Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog

Department of Transportation Issues Emergency Orders on Railroad Safety After Multiple Accidents

March 4, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently reached an agreement with railroad companies regarding safety measures for the transportation of crude oil by train, often known simply as “crude-by-rail.” Multiple recent rail accidents have led to concerns about the safety of crude oil obtained from areas of North Dakota, Montana, and Canada. The DOT issued emergency orders in early March 2014 requiring crude-by-rail shippers to test products and clearly label crude oil from the affected regions. Individuals and families living and working along rail lines face significant risks of injury from unsafe shipping practices, and the known hazards of this particular type of crude oil make enforcing safety regulations even more important.

The Bakken formation is a geologic region within the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It has been a major source of shale oil in recent years. While ordinary crude oil can be pumped out of the ground, shale oil is derived from certain types of rock and requires different processes, including hydraulic fracking. The federal government issued a warning about crude oil from the Bakken region in early January 2014, several days after a train transporting Bakken crude caught fire and derailed in North Dakota. Bakken crude oil is particularly volatile, subject to catching fire and exploding if not transported correctly.

At least three additional derailments involving crude oil from the Bakken area have occurred in the past year. A derailment in Alabama in November 2013 sent twenty cars off the rails, which burned for several days. In January 2014, a derailment in New Brunswick, Canada resulted in the evacuation of forty-five homes in the immediate area. Fortunately no injuries resulted in either incident. In July 2013, however, a derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec burned through a large portion of the town and killed at least forty-two people, with another five missing and presumed deceased.

Lawsuit Against Pet Store Claims General Negligence After Boy Allegedly Dies from Rat Bite

February 27, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The family of a child who died of an infection possibly contracted from a rat bite has filed a lawsuit against the pet store that sold them the rat. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be a bacterial infection sometimes known as “rat-bite fever.” The lawsuit alleges general negligence, claiming that the pet store, part of the national chain Petco, failed to warn of the dangers associated with owning a rat as a pet. The plaintiffs are seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.

The ten year-old boy, who lived in San Diego, California, reportedly purchased the rat from a Petco store with his grandmother on May 27, 2013. He began experiencing severe pain at around midnight on June 11, including a fever and stomach pain. Paramedics took him to the hospital, but he died about an hour later. After conducting an autopsy, the medical examiner determined that he died of streptobacillus monliformis infection, or rat-bite fever.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people can contract this infection from infected rodents via a bite or scratch, or by ingesting food or water contaminated with the bacteria. Common symptoms include fever, chills, and joint pain or stiffness. The infection can be serious and even fatal, with a mortality rate of ten percent, if left untreated. A significant risk of delayed diagnosis exists because the initial symptoms are often nonspecific and the bacterium itself is reportedly difficult to culture. As rats become more popular as pets, some clinicians have expressed concern about increased risk of exposure.

Judge Reduces Total Amount of Damages Owed by Defendant in Asbestos Lawsuits

February 20, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A federal bankruptcy judge entered an order approving the total damage amount requested by the debtor, a company named as a defendant in multiple asbestos exposure lawsuits. In re Garlock Sealing Techs., No. 10-31607, order (Bankr. W.D.N.C., Jan. 10, 2014). The total amount available to claimants, who are acting as creditors in the bankruptcy proceeding, is $125 million, considerably less than the claimants’ estimate of more than $1 billion. In over thirty years, asbestos litigation in the U.S. has involved claims by hundreds of thousands of individuals against thousands of companies for injuries ranging from breathing difficulties to terminal cancer. The judge’s order in Garlock expressed concern in harsh terms over seeming inconsistencies in some plaintiffs’ exposure claims. The outcome of this proceeding should not impact litigation over other dangerous products, but this decision may already influencing other asbestos cases.

“Asbestos” refers to several minerals composed of long fibers, formerly used widely in construction for sound absorption, fire-proofing, and heat and electrical insulation. It was also used to insulate electrical wires in some consumer products. Inhalation of asbestos fibers over a sustained period of time has been linked to numerous adverse health effects. “Asbestosis” is the name given to respiratory complications associated with asbestos exposure, but it has also been linked to mesothelioma, a malignant type of lung cancer.

