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School buses are essential (under normal circumstances, when students are not at home during a pandemic) for many parents and for students who don’t otherwise have a way to school, after school activities or sports games. For many, they bring up fond memories of riding to school with friends and neighbors, but for others, buses have been the source of harm or even deadly outcomes. One reason is that most school buses don’t contain the types of automatic fire suppressant systems and protections we’ve come to expect, making a school bus one of the worst places to be during a fire.

Johnson & Johnson announced it will cease production of its talc-based baby powder products in the U.S. and Canada amid thousands of lawsuits alleging the product contains asbestos and caused cancer. Products will continue to be sold by retailers until supplies run out.

History teaches that as in previous national crises, the funds appropriated through the CARES Act will be beset by fraud of every kind imaginable. America’s workers, and particularly the essential healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic, are uniquely situated to witness, detect, prevent and report COVID-19-related fraud on the government by taking advantage of the rights and protections afforded whistleblowers by the False Claims Act (FCA).

New York extended its deadline to file civil sexual abuse claims under the state’s Child Victims Act to Aug. 14, 2021 due to COVID-19.

Since the beginning of this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Whistleblower (OWB) has issued approximately $64 million in whistleblower awards to 12 whistleblowers who reported information to the SEC that either caused it to open an investigation or substantially assisted in an ongoing investigation.

Litigation concerning claims that the popular antacid medication Zantac causes cancer continues to move forward with U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg on May 8, 2020, appointing attorneys to lead the multidistrict litigation, a national consolidation of individual cases.

Eleven Motley Rice attorneys were selected as a 2020 Super Lawyers® or Rising Stars for South Carolina, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Super Lawyers recognition represents no more than 5 percent of attorneys in each state and the Rising Stars list makes up no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in a state.

Over the course of last week, we explored how past work-related tragedies shaped and were often a catalyst for safety policies, many of which continue to protect workers to this day. We also examined the challenges and limitations that affect today’s workers – especially now as the world continues to find its way through this unprecedented pandemic. Now that Workers’ Memorial Week 2020 has come to a close, we’re reminded just how uncertain the future remains for workers.

Thousands of women who allege Johnson & Johnson’s talc-based baby powder caused their ovarian cancer can move forward with claims against the company, a federal judge ruled on April 27.

In the workplace, employees’ knowledge of their rights not only empowers them, but helps to promote transparency, safety regulations and their civil liberties. In honor of Workers’ Memorial Week it is important to apply the lessons we have learned in the past and exercise workers’ rights, especially now as medical personnel, food plant workers and others are facing increased risks from COVID-19 and, in some situations, a lack of adequate personal safety equipment and appropriate working conditions.