Last week the U.S. Supreme Court decided that it was reasonable for a pursuing police officer to force a fleeing driver off the road by ramming his vehicle from behind. Victor Harris, 19, who was suspected only of speeding, was permanently paralyzed in the accident that resulted.
By now, most folks have heard about the administrative law judge Roy Pearson Jr. with his $65 million lawsuit against a D.C. dry cleaner for losing a pair of his pants.
Not surprisingly, this isn't the first time Pearson has filed tons of documents and demanded payment in a court case. Just ask his ex-wife. In 2005, the Virginia Court of Appeals denied Pearson's appeal seeking at least $10,000 in spousal support in his divorce from Rhonda VanLowe, legal counsel for Rolls-Royce North America. Pearson wanted VanLowe to help support him because he was receiving unemployment benefits in 2003 before he was appointed as an administrative law judge in 2005.
Two years ago, Christian Hageseth logged on to the Internet in Colorado and prescribed anti-depressant drugs to a California teenager with a history of mental illness and alcohol abuse. A few months later, 19-year-old John McKay killed himself in his family home.
Upon learning that Hageseth had treated McKay, and that he didn't have a license in California, state medical investigators urged local prosecutors to charge him with a felony. Last year they did, accusing him of practicing without a California license. The maximum penalty, according to the prosecution, would be three years in state prison and state fines.
The insurance industry determined that General Motors' vehicles had the highest and lowest death rates in the period between 2002 and 2005. According to their study, the vehicles with the highest death rate were the 2001 to 2004 Chevrolet Blazers and the Chevrolet Astro minivan was recorded to have the lowest rate. Researchers also reported that the average death rate for all vehicles has declined.
The non-profit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen last month issued a report ranking Medicaid programs by how well they provide adequate medical services to low-income populations. Fifty-five million, mostly low-income Americans get their health care coverage through their state Medicaid program. The report considers federal mandates in four categories: eligibility, scope of services, quality of care and provider reimbursement.
The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against the city of Aurora over its pit-bull ban. An Aurora home-owner brought the suit against the city in Arapahoe County District Court, saying that her constitutional rights were violated by the ban. The Aurora City Council imposed the ban on new pit bulls in February 2006. But it did allow all current owners at that time to keep their dogs if they obtained $200 annual licenses and adhered to a number of requirements.
