Blogs

New Jersey has joined New York and several other states in expanding the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases. On Monday, May 13, 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation easing restrictions on when childhood sexual abuse victims can seek damages in court. The impact this law will have cannot be overstated as it will finally allow sexual abuse victims in the state more time to come forward and hold their perpetrators accountable for the crimes they have committed. The Facts the Signed Legislation The New Jersey Sexual Assault Victim’s Bill of Rights allows child sexual abuse victims...

A growing number of claims against Boeing has been filed in the wake of two deadly crashes involving the 737 Max aircraft. The most recent is a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, where Boeing is based, on behalf of the family of Mucaad Hussein Abdalla, who died when an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed last month. The family cited “corporate greed” and “serious misconduct” on behalf of Boeing. The lawsuit alleges that Boeing failed to inform pilots of the dangers and risks of a new automated anti-stall system known as MCAS. The suit further alleges that the...

The military handed out 3M earplugs for years to protect veterans’ hearing during combat. As it turns out, the 3M earplugs were defective and led to hearing loss and tinnitus in thousands of veterans. Military veterans with hearing loss and tinnitus are fighting back with the 3M earplugs lawsuit. Although 3M knew their earplugs were defective, it continued to sell the U.S. military the defective product. As a result, numerous veterans now suffer from hearing damage. If you have more questions after reading the article below, reach out to Gersowitz Libo & Korek, P.C. about the 3M earplugs lawsuit...

Electric Citi Bikes have recently been the center of attention – and not in a good way. The brakes on the pedal-assist Citi Bikes have been faulty, causing serious injuries to the riders. Bicyclists hurt themselves after they slam on the brakes and hurtle over the handlebars. At first, these riders blamed themselves for the injuries. However, the victims are now changing their minds as they realize that the injuries are resulting from the faulty electric Citi Bikes. This was further confirmed when Citi Bike pulled from service its entire 1,000 electric pedal-assist bikes because of a problem with...

An aspiring New York actress was pulled to her death by a subway train at the Union Square station in Manhattan on early Monday morning, April 22nd. This is the second dragging death of a rider on a platform this year. The 21-year-old woman, identified by her family as Helen McDonald-Phalon, was at the Union Square station at about 3 a.m. when she was pulled underneath a southbound No. 6 train. Eyewitnesses told investigators that Ms. McDonald-Phalon appeared to be dragged by the train. She was found underneath the train with severe body trauma and pronounced dead at the...

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that fatal work injuries totaled 87 in 2017 for New York City. The number of work-related fatalities in New York City rose by 31 from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the city have ranged from a high of 191 in 1993 to a low of 56 in 2013 and 2016. The majority of these workplace deaths have been reported on construction sites. Construction has earned the title of being New York City’s deadliest industry. While construction accidents are commonplace, statistics collected over the past decade show that construction tops the...

The University at Buffalo announced that Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, who was hospitalized after a suspected incident of hazing, died on April 10, 2019. The university’s president, Satish Tripathi, has suspended all official activities of its more than 35 social fraternities and sororities after Mr. Serafin-Bazan was taken to the hospital because he went into cardiac arrest at the Sigma Pi fraternity house near the university. After the police opened an investigation, Mr. Tripathi announced a full review of the school’s Greek system. The unfortunate and tragic episode comes amid continuing criticism of fraternities. Some recent criticism and accusations around the...

Sexual abuse is a problem that lurks in almost every place and every institution, even in Jewish summer camps. In order to assist in putting an end to sexual abuse, it is time to discuss the challenge openly, explore its roots, and find ways to address it and prevent it. Camp Ramah, a large Jewish camping network, has taken a large step to preventing sexual abuse and assault on its campgrounds by taking the full-on hug off the table; Camp Ramah is training its staff to give side-hugs instead. Ramah’s decision comes as some camping networks are bolstering policies...