PSR Newsroom

A new report from National Public Radio takes a look at the state of hot air balloon safety.  Between 2000 and 2011, there have been 169 incidents in which such a conveyance crashed to the ground, leading to various injuries and five fatalities.  One doctor interviewed for the story noted that injuries are usually fractures… read more

8,900 televisions from the now-defunct Coby USA are being recalled by 11 of the retailers that stocked the equipment because of safety concerns associated with the flat-screens.  Affected televisions are 32 inches, have TFTV3229 as their model number, and were available across the country between August 2011 and this past November.  The failure of an… read more

In this month’s issue of Advocate, Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP’s own Pete Kaufman has contributed a valuable story focused on the ethical concerns that may arise during the litigation of mass-tort claims. After giving a brief history of mass-tort, which has its genesis in relatively recent actions against the tobacco and asbestos industries,… read more

In the modern world, officials take claims made in marketing quite seriously.  Should a product make an unsubstantiated claim that seems dubious, it can get the company behind the item on the radar of the Federal Trade Commission, and enforcement actions could follow if it’s determined that what was said was unproven or patently misleading…. read more

If you’re going to be skiing this winter, then it’s imperative you do so with the utmost caution.  In addition to the hazards you’ll face navigating various obstacles on tougher treks, the biggest danger you may have to circumvent is that posed by an avalanche.  Whenever you’re in an area where that is a possibility,… read more

Automotive technology continues to progress at a breakneck pace.  Current vehicles are already equipped with lane departure warnings and forward collision alerts, and the future holds Vehicle to Vehicle Communication that allows automobiles to interact with one another to reduce the risk of an accident.  And perhaps no technology is more promising that the self-driving… read more

We’ve previously discussed what can be done by residents of cold weather locales to prevent pipes from freezing during the winter, but one thing we haven’t really focused on is what steps to take when those precautions fail and the pipes freeze over anyway.  When this happens, the pipes are in danger of rupturing, flooding… read more

Pedestrian safety continues to be an issue in San Francisco, where three fatalities have already taken place since New Year’s Eve.  A new report takes a look at those tragedies and the efforts of those within the city to make improvements to cycling and pedestrian safety.  The next half a decade will see $17 million… read more

The alleged presence of cockroaches has triggered a shutdown of a Foster Farms facility based in the California city of Livingston.  The move comes on the heels of repeated citations from the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which found cockroach-related issues at the plant multiple times between September and now.  The latest incident, in which… read more

Widespread debate has sprung up in relation to a law that came into effect this past year in regard to the hunting of bears within California.  The law bans the practice of using hunting dogs to corner the bears.  The law was passed to prevent dogs from being harmed during hunts and to outlaw what… read more

Although it’s not something that many people are inclined to talk about with any kind of regularity, constipation is something that affects numerous Americans.  Many times, a person suffering from the condition will reach for some type of laxative to help them out.  However, the Food and Drug Administration is concerned that some persons could… read more

Deciding when the time is right for an elderly loved one to be transferred from an to some type of care center or assisted living facility is not an easy prospect.  Oftentimes, the individual may balk at the idea, meaning that there are going to be some difficult conversations in the future. If someone of… read more