Headlines

A second lawsuit was filed this week in connection with a carbon monoxide leak that occurred in January at a South Charleston, W.V., Holiday Inn Express and Suites. The leak allegedly caused the death of one man, William Moran (whose widow filed suit in March), and seriously injured others.

Federal health regulators have announced that Yaz®, Yasmin® and other birth control pills containing the hormone drospirenone (synthetic version of the naturally occurring female hormone progesterone) will now carry new labeling warning that these drugs may be more likely to cause blood clots than other types of birth control. The new labeling is based on recent studies that compared drospirenone-containing pills to low-dose estrogen pills.

A recent article by Consumer Reports addresses the potential risks associated with medical devices such as artificial joints and pelvic mesh. Although millions live each day with artificial medical devices in their bodies, the article reports that "Often, the only safety ?testing' that occurs is in the bodies of unsuspecting patients."

Motley Rice welcomes three new lawyers to its Mt. Pleasant, S.C., headquarters: Max N. Gruetzmacher (SC), P. Graham Maiden (SC) and Ann E. Rice Ervin (SC)

The Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE) issued a warning that inspection of some foreign vessels, including flagships and tug boats, found the vessels to be "riddled with asbestos." These vessels carried fake documentation stating that the materials on board were asbestos-free. Such discoveries prompt concern about the health of seafarers and the global need to enforce health and safety laws requiring asbestos-free workplaces

April 1 - April 7, 2012, marks Global Asbestos Awareness Week, an international campaign spearheaded by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) to reduce the use of asbestos around the world and advocate for the rights of asbestos exposure victims.

JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon experienced what passengers and crew members described as a mental breakdown ultimately leading to an emergency landing during Flight 191's route from New York to Las Vegas. Osbon is being charged with interfering with a flight crew and has been suspended pending a full investigation.

Motley Rice member and asbestos lawyer Anne McGinness Kearse has been invited to participate in the American Bar Association's (ABA) 21st Annual Toxic Torts and Environmental Practitioner's (TTEL) Spring Meeting, "Scorching in the Desert: Hot Topics Facing Corporate Counsel and Toxic Torts and Environmental Practitioners."

Motley Rice member Don Migliori, who also serves as a RWU School of Law Adjunct Professor and as RI Association for Justice President, will serve as the conference's keynote speaker for the Scribes Award Dinner on Thursday, March 29, 2012, at the Westin Providence.

Motley Rice member and human rights lawyer Jodi Westbrook Flowers has been invited to speak at Georgetown University Law Center's upcoming Corporate Responsibility and the Alien Tort Statute Symposium being held Tuesday, March 27, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.