The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere P.C.

Unpaid Child Support in Missouri

According to an article in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Missouri has a total of $2.1 billion in child support owed and a dismal 46 percent collection rate."

Pretty dismal. For more details, follow the link to the article.

--Posted by Madison County Illinois class action attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Lawsuits Against Visa Faltering

From the National Law Journal via Law.com: "Consumer Suits Against Visa Faltering," by Dee McAree--

Two years ago, Visa U.S.A. Inc. conceded a hefty $3 billion to settle antitrust allegations with retailers over its "honor all cards" policy that forced stores to accept debit cards and pay higher processing fees.

Plaintiffs' lawyers nationwide have been quick to follow with a spate of similar "indirect purchaser" lawsuits on behalf of consumers, filing a total of 39 separate lawsuits in 20 state courts nationwide since the 2003 antitrust settlement.

But courts have been largely inhospitable, finding that Visa and MasterCard's relationship to consumers is too tenuous to support antitrust claims.

--Posted by Madison County Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Investors Should Sweat Out the Fund Scandals, Says Columnist

From the Boston Herald: "Investors Should Stay the Course, Cautiously," by Chuck Jaffe--

[I]n a world where a reputation can be besmirched by association, investors have at least a mild reason to be concerned. You want your fund company to make the performance headlines, not the regulatory police blotter.

To that end, there winds up being only one path for most investors to take if their favorite fund company gets tagged in this secondary round of regulatory issues: Stay the course, cautiously.

--Posted by Madison County Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Discrimination Lawsuit Settled

From George's Employment Blawg: "Trump settlement cleanses Apprentice application of ADA-offending language"--

On a slow news day about a month ago in St. Louis, there was a front-page story about a lawsuit filed against Trump and the producer of the Apprentice TV show.

The suit was brought by a quadriplegic St. Louis attorney who had been paralyzed during a college fraternity hazing incident and then gone on to law school -- showing admirable toughness and ambition that would seem to qualify him well for going up against the Donald.

The complaint alleged the show's application was discriminatory because it cautions all candidates to "be in excellent physical and mental health" and "meet all physical and psychological requirements," effectively ruling out disabled people from applying for the Apprentice program.

Now comes news of a settlement. For details, read the post on George's weblog.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

The Cost of Uninsured Drivers

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Uninsured Missouri drivers cost $90 million a year," by Shane Graber--

Uninsured Missouri motorists cost those with coverage about $90 million a year, a report released today by the state auditor’s office says.

This audit analyzed how well the Department of Revenue makes sure motorists have insurance and found the state’s monitoring system could be improved.

The revenue department’s staff tests a few vehicles to determine insurance status, but auditors found the current system may drop too many vehicles out of the sample. That leaves some vehicles unmonitored and possibly uninsured, state auditor Claire McCaskill is expected to announce this morning.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Gas Prices Near Record High

From Reuters via CNN Money: "Gas prices a penny shy of record"--

The average price U.S. consumers pay to fill their cars with gasoline climbed to the second highest level ever, and is less than a penny from the all-time record, the government said Monday.

The national pump price for regular unleaded gasoline increased 5.7 cents over the last week to an average $2.056 a gallon, up 33 cents from a year ago, according to a survey of service stations by the Energy Information Administration.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

This Weblog Is Closed for the Week

We'll return March 14.

Drug Companies Not Well Liked, Survey Concludes

From the Washington Post: "Drugs Get Good Ratings, But Drugmakers Less So," by Marc Kaufman--

By an overwhelming majority, Americans believe prescription drugs significantly improve their health and quality of life, but almost as many say the companies that make them put their profits ahead of the well-being of consumers, according to a new poll released yesterday.

The survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 78 percent of adults say prescription drugs make a "big difference" in people's lives, and 91 percent believe drug companies contribute significantly to society by researching and developing new drugs.

But 70 percent think the pharmaceutical companies that produce them are more concerned "about making profits" than developing new drugs, according to the survey.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

More Security Needed for Federal Judges

From the Associated Press via the Belleville News-Democrat: "Federal judges urging more security in wake of Chicago killings," by Mike Robinson. The article contains the following quote about the horrid events in Chicago, in which a judge's husband and mother were killed:

"This horrible tragedy has got to serve as the basis for a substantial increase in security for judges and their families," U.S. District Judge Wayne R. Andersen told The Associated Press.

"The Internet is plastered with information about every one of us and I fear, and my family certainly fears, that these kinds of incidents are going to be repeated unless there is a very high priority on the safety of judges and their families," he said.

He's right: more security is needed for these dedicated public servants, who must live with threats every day. For more, see the article.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Is the Labor Market Recovering?

From the Associated Press via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Jobless claims rise but still point to recovering labor market," by Jeannine Aversa--

The number of new people signing up for unemployment benefits rose sharply last week but the overall level of applications still points to a recovering job market.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that new filings for unemployment insurance increased by a seasonally adjusted 25,000 to 349,000 for the week ending Nov. 27, which included the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Some analysts were expecting a smaller rise -- of around 7,000.