Social Media Tactics During Voir Dire

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Schuyler Donaldson

Social Media Tactics During Voir Dire

Social media has been a transformative and connective asset to people’s lives since it first began in 1997. Regardless of the platform, social media empowers users to display their thoughts, beliefs, and actions at the touch of a finger making it easier to learn more about each other than ever before. This transparency has enabled attorneys to utilize social media platforms in their cases and to learn more information about potential jurors during the voir dire process.

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When MDL Judges Overreach: Opioid cases, without jurisdiction, held in judicial purgatory

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Schuyler Donaldson

When MDL Judges Overreach:

Opioid cases, without jurisdiction, held in judicial purgatory

From 1990 to 2017, about 218,000 deaths linked to overdoes of prescriptive opioids led to a surge of lawsuits.[1] With the proliferation of cases against opioid manufacturers, federal and state courts created multidistrict litigation (“MDL”) courts to handle this influx of actions, and tensions between state sovereignty and federalism concerns have arisen.

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What Is a Responsible Third Party and How Can It Affect My Claim?

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Schuyler Donaldson

What Is a Responsible Third Party and How Can It Affect My Claim?

A “responsible third party” is defined as “any person who is alleged to have caused or contributed to causing in any way the harm for which recovery of damages is sought, whether by negligent act or omission, by any defective or unreasonably dangerous product, by other conduct or activity that violates any applicable legal standard, or by any combination of these.”[1] As such, its application casts a broad net over virtually all forms of personal injury litigation.

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Social Host Liability

Posted on June 22, 2020November 20, 2024 by Schuyler Donaldson

Social Host Liability

Does Texas hold hosts responsible for intoxicated guests that cause harm to others?

Who is responsible for a guest who has too much to drink? What can you do to mitigate your risk as a host? What if an intoxicated minor leaves your property?

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How Do Portable Generators Cause Death?

Posted on June 15, 2020December 19, 2024 by Schuyler Donaldson

How Do Portable Generators Cause Death?

In 2006, the Consumer Product Safety Commission studied the rash of carbon monoxide poisonings that occurred from 1999 until 2006. CPSC has continued its study through the end of 2013. The U.S. Government learned that from 1999-2012, 739 people died from generator-produced carbon monoxide poisoning – this figure represents 79% of all CO fatalities during that time period. The combination of cheaper prices and more frequent power-disabling weather systems has led to a dramatic increase in portable generator sales, as well as an upward trend of CO fatalities.

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