What is Litigation?
Litigation is the process of taking legal action and filing a lawsuit.
According to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute (LII), litigation is defined as “the process of resolving disputes by filing or answering a complaint through the public court system.” As such, a judge or jury examines the evidence and makes a legally binding decision. This process can include various stages such as filing pleadings, conducting discovery, engaging in pre-trial motions, going to trial, and potentially appealing the court’s decision.
Litigation is beneficial because it allows for a formal resolution of disputes based on laws and legal precedent. However, litigation can be time-consuming and costly, as well as prolonged periods of uncertainty. Understanding litigation is crucial for individuals, businesses, and legal professionals navigating legal disputes and seeking to protect their rights and interests within the judicial system. It involves a comprehensive understanding of legal procedures, strategic decision-making, and effective advocacy to achieve favorable outcomes in court.
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Robotic Drug Dispenser Found to Harbor Harmful Bacteria
Our Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers issued a warning about widespread hospital infections from dirty surgical devices earlier this month. Now, a new report brings to light yet another medical safety issue – robotic drug dispensers that contain harmful bacteria.
A study that appeared in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology reports medical staff at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC discovered Bacillus cereus bacteria during a quality assurance test of drug samples dispensed by a robot. Specifically, the robot was being used to prepare intravenous medications in a sterile environment.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports Bacillus cereus is most often associated with food poisoning. Symptoms caused by the bacteria include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and pain which occurs 6-15 hours after contamination. Nausea may accompany diarrhea, but vomiting rarely occurs. Symptoms persist for 24 hours in most instances. […]
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PA Drivers to Observe Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Pennsylvania just enacted its anti-texting law in March. Now, Pennsylvania drivers will get additional incentive to adhere to the law – April has been designated National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
“The traffic safety community has a simple message for drivers: One Text or Call could Wreck it All,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood in his blog announcing National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), almost 25 percent of car crashes involve cell phone use. In addition, approximately 1.3 million auto accidents each year can be attributed to cell phone usage while driving. The NSC also points out that distractions now join alcohol and speeding as leading factors in all automobile accidents. In a press release announcing the distracted driving campaign, the NSC asks all drivers to pledge: “I will not use my cell phone while driving in any way.”
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that while cell phones are the primary cause of distracted driving, […]
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PA Woman Campaigns Against Texting While Driving
Even though Pennsylvania just enacted its anti-texting law, Jacy Good won’t stop spreading the word that texting and driving is a deadly combination. The Pennsylvania woman knows firsthand the devastation a distracted driver can cause. She is using her personal tragedy to urge Americans to put down their phones when driving.
Jacy and her parents were driving home after Jacy’s graduation ceremony at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA in May 2008, when an 18-year-old driver who was talking on his cellphone ran a red light, according to an article in the Reading Eagle. A tractor trailer had to swerve to avoid the teen, but then slammed head-on into Good’s car. Jacy’s parents both died instantly. Jacy ended up in the hospital with just a 10 percent chance of surviving. Jacy did survive, and she wants to make sure no one else suffers the way she has. […]
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Pennsylvania Makes it Illegal to Text While Driving
You better think twice before texting when behind the wheel in Pennsylvania or you will be ticketed. It is now a primary offense for texting while driving, thanks to the new anti-texting law that took effect on March 8.
The provisions of the law, according to a press release by the Pennsylvania State Police, are as follows:
- It is a primary offense to use an Interactive Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, read or write a text-based message.
- Violators will be fined $50 for convictions.
- This law supersedes and preempts any local ordinances restricting the use of interactive wireless devices by drivers.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving is to blame for 3,092 fatalities in 2010. In Pennsylvania, there were nearly 14,000 automobile accidents where distracted driving played a role, with 68 people dying in the accidents. […]
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Pennsylvania Graduated License Program Aimed at Saving Teen Lives
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports automobile accidents are the number one cause of death for teens. Last month we urged teenagers in Pennsylvania to focus on driving carefully and following the laws when taking to the local highways to help prevent other teens from becoming a statistic. Last Thursday, the USA Today, also hoping to get the message out that teen drivers are at risk on America’s highways, published a special report entitled “Making Teen Driving Safer.”
Although the USA Today points out that nationwide deaths for 16- and 17-year-old drivers declined between 2007 and 2010, the special report hones in on the fact that every day, an average of 11 teenagers die in car crashes in the United States. The teen driving section is, in part, sponsored by Allstate Insurance that is sponsoring the “Save11” campaign to encourage Congress to pass the STANDUP Act. […]
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