employing workers who practice poor hygiene. Some also showed inadequate pest control of cockroaches, flies, mice, and other pests.
A recently-released Congressional report is urging medical schools, medical journals and the National Institutes of Health to take measures to ensure the integrity of medical research articles by curbing the practice of medical ghostwriting.
Ghostwriting is a practice in which well-known medical researchers sign their names as authors of scientific journal articles that were actually prepared by third-party medical education companies for drug or medical device makers. In recent years, litigation and government investigations have brought to light that such ghostwriting paid for by pharmaceutical companies is widespread. The report raised concerns that “[m]anipulation of medical literature could lead physicians to prescribe drugs that are more costly or may even harm patients.”
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that Target Corp. is recalling over 100,000 Cherokee-brand boys’ and Circo-brand girls’ belts because of excessive lead in the belt buckles, in violation of the federal lead paint standard.
Mississippi officials reported that oil tar balls have started washing up on their mainland shores for the first time since the Gulf oil disaster began over two months ago.
Mississippi officials said tar balls and glob-like “mousse patties” washed ashore in at least four locations, but the areas affected were relatively small and no beaches have been closed.
Meanwhile the first-named storm of hurricane season, Tropical Storm Alex, could strengthen into a hurricane Monday. It was upgraded to a tropical storm Saturday in the Caribbean. Luckily, the National Hurricane Center has reported that the hurricane is heading away from the oil spill.
The federal judge overseeing Chinese drywall cases said this week that his court has thus far resolved just 10 of what could be 40,000 claims for damage caused by the toxic product. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon also stated during a court conference in New Orleans that his court is using a variety of methods to determine the “whole census” of potential claimants. Judge Fallon presides over a coordinated docket of Chinese drywall cases pending in federal courts across the country.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against foreign investors attempting to apply U.S. securities law in a U.S.-filed suit.
The court voted 8-0 that foreign investors cannot sue foreign or American firms for fraud or misconduct regarding securities traded on foreign exchanges. The case involved Australian investors who brought a securities fraud suit in U.S. federal court against National Australia Bank. The investors claimed the right to bring suit under U.S. law because their fraud claims involve a Florida-based mortgage servicing company owned by the bank.
For the full story, go to the New York Times.
At least 97 Illinois residents in 28 counties who ate at Subway restaurants have been sickened by an uncommon strain of salmonella, according to the Illinois Department of Health. The department is investigating the cause of the poisoning incidents, which took place between May 11 and June 5. As a precautionary measure, Subway stopped selling some raw vegetable products in early June.
As of Tuesday, daily reports from Joint Incident Command (JIC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that BP has applied 272,000 gallons of surface dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico in the four weeks since the EPA directed the company to stop using the chemicals except “in rare cases” when other approaches to fighting the oil leak proved unworkable.
Controversy over BP’s compliance with the May 26 EPA and Coast Guard directive flared up again this week when Richard Denison, a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, released calculations that showed the company had cut its average daily dispersant use by 68 percent relative to the previous daily maximum levels. The EPA had set a 75 percent reduction as the “overall goal” for BP.
According to safety data sheets released by the dispersant’s manufacturer Corexit, three substances in the dispersant are potentially hazardous and advise users to avoid getting the dispersant “in eyes, on skin, on clothing.”
Despite the potential hazards, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues to affirm that its test show no risk of unsafe chemical exposures among spill response workers.
Baron & Budd, P.C. was founded in 1977 to represent people and communities harmed by corporate fraud and misconduct. Over the years, our attorneys have amassed substantial knowledge, as well as some strong opinions. This website represents our desire and commitment to share some of what we know-and what we believe-with you. It's one more way that we try to live up to our mission: Protecting What's Right.
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