This is an update on our case, Bixby v. KBR, U.S. District Court Case No. CV 09-632-PK (D. Or.). In the case, soldiers serving in the Oregon National Guard claim that KBR defendants are responsible for their exposures to hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing toxic chemical. The soldiers claim that KBR… Continue Reading →
For those of us in the trenches representing consumers in class actions, it’s always nice to find good information resources in the law blog world. I’ve stopped by the Complex Litigator a few times. I only caught this post on a consumer class against Wells Fargo because… Continue Reading →
I haven’t seen the complaint yet, but multiple media reports indicate that the U.S. Department of Justice filed a False Claims Act case against KBR, Inc. and its subcontractors over allegedly improper bills for security in Iraq. Here is the CNN report. I’m taken… Continue Reading →
Peter Goodman of The New York Times does a nice job here of looking at the problem of for-profit trade schools. The story mentions our class action against Western Culinary Institute/Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland. And while it’s all exciting to see the… Continue Reading →
The Toyota acceleration problem has gotten a lot of press play. Most recent is yesterday’s story about a Prius that went berserk on a California interstate. Looks like the engineering staff at Toyota doesn’t yet have this thing corralled. One of the interesting things about the work… Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Senator Byron Dorgan (D. N.D.) announced yesterday that he will not seek re-election. I’ve never been to North Dakota, and I had only passing awareness of Senator Dorgan until this summer. That changed as a result of my work on behalf of Oregon National… Continue Reading →