Litigation over asbestos exposure began in the early 1980’s and has involved an estimated 730,000 plaintiffs and 8,400 defendants. Insurance payouts for asbestos-related litigation totaled $70 billion as of 2002, according to one study. Defendants have included companies that mined asbestos, sold or distributed asbestos, produced building materials or consumer products containing asbestos, or owned property in which asbestos was present. Lawsuits have relied on both products liability and premises liability theories.

Court Approves Settlement in BP Oil Spill Class Action Lawsuit

February 13, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A federal appellate court approved class certification and a settlement in a class action lawsuit based on the 2010 explosion and oil spill on an oil drilling rig operated by British Petroleum (BP) in the Gulf of Mexico. In re Deepwater Horizon, et al, No. 13-30095, slip op. (5th Cir., Jan. 10, 2014). The spill led to several hundred lawsuits by individuals and businesses claiming property damage, and by individuals claiming personal injury. The recent ruling rejected a request by BP to vacate the district court order approving the settlement. While this ruling specifically involves claims for property damage, BP’s claims and the court’s ruling could also apply to personal injury class actions.

BP operated, Deepwater Horizon, an exploratory oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about forty miles south of Louisiana. The rig was drilling a well located at a depth of about 5,100 feet underwater. On April 20, 2010, a pocket of methane gas rose into the rig, ignited, and caused an explosion that killed eleven workers and injured over a dozen. Oil flowed from the well directly into the Gulf for almost three months releasing an estimated 205 to 210 million gallons. Oil washed ashore in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, resulting in widespread reports of injured and dead wildlife, property damage, and health problems among residents of the affected areas.

BP was named as a defendant in hundreds of lawsuits. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) consolidated many of the claims in In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon,” No. 2:10-md-02179 (E.D. La.), in August 2010 in order to address common issues as efficiently as possible. BP established a fund to pay claims known as the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), which would eventually pay out over $6 billion. Starting in 2011, the company negotiated with the plaintiffs in the JPML case to transfer claims from the GCCF to a court-supervised fund.

Fraternity Members Face Vicarious Liability Lawsuits Over Fatal Tailgate Party Accident

February 6, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Two new lawsuits seek to hold over eighty members of a Yale University fraternity vicariously liable for an automobile accident that killed one person and injured two. A fraternity member allegedly lost control of a U-Haul truck and struck several pedestrians outside a football game. The estate of the woman who died in the accident and one of the women who was injured had previously sued the national fraternity and the university. The national fraternity disclaimed responsibility, but the new lawsuits suggest that it left the local fraternity chapter and its members exposed to vicarious liability claims. Personal injury claims against organizations lacking formal legal structure, based on actions of their members, can present difficult questions of how to determine and apportion fault.

The accident occurred on November 19, 2011 at a tailgate party hosted by the Yale chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) at the annual football game against Harvard. A fraternity member was transporting beer kegs in a U-Haul truck to the tailgate, when he lost control of the vehicle. One person, thirty year-old Nancy Barry, was killed, while Yale student Sarah Short and another woman were injured. The school reportedly responded by putting new restrictions on tailgate parties and banning kegs at athletic events.

Short and Barry’s estate each filed suit in 2012 against the national SigEp organization, Yale University, U-Haul, the driver of the truck, and others. Each lawsuit claimed several million dollars in damages. They alleged that the national fraternity was liable because the members who were involved in the accident were acting as its representatives. The lawsuits reportedly foundered, however, when the Richmond, Virginia-based national SigEp organization stated that it had not officially sanctioned the tailgate party, and its insurer disclaimed all responsibility for the Yale chapter.

