The lawsuit is meant to bring attention to a rise in complaints of sexual abuse in the military. Reports of such incidents were up 11 percent, to 3,230, in fiscal year 2009, and Pentagon officials admit that many cases are not reported. Furthermore, just 25 percent of the sexual abuse cases reported in the military result in prosecutions.

The complaint alleges the Pentagon has failed to ensure adequate investigations of those accused of sexual abuse, and to prevent retaliation against those who file complaints. Current Defense Secretary Robert Gates as well as his predecessor Donald Rumsfeld are both named in the suit.

Sexual abuse and assault fall under criminal law and are serious crimes that should be reported to the proper authorities. Information on filing a civil lawsuit can be obtained by contacting a lawyer specializing in such cases. For information on employment-related issues such as workplace harassment, employment discrimination and wrongful termination, visit the employment law section of Your Legal Guide.

In September of 2010 the FDA announced that it would restrict the use of the drug to those patients with Type 2 diabetes who were unable to control their disease with other drugs. The move came in response to data showing the drug posed an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack, in patients taking Avandia.

Thousands of lawsuits relating to Avandia have been filed in recent years. For more information on these and other defective drug lawsuits relating to drugs such as Actos, Levaquin and Cipro, visit Your Legal Guide’s pages focusing on these drugs. Your Legal Guide also contains information on wrongful death lawsuits, including those involving defective drug deaths.

The suit also accuses AT&T of charging customers for “phantom” downloads, or downloads that never occurred. The company is even alleged to have charged consumers for downloads taking place when the Internet connection was off.

The lawsuit accuses AT&T of breaking federal and state consumer protection laws, stating that the company committed “unlawful, unfair and fraudulent business practices.”

For more information on consumer fraud protection laws, visit Your Legal Guide’s section devoted to this topic. Your Legal Guide also provides background information on a variety of other legal topics, from family law-related issues such as divorce and paternity to car accident lawsuits and DUI laws.

Support for such legislation gained momentum in recent years as genetic research led to discoveries that have allowed people to determine their odds of developing certain conditions, some of which can be very expensive to treat. This, in turn, led to fear that disclosure of this information might lead to abuse on the part of insurers and employers. Patient and consumer advocates expressed concern, for example, that hiring decisions could be made based on a potential candidate’s genetic predisposition to developing diseases such as breast cancer and cystic fibrosis.

Thus far, few employment discrimination or wrongful termination lawsuits relating to genetic information have been filed. More information on employment law can be obtained by visiting Your Legal Guide’s section devoted to this area of law, including articles on topics such as workplace harassment and workplace safety.

Mesothelioma is always fatal, and deaths resulting from mesothelioma are often more accurately reported than cases of the disease. Accordingly, the authors of the study examined mesothelioma deaths rather than cases. To assess the number of deaths between 1994 and 2008, they looked at how much asbestos was used in 89 countries in prior decades. Mesothelioma develops 20-50 years after peak exposure.

In the 56 countries for which data was available, 174,300 deaths occurred from 1994 to 2008. By extrapolating they estimated that 38,900 cases of mesothelioma may have occurred in the countries for which data was not available.

Authors of the report, “Global Magnitude of Reported and Unreported Mesothelioma,” hope that their findings will encourage governments to ban the mining, use and export of asbestos. Moreover, they suggest that developed nations should share their expertise and technology with lesser-developed countries, a gesture they say would help with mesothelioma diagnosis and management in these countries.

Those suffering from mesothelioma can read more about this devastating disease by visiting YourLegalGuide.com’s section devoted to this topic. Family members of patients who died as a result of mesothelioma can learn about their legal remedies by reading our article on toxic exposure  deaths, which contains a wealth of information on lawsuits related to such deaths.

The AngioScore recall, which affects more than 17,000 units, involves the Angiosculpt Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty Scoring Balloon Catheter; OTW 0.018 Platform (multiple sizes), lot codes 2076-4020, 2076-5020, 2076-6020, 2092-6020 and 2105-6020. These devices are used for “dilatation of lesions in the iliac, femoral, ilia-femoral, popliteal, infra popliteal, and renal arteries, and for the treatment of obstructive lesions of native or synthetic arteriovenous dialysis fistulae,” according to the recall notice. AngioScore has advised its customers to immediately suspend use of the instruments, check their inventory and quarantine all affected units.

Class I recalls are the most serious recall issued by the FDA. This type of recall is reserved for medical devices and drugs that pose an immediate risk of injury or death to patients. Any harm caused by a defective drug or medical device may be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. An adverse medical event or death caused by a defective product may also be grounds for a defective product wrongful death lawsuit.

For more information on defective medical device lawsuits, contact a personal injury lawyer or visit YourLegalGuide.com’s section focusing on this subject.

Using data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center, the American Bankruptcy Institute determined that 1.53 million bankruptcy petitions were filed in 2010, up from 1.41 million in 2009. This is the highest number of bankruptcies since the 2.04 million filed in 2005, when consumers hastened to file before stricter bankruptcy rules went into effect. The rise in bankruptcies comes as the economy continues to struggle and unemployment figures remain high.

Many people facing the possibility of bankruptcy seek the services of bankruptcy lawyers. Most consumers file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. More information on bankruptcy laws, including important changes resulting from the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA), can be found at Your Legal Guide.

Medtronic’s Sprint Fidelis leads were recalled in 2007 after numerous reports of dangerous cracks. According to the company, the cracks were responsible for at least 13 deaths. Cracks in medical device leads can prevent the device from functioning properly. The devices in question are designed to deliver electric shocks to the heart when it is beating improperly, and the cracks may have prevented them from doing so and/or caused them to deliver unneeded shocks.

Consumers interested in learning more should contact a lawyer specializing in product liability and defective medical device lawsuits. For background information, readers are encouraged to visit Your Legal Guide’s section devoted to Medtronic lawsuits and defective medical devices. Scores of lawsuits involving Medtronic ICDs and Medtronic pacemakers have also been filed in recent years.

Subtrochanteric femur fractures occur within the bone, directly below the hip joint. Diaphyseal femur fractures are located along the length of the thigh bone. Both are extremely rare – together they account for less than 1 percent of all hip and femur fractures.

The FDA recommends that patients continue taking their prescribed medications unless they are advised to stop by their doctors. Patients who experience side effects or adverse events as a result of taking bisphosphonates should contact their physicians, as well as the FDA MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program at 1-800-332-1088.

Drug manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe. Injuries caused by defective drugs may be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. For more information visit Your Legal Guide’s section on defective drugs. Your Legal Guide also features extensive information on other areas of law such as family law, DUI and bankruptcy.

Approved in 1997 for patients suffering from obesity, Meridia has been under scrutiny for some time due to reports of patients suffering heart attacks and stroke after taking the drug. Meridia was approved after clinical data illustrated that more people taking the drug were able to lose 5 percent of their body weight than those taking a placebo along with diet and exercise.

Abbott agreed to withdraw Meridia at the request of the FDA, which completed a review of data from the Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial (SCOUT). This trial showed a 16 percent increase in the risk of serious heart problems among patients taking sibutramine when compared to patients who were given a placebo. Heart problems included non-fatal stroke, non-fatal heart attack, the need for resuscitation once the heart stopped, and in some cases, death.

Drug manufacturers are required to ensure the safety of their products. Adverse health effects resulting from a defective drug may be grounds for a defective drug lawsuit. Personal injury lawyers may cite pharmaceutical liability, product liability, strict liability and other legal theories to argue your case. To find a lawyer or learn more about pharmaceutical liability and defective drug deaths, please refer to Your Legal Guide’s defective drug section.