Under the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"), a federal law, workers are entitled to overtime pay unless they fall under specific exemptions. Computer professionals are often improperly treated as exempt. If you install, maintain, or supportcomputer hardware or software (but are not primarily engaged in software development or other independent, creative work (coding or architecture design)...
The family of an 18 year old recently inducted new fraternity member sued the fraternity and some its active members in a Texa court house early this morning. The new member died from alcohol poisoning during a party at an off campus frat house at the University of Texas at Austin. Khongsavay and Soukha Phoummarath, parents of Phanta "Jack" Phoummarath, named Lambda Phi Epsilon national...
An editor for a prestigious medical journal sounded pleased, yet exasperated in an e-mail to another scientist as they went over an editorial criticizing researchers for leaving out critical data from a study of the painkiller Vioxx."Thanks again with all the time you have spent on this Vioxx situation. The more we get into it, the messier it becomes," Dr. Gregory D. Curfman, executive editor of...
Late last week, Indianapolis-based Guidant lost its battle to keep secret certain documents that may sink its defense in its product liability litigation involving defective heart implantable devices. The New York Times and two Texas citizens won access to certain documents they allege prove that Guidant knew the dangers associated with certain heart defibrillators and pacemakers. In their...
Due to a shortage of health care workers in the U.S., healthcare staffing companies have experienced tremendous opportunities and growth in recent years. Companies like MHA Group, the parent company of Merritt Hawkins & Associates as wells as Staff Care, Inc., and Martin Fletcher & Associates, employ hundreds of workers who attempt to entice physicians, nurses and other health care workers to...
The number of hospital patients who die from preventable errors may be far higher than previously thought, and this trend shows no sign of stopping, according to a new national review of Medicare records by a Denver-based health care ranking group. The findings would make medical mistakes the third-leading cause of death in the country, behind heart disease and cancer. A 1999 study by the...
It's about time. Revamped package inserts are about to hit pharmacy shelves in the near future. In the first time in a quarter of a century, the FDA will change the requirements of the lengthy package inserts included in your prescription drugs. Pharmasicts, doctors and even patients welcome this change. Currently, many people rely on resources such the Physicians Desk Reference and on-line...
First Horizon Mortgage Corp. has been sued by several of its former loan officers. They contend that First Horizon Mortgage did not pay them overtime and violated the law. More specifically, seven loan officers for First Horizon in Johnson County, Kan., had filed suit in U.S. District Court Kansas City, Kan., in October claiming the company failed to pay them for overtime they worked. ...
An analysis of federal crash statistics by the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety found that approximately 31,000 people were killed in crashes involving teenage drivers between the ages of 15 and 17 from the years 1995 to 2004. "While we may think of this as being a teen driver problem, it really affects a much broader audience," said Robert Darbelnet, AAA...
Recently, the city of Mesquite reduced its speed limit on residential roads from 30 mph to 25 mph. The reduction required an amendment to existing state law, accomplished last year by state Rep. Elvira Reyna, R-Mesquite. Community support for the change was overwhelming, as the reduced speed limit came in response to the death on Haloween 2003 of a 10-year-old boy that was struck and killed by a...