DC Appellate Court Affirms that OSHA’s Hazardous Material Regulations Do Not Preempt Personal Injury Claims Under State Law

January 28, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a challenge by the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) to recent changes made to a federal regulation affecting hazardous materials. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended its hazard communication (HazCom) standard in March 2012. ATRA claimed that OSHA overstepped its authority, but the court disagreed. ATRA v. OSHA, No. 12-229, slip op. (D.C. Cir., Dec. 27, 2013). While the case involves a range of complex questions of regulatory law, the bottom line is that the ruling is good for personal injury plaintiffs. The HazCom standard mandates labeling and other warnings about materials known to pose health risks to workers and consumers. The court affirmed that it does not preempt state tort law, meaning that it does not prevent plaintiffs from recovering damages in a suit for injuries brought under state law.

OSHA has authority under the Occupational Safety and Health Act to promulgate regulations promoting workplace safety, but these regulations may not supersede or preempt state law claims for injuries or wrongful death. 29 U.S.C. § 653(b)(4). The HazCom standard, 29 C.F.R. § 1910.1200, requires classification of known hazards associated with exposure to chemical products and disclosure of those hazards to workers. This disclosure takes the form of labels placed on chemical containers and “safety data sheets,” along with programs for providing this information to employees.

Since the HazCom standard was first introduced in 1983, companies have had some leeway as to the format of the labels, but in 2012, OSHA issued a new rule standardizing all labels and data sheets nationwide according to the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. It stated that the rule would preempt state and local laws and regulations relating to labeling requirements, but not state law tort claims, such as failure to warn and products liability.

Lawsuit Against District Alleging Failure to Supervise Group Home Resident May Proceed, Court Rules

January 21, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia partly granted and partly denied a motion to dismiss brought by the defendant in a lawsuit alleging failure to supervise a group home resident. Colbert, et al v. District of Columbia, et al, No. 1:13-cv-00531, opinion (D.D.C., Dec. 13, 2013). The plaintiff sued the District of Columbia and a private contractor operating a group home, asserting various tort claims and a constitutional claim after her daughter, a developmentally disabled woman, became pregnant while in the custody of the District. The court declined to dismiss the suit outright, but it dismissed the constitutional claim without prejudice, giving the plaintiff an opportunity to amend her complaint. If the court dismisses that claim with prejudice, it may lose subject matter jurisdiction over the remaining claims based on DC law.

The plaintiff’s daughter, identified in the court’s opinion as KC, was hospitalized at the District’s request in the fall of 2008. A psychological assessment determined that KC needed 24/7 care and supervision, so she went to live at a group home operated by a contractor, Total Care Services, Inc. According to the plaintiff, KC had a history of sexual abuse and neglect, a history of failing to take her medication consistently, and mental impairment.

Total Care and the District were aware of KC’s history and how it affected her condition, the plaintiff claims, but they allegedly allowed her to have unprotected and nonconsensual sex with multiple individuals. The plaintiff does not appear to claim that any employee of either Defendant participated in sexual activity with KC. KC became pregnant and gave birth to a girl named TC, who was born prematurely in April 2011. The plaintiff was awarded sole custody of TC, but she was born with significant health problems and required frequent surgeries and hospitalization. TC died nine days after her first birthday.

Federal Government Sues Contractors in Washington DC Court Over Allegedly Defective Material Used in Body Armor

January 14, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A whistleblower lawsuit accuses several government contractors of providing material used in bulletproof vests to law enforcement agencies around the country, despite allegedly knowing about defects in the material that caused it to degrade over time and offer reduced protection. The federal government intervened in the lawsuit, and recently obtained the court’s permission to amend its complaint. United States ex rel. Westrick v. Second Chance Body Armor, Inc., et al, No. 1:04-cv-00280, mem. op. (D.D.C., Dec. 30, 2013). The suit is based on the federal False Claims Act (FCA), so it does not expressly assert products liability claims for injuries allegedly caused by defective vests or body armor. FCA cases can benefit people who have suffered injury due to design, manufacture, or marketing defects by identifying and exposing evidence that helps their cases.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia described the background of the case in an order denying a motion to dismiss brought by several defendants. United States ex rel. Westrick v. Second Chance Body Armor, Inc., et al, 685 F.Supp.2d 129 (D.D.C. 2010). In 1996, Second Chance Body Armor (“Second Chance”) entered into a contract with Toyobo, a Japanese company that manufactures textiles and fibers. Toyobo supplied Second Chance with Zylon, a synthetic fiber touted as durable, long-lasting, and heat-resistant. Second Chance manufactured Ultima and Ultimax bulletproof vests using Zylon, marketing them as the “world’s thinnest, lightest, and strongest armor” with the “world’s strongest fiber.” Id. at 132.

