Corporate crime is still a major problem in this country and we, as consumers and citizens, must always be on the alert for improper conduct. Pfizer agreed to pay $26 million to the US Securities and Exchange Commission after a probe into the drug maker’s use of illegal payments to win business overseas. Wells Fargo is paying $6.6 million to settle the SEC charge that it failed to inform investors about the risks tied to mortgage securities it sold. Standard Chartered Bank will pay $340 million to settle charges that it “schemed with the government of Iran and hid from regulators roughly 60,000 secret transactions, involving at least $250 billion, and reaping SCB hundreds of millions of dollars in fees.”  The company Blackwater now called Academi LLC has agreed to pay a fine of $5 to $7.5 million for trying to operate  in Sudan in violation of trade sanctions and other arms trade breaches.

Kitrick, Lewis & Harris Co., L.P.A. featured in "Business First."

Click here to view the full article featuring our firm.

For foodborne illness, often a manufacturer is strictly liable for any injuries or death caused by certain bugs or tainted products. A manufacturer is a “product seller who designs, produces, makes, fabricates, constructs, or re-manufacturers the relevant product or component part of a product before its sale to a user or a consumer.”  There is a reason a company is held strictly liable- the only defense is prevention. It does not matter if the manufacturer took all reasonable precautions. If they manufacturer a product that makes someone sick, they are going to have to compensate the victim. Wishful thinking on their part does not help and is not a defense. Bugs such as e-coli and listeria have been found in seeds, cantaloupe, flour, salads/lettuce, and many other products. And they can kill people.

 

Bugs you need to know about:

www.about-ecoli.com

www.about-salmonella.com

www.about-listeria.com

www.about-campylobacter.com

www.about-hepatitis.com

www.about-shigella.com

Underinsured Motorist Coverage: When Auto Liability Coverage is Not Enough

We encourage all current and former clients to protect their families with uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.  It’s relatively inexpensive and crucial here in Ohio—where motorists only need to carry $12,500 per person in liability coverage.  For helpful information about the proverbial nuts and bolts of underinsured motorist coverage, from the Ohio State Bar Association, please follow this link: https://www.ohiobar.org/ForPublic/Resources/LawYouCanUse/Pages/LawYouCanUse-689.aspx.  

There are some  outstanding government websites dealing with consumer protection, specifically ID theft, medical ID theft, and also there is a good news report on whether buying insurance to protect yourself in the event of ID theft is a worthwhile purchase.

 

First, we recommend that you study the  Federal Trade Commission website pertaining to consumer protection. Check out  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm. Through this site there are many categories one can search for specific help, such  as autos, computers, loans, energy, health, ID theft, telemarketing, etc.

For annual reports on credit -  we advise everyone to these reports at least once a year - go to  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/deter.html.

 

For medical identity theft, we refer you to http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/idtheft/idt10.shtm.

 

For the news article about insurance, read  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/idtheft/idt10.shtm.