Colorado Law Blog http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/ Colorado legal and consumer advice en Copyright 2010 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:25:47 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.21-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss When Is a Law Firm Not a Law Firm? A Broomfield, Colorado company that misled consumers nationwide into believing it was a legitimate law firm has been permanently shut down by Denver District Judge Herbert Stern.In addition, Stern ordered the company, Legal Aid, also known as Legal Aid US, and owner Daniel R. Ketelsen to pay $238,406 in restitution to consumers. Judge Stern also added $100,000 in civil penalties for a total damage award of $338,406.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/03/when_is_a_law_firm_not_a_law_f.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/03/when_is_a_law_firm_not_a_law_f.html Consumer Rights Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:25:47 -0700 Hospitals May Be Hazardous to Your Health A hospital stay could prove harmful to your health - or even fatal. Some 48,000 patients die annually from pneumonia or blood poisoning picked up in the hospital, according to a recent research study. And hospital-acquired illnesses translated into 2.3 million extra patient days in hospitals, at a cost of $8.1 billion in 2006, according to the study from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy at Resources for the Future, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/03/hospitals_may_be_hazardous_to.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/03/hospitals_may_be_hazardous_to.html Health Care Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:07:43 -0700 Hot Dog Re-Design Needed? Nutritionists have long warned of the dangers posed by consuming the All-American hot dog - excess fat, sodium and preservatives to name a few. Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics wants foods like hot dogs to come with a warning label -- not because of their nutritional risks but because they pose a choking hazard to babies and children.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/03/hot_dog_re-design_needed.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/03/hot_dog_re-design_needed.html Of General Interest Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:27:21 -0700 No Concealed Weapons at CSU Concealed weapons will no longer be permitted on Colorado State University's two campuses. The CSU System Board of Governors unanimously approved the ban Tuesday at a meeting in Pueblo.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/no_concealed_weapons_at_csu.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/no_concealed_weapons_at_csu.html New & Changing Laws Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:52:31 -0700 Hep C Surgical Nurse Sentenced The surgical room nurse who infected at least 18 patients at Rose Medical Center in 2008 and 2009, was sentenced to thirty years in prison yesterday. The judge, in imposing a much stiffer sentence than federal prosecutors had initially agreed to, called the crime "as incomprehensible as it is unconscionable." He said the hospital worker, Kristen D. Parker, had shown "a terrible selfishness."

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/hep_c_surgical_nurse_sentenced.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/hep_c_surgical_nurse_sentenced.html Health Care Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:50:22 -0700 New Credit Card Rules In Effect Key provisions of the Credit CARD Act of 2009 take effect today including those that prevent issuers from arbitrarily slapping consumers with higher interest rates , changing how consumer credit will be provided and used, and who will ultimately get it.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/new_credit_card_rules_in_effec.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/new_credit_card_rules_in_effec.html Consumer Rights Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:16:22 -0700 Colorado Provides Emergency Contact Information If you have a Colorado driver's license or ID, you can now provide emergency contact information to be accessed by authorities. By supplying your driver's license/ID number, date of birth, and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, you can provide the contact information for two people to be contacted in the event that you are the victim of an accident or crime. It is a simple online form at: https://www.colorado.gov/apps/dor/emergency/contact/start.jsf. Complete the form and you may avoid becoming a "John or Jane Doe."

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/new_service_provides_emergency.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/new_service_provides_emergency.html Of General Interest Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:24:16 -0700 Social Networking Provides Evidence In a new survey of divorce lawyers, 81 percent say they have seen an increase in the use of social networking evidence during the past five years. The survey, conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, pinpoints Facebook as the "unrivaled leader for online divorce evidence" with 66 percent citing it as a primary source, according to a news release about the survey.

Many divorce lawyers already tell clients to terminate social networking pages immediately. While Facebook has proven to be the evidence leader, the survey notes that 15 percent of lawyers say they've found evidence on MySpace and five percent from Twitter.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/social_networking_provides_evi.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/social_networking_provides_evi.html Of General Interest Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:38:48 -0700 Colorado Campaign Law to Be Reviewed Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced yesterday plans to take a dispute over campaign finance laws directly to the state supreme court. The governor is asking the court to determine if state campaign finance laws are unconstitutional in light of the recent 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United. See Mutual Destruction in Judicial Elections Predicted.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/colorado_governor_bill_ritter.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/colorado_governor_bill_ritter.html New & Changing Laws Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:35:59 -0700 Facebook Freedom of Speech Can schools discipline students for Internet speech posted offsite? Federal appellate judges wrestling reached different rulings this week in two Pennsylvania cases which posed this question.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/facebook_freedom_of_speech.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/facebook_freedom_of_speech.html Of General Interest Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:30:05 -0700 No First Amendment Protection for Bumper Sticker The First Amendment right to freedom of speech doesn't necessarily apply to bumper stickers, ruled a split panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week in Denver - at least when the bumper sticker in question is on private property and the U.S. president is involved.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/no_first_amendment_protection.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/no_first_amendment_protection.html New & Changing Laws Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:00:37 -0700 Feds Follow States on Texting Ban U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced last week a federal guidance to expressly prohibit texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses. The prohibition is effective immediately and is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Department to combat distracted driving since the Secretary convened a national summit on the issue last September.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/feds_follow_states_on_texting.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/02/feds_follow_states_on_texting.html New & Changing Laws Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:56:38 -0700 Mutual Destruction in Judicial Elections Predicted A divided Supreme Court last Thursday swept away decades of legislative efforts to restrict the role of corporations in election campaigns, ruling that severe restrictions on corporate spending are inconsistent with the First Amendment's protection of political speech. The court split 5-4 over the ruling, with its conservative members in the majority.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/01/mutual_destruction_in_judicial.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/01/mutual_destruction_in_judicial.html New & Changing Laws Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:48:10 -0700 Plea Rejected in Hep C Infections Last Friday, a federal judge rejected a plea agreement for a former hospital technician and drug user who admitted that she exposed hundreds of patients in her care to hepatitis C. He suggested the recommended 20 yeas was not sufficient punishment.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/01/plea_rejected_in_hep_c_infecti.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/01/plea_rejected_in_hep_c_infecti.html Health Care Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:03:05 -0700 Stollers Recalled Due to Amputation Danger About 1.5 million Graco strollers sold at Wal-Mart, Target and other major retailers are being recalled after some children's fingertips were amputated by hinges on the products. The recall by Graco Children's Products Inc. includes certain model numbers of its Passage, Alano and Spree Strollers and Travel Systems. Graco received seven reports of children placing their fingers in a stroller's canopy hinge as the canopy was being opened or closed. Five children had their fingertips severed and two children received cuts on their fingertips.

]]> http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/01/stollers_recalled_due_to_amput.html http://www.coloradolaw-blog.com/2010/01/stollers_recalled_due_to_amput.html Consumer Rights Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:09:27 -0700