Archive for August, 2009
Committee investigating judiciary hears about public financing
The Charleston Gazette
By Andrew Clevenger
August 28, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Almost three-quarters of West Virginians surveyed favor adopting public financing for statewide judicial elections similar to North Carolina’s program, a pollster told members of the Independent Commission on Judicial Reform on Friday.
However, 56 percent of the 1,366 voters surveyed said they are against public funding in [...]
Non-partisan election of judges helps, speaker says
The Herald-Dispatch
By Christian Alexandersen
August 29, 2009
HUNTINGTON — A North Carolina appellate judge spoke Friday about the increased voter confidence that followed that state’s judicial campaign reform at a hearing Friday in Huntington.
Lawyers, judges and reform advocates gathered for the hearing of the Independent Commission of Judicial Reform to discuss possible changes in West Virginia’s judicial [...]
Group questions attorney fees for Eli Lilly settlement
Charleston Daily Mail
By Michelle Saxton
August 28, 2009
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Private attorneys fees make up about a third of $22.5 million in total payments drug manufacturer Eli Lilly & Co. agreed to pay in a recent settlement with the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office.
A state watchdog group has criticized the agency for a “lack of accountability” [...]
Exploration of judicial reform warrants the public’s attention
The Herald-Dispatch
August 27, 2009
West Virginia citizens with concerns about the state’s judicial system will have an opportunity in Huntington on Friday to learn more about the issues and offer their opinions on possible solutions.
We encourage them to take full advantage of the occasion, because all of us have a stake in how justice is carried [...]
Ex-US supreme court justice to join W.Va. panel
Associated Press
By Lawrence Messina
August 26, 2009
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will be taking her seat on West Virginia’s judicial study commission next month, Gov. Joe Manchin’s office said Wednesday.
O’Connor’s office said she planned to attend the Sept. 21 meeting of the Independent Commission on Judicial Reform in Morgantown.
The [...]
Open meeting planned to discuss judicial reform in W.Va.
The Herald-Dispatch
August 25, 2009
HUNTINGTON — The first of three scheduled meetings for Gov. Manchin’s Independent Commission on Judicial Reform will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, at Marshall University.
It will be in Room 2W16 in the Memorial Student Center.
The nine-member commission is charged with conducting a comprehensive analysis of [...]
W.Va’s Zyprexa settlement unsealed
The West Virginia Record
By John O’Brien
August 24, 2009
NEW YORK – Pharmaceuticals maker Eli Lilly & Co. has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw over its prescription anti-psychotic Zyprexa.
The settlement provides $6,750,000 for private firms hired by McGraw to pursue the lawsuit, as well as [...]
Jury verdict returned in CSX asbestos fraud case
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
By Keri Brown
August 20, 2009
Click Here for Audio Story
A federal jury in Wheeling has found an employee of a Pittsburgh law firm not guilty of involvement in a fraudulent asbestos claim against CSX Transportation.
The Peirce, Raimond and Coulter law firm also was exonerated in the case.
The jury trial lasted four days in [...]
Jurors exonerate Peirce firm in phony X-ray trial
The West Virginia Record
August 17, 2009
By Steve Korris
WHEELING – Robert Peirce’s law firm in Pittsburgh bears no liability for a phony X-ray in an asbestos suit against CSX Transportation, a jury in federal court decided on Aug. 14.
Jurors cleared former Peirce employee Robert Gilkison of blame in the substitution of a railroad worker for another [...]
Legal reforms would cut health care costs
The Herald-Dispatch
August 7, 2009
As Congress considers a staggering $1.5 trillion health care bill, one has to wonder why politicians aren’t considering legal reform as a simple and effective way to cut some of our nation’s enormous health care costs.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has found that “liability pressure increases health system costs by between $84 [...]
