In Portland last week, Senator Wyden held a press conference to announce his support for expanding VA benefits for soldiers exposed to toxic chemicals in Iraq. This arguably sounds bland. It is not. Senator Wyden and Oregon National Guard Vets It’s important for a few reasons. Let’s talk first… Continue Reading →
Recently, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Richard Baldwin signed this order (pdf) certifying an Oregon consumer fraud class action against Western Culinary Institute and Career Education Corp. It took us a while to get to an order. That’s not unusual in class action cases. There is a quiet feature… Continue Reading →
Politicians bowing to the infernal media noise machine appear to be caving on criminal trials for those accused of acts of terror. Gutless. The point is better made here at Defending People, one of my favorite law blogs. Having never tried a criminal case, I have to… Continue Reading →
This is one of those posts that is read only by those who need to know. So first, I am sorry that you find yourself needing to review this information. There is a lot of misinformation out there. This is a summary of what I’ve learned as an injury attorney… Continue Reading →
For those interested, here is an update on the Oregon late fee class action against Comcast. The short version is that with my co-counsel, Tim Quenelle, I filed a class action against Comcast for its illegal assessment of cable TV late fees in Oregon. We filed this case in July… Continue Reading →
Much is being written about President Obama’s first State of the Union address. I didn’t hear the whole thing, but thanks to the miracle of the interwebs, video clips are up. One has already caught my eye. First some background. Here is an overview of the Court’s… Continue Reading →
I have to admit to surprise over yesterday’s vote that passed income tax increases. Oregonians don’t generally like to raise taxes and historically vote against increases in income tax. That one is past, and now it’s time to get real about Oregon’s tax policy. It is often said of families… Continue Reading →
Sometimes the best legal advice to a recalcitrant client about their case is, “Stick a fork in it; it’s done.” And so it goes with KBR and the horrifying case of Jamie Leigh Jones. When Ms. Jones claimed that she was drugged and raped while working in… Continue Reading →
This isn’t my usual gig. After all, to paraphrase one of my heroes, Senator Sam Ervin, I’m just a simple trial lawyer. I am no federal constitutional scholar. Nor am I ever likely to argue in the U.S. Supreme Court. I’m not even an expert on the First Amendment, though… Continue Reading →
After settling into my current schedule, I realized that I would probably work out more frequently if I joined a health club near my office. Westside Athletic Club has a location near my office in Big Pink, Portland’ s US Bank building. So I headed over to check it out. Continue Reading →