October '07
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We hope you have enjoyed a well earned break over the summer months. Whilst X-Pro News skipped an issue last month we have still been busy researching relevant items for the October edition, and here it is. Please remember to submit any articles or events via email in either Word or PDF format. We depend on your input to make this e-publication informative and interesting to its readership. Our current circulation is over 20,000 attorneys and over 10,000 experts, so it also makes a lot of sense to contribute - great marketing and totally free! We hope you enjoy the October edition, and stand by for some exciting news coming your way before the end of the month.

Law

  • Peterson et al. v Islamic Republic of Iran (U.S. Dist. Ct., D.C., Sept. 7, 2007) A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has ordered Iran to pay $2.65B in compensatory damages to families of 241 Marines murdered in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marines' barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.

  • International Union of Operating Engineers v Merck & Co.Inc. (N.J. Supreme Court, Sept. 6, 2007) - New Jersey's highest court refused to certify nationwide class-action status over Vioxx, ruling that common questions of fact or law do not predominate the case, and that a class action is not superior to other available mechanisms for redress.

  • USA Patriot Act Deemed Unconstitutional (New York, Sept. 6, 2007) U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said the government orders must be subject to meaningful judicial review and that the recently rewritten USA Patriot Act "offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers."

    • Articles

    'The Grand Canyon of Expertise: Knowledge Transfer, Mentoring & The Cult of The Amateur' Fascinating paper by Marilynne Miles Gray of Mentoring Solutions, Inc. that explores, amongst other things, the seven key characteristics of an expert. Recommended reading.


    Events
    October 4 (Web): ABA Teleconference & Live Webcast: Atlantic Research:The Impact of the Supreme Court's Decision on Allocation of Environmental Costs Between Contractors and the Government.
    October 18 (MO): AALNC, St. Louis Chapter - Fall Conference, Current Trends in Medical-Legal Issues.
    October 11-14 (LA): American Psychiatric Association 59th Institute On Psychiatric Services.
    October 26 (FL): American Society of Safety Engineers Safe Florida Conference 2007
    October (Web): The NSPE has a number of educational web seminars running this month.
    November 10-13 (HI): Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates.

    In The News

    09/21/07 (HI): Superferry Assessment Hears Evidence On Cetacean Impact. The ongoing Superferry Assessment Hearing has heard from Pacific Whale Foundation co-founder and President Gregory Kaufman who has testified about the migration of humpback whales in Hawaiian waters.


    09/04/07 (LA): Expert: Levee Breaks To Blame. A Defense expert has testified that levee breaches caused more than 90 percent of the flooding that killed 35 elderly residents at a nursing home during Hurricane Katrina.


    08/24/07 (AUS): Now it’s Official: Speed Cameras Do Lie. A recent Australian case has revealed that speed cameras are not as foolproof as many thought. Are the floodgates about to open?


    08/24/07 (CAN): Forensic Evidence Can Survive Flames. In an interesting follow up to the ‘Bug Woman’ story in the August edition of ‘X-Pro News’, a researcher has said that murderers who torch bodies won't be destroying all the evidence.


    08/22/07 (IL): R.Kelly – The Hands Have It. Prosecutors in the pornography trial of R&B singer R. Kelly say veins in the rapper’s hand will prove he’s the man caught on tape having sex with a 14-year-old girl. The trial, however, has been further delayed.


    08/20/07 (NV): Judge Rules Government Case Against Doctor Is Frivolous. In a rare victory, a physician turned the tables on the government and won nearly $300,000 in legal fees for what a Nevada federal trial judge found to be a frivolous health care fraud case.


    08/14/07 (Sudan): Drawn in Darfur. Could childrens’ pictures be used in evidence in future trials? Prosecutors may use images by Darfur’s children showing civilians under attack as evidence in a future war crimes trial.


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