The two companies allegedly became aware in 1998 that Zylon fibers experienced significant degradation after “exposure to light, heat, and humidity,” id., but they did not issue warnings about their findings or recall any products. Second Chance discontinued selling vests made with Zylon, notified purchasers of the problem, and urged removal of Zylon vests from service after two police officers were killed in June 2003 when bullets pierced their vests. A study by the U.S. Department of Justice (PDF file) released in 2005 found that only four out of sixty armors met all of its performance standards in ballistics tests, and concluded that the chemical breakdown of Zylon fibers was the likely cause of the performance problems.

DC Court Grants Partial Summary Judgment for Plaintiff in Police Brutality Case After Officer Pleads Guilty to Assault

January 7, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A DC federal judge granted a plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment in a case alleging that two Metropolitan Police Officers used unreasonable and unnecessary force against him. Jenkins v. District of Columbia, et al, opinion (D.D.C., Dec. 18, 2013). One of the defendants pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor assault in a separate criminal case, served a brief jail sentence, and resigned from the police department. The plaintiff then moved for partial summary judgment as to that defendant’s liability for excessive force. The court found that the factual proffer included in her guilty plea included enough material facts to bar her from denying liability for one of the two alleged assaults.

According to the court’s opinion, the plaintiff encountered Officer Kisha Coley while walking on Georgia Avenue NW during the early morning of March 27, 2010. She ordered him to “move on,” but continued to follow him. They got into a verbal argument, and although the plaintiff says he was not behaving in a threatening manner, she struck him in the back of the head with a metal baton. The plaintiff ran towards a police cruiser driven Officer Rodney Fitts, who ordered the plaintiff against the rear of the vehicle with his hands on the trunk. Officer Coley swung the baton, hitting the plaintiff in the hand and Officer Fitts in the knee. She then hit the plaintiff again with the baton. The plaintiff received treatment for injuries to his head, right wrist, and left hand.

Officer Coley was charged with assaulting the plaintiff and Officer Fitts. She pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor assault counts and was sentenced to six days in jail plus a year of probation. The plaintiff sued Officer Coley, Officer Fitts, and the District of Columbia in D.C. Superior Court. After the case was removed to federal court, the plaintiff filed a motion for partial summary judgment as to Officer Coley’s liability on two causes of action: excessive force in violation of the plaintiff’s Fourth Amendment rights, and retaliation in violation of his First Amendment rights.

Corporate Elevator Responsible for Causing Injury Presents Precarious Issue for Determining Liability

December 26, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A case where an individual was harmed as a result of an elevator unexpectedly falling several floors afforded a Virginia federal district court the opportunity to examine the concept of res ipsa loquitur, and whether it applied to the plaintiff’s personal injury claim against two corporate defendants.

In the case, McGriff v. GRAMERCY CAPITAL CORP., Dist. Ct., ED Va. (2013), the plaintiff boarded the elevator on the twelfth floor of a corporate building, intending to travel up one floor. However, once the plaintiff boarded the elevator, it suddenly and violently fell several floors, causing significant injury to the plaintiff.

The building is owned by one of the defendants, which is in turn owned by the other defendant named in the lawsuit. The defendants leased a portion of the building to a third party, not named in this suit, who contracted with a separate company, which contracted with yet another company for the maintenance of the elevator.