| Volume 65 Number 1 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
You cannot prevent identity theft, but you can stop it from happening a second time. In Texas, victims of identity theft can place a security freeze on their account, preventing anyone from misusing their credit. Click here for more.
Report: Debt Deal Very Close
Just a day away from the August 2 deadline, it finally looks like Congress is making headway on an agreement to increase the debt ceiling. The bipartisan plan will be presented to Congress for a vote later today. President Obama announced the deal on Sunday, which would cut $3 trillion in spending over the next ten years while increasing the debt limit through 2012 if passed. Neither side is happy with the final agreement, but it should prevent the catastrophic consequences of a default. Find out what the deal includes! Click here for more.
Bankruptcy Won't Discharge Student Loans
Do you feel trapped by student loan debt? About two-thirds of graduates leave school with student loan debt. The average amount of student loan debt is $24,000, but it is common for students to leave school with debt totaling over $100,000. Many students have federal student loan debt, others have private, and some have both. Unlike credit card debt, student loan debt can't be discharged in bankruptcy. So what happens if you can't make payments on time? Click here for more.
NFL Lockout: The Impact of a Deal
Even if you don't follow sports, you've probably heard something about the NFL lockout over the past few months. Watching millionaires and billionaires argue about how to split billions in revenue was pretty aggravating for the public. Regardless, the public should be glad the sides could come together. Why? Because the economic impact of professional football is absolutely staggering. Cities pull in millions of dollars for every game. Restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, airlines, etc., all generate business by catering to football fanatics. Television companies generate millions in ad revenue. Simply put, football gets people spending money, creating jobs along the way. Whether you're a fan or not, a deal between the owners and players is good for all of us. Click here for more.
Your Money
How much are you spending? Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Aluminum bat maker liable for pitcher’s death. The Montana Supreme Court held that a baseball bat manufacturer was responsible under a strict liability theory to a pitcher injured as a result of a failure to warn regarding the dangers of the aluminum bat. The manufacturer argued that state law allows only actual users of a product to bring a failure-to-warn claim and that the company owed no duty to “bystanders” like pitchers and fielders. The court noted, “A warning of the bat’s risks to only the batter standing at the plate inadequately communicates the potential risk of harm posed by the bat’s increased exit speed. In this context, all of the players, including [the plaintiffs’ son,] were users or consumers placed at risk by the increased exit speed caused by [the manufacturer’s] bat. [The manufacturer] is subject to liability to all players in the game … for the physical harm caused by its bat’s increased exit speed.” Click here for more.