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Pedestrians Beware on Black Friday!
The day after Thanksgiving offers some of the best sales of the holiday season, making it one of the busiest shopping days in America. All of that shopping means lots of traffic, which can be hazardous not only to other drivers but also to pedestrians who often share the road. While people should always be mindful of drivers and hazards around them while walking in Santa Barbara County, there are additional concerns to keep in mind on Black Friday. In general, be wary whenever crossing roads, don’t assume drivers see you and will stop for you; always make eye contact with drivers before stepping in front of their vehicle. Be considerate of other pedestrians on sidewalks.
Santa Barbara Women Lawyers Honor Renee J. Nordstrand with Attorney of the Year Award
Attorney Renee J. Nordstrand is honored to be chosen by the Santa Barbara Women Lawyers (SBWL) to receive the 2014 year’s Deborah Talmage Attorney of the Year award for her dedication to promoting and mentoring women in the legal community as well as her commitment to professional excellence. As a personal injury and criminal defense lawyer, Ms. Nordstrand is a trusted advisor to her peers and an active contributing member to SBWL and other legal organizations.
The Law Office of Renée J. Nordstrand Participates in Garage Sale for Santa Barbara Parents of Multiples
On May 31, 2014 Santa Barbara Parents of Multiples (SBPOM) held its second annual garage sale and attorney Renée J. Nordstrand actively participated at this sale, helping the club raise over $2,000. SBPOM donated cribs, swings, strollers, and other items to Susie’s Closet, which is part of Network Medical Pregnancy Care Center. Susie’s Closet provides material aid for women and children in need of maternity clothing, children’s clothing, toys, books, bedding, cribs, play pens, high chairs, and other related items.
Santa Barbra Parent’s of Multiples is a 501(c)(3) all volunteer not-for-profit organization dedicated to connecting and supporting families of multiple birth children. SBPOM provides support to expectant families, families going through hospitalizations and raising of multiples.
Renee Nordstrand Supports New Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at Chico State University
The philanthropic group Omicron Alpha P is composed of 31 members who wrote and began operating from their own bylaws in 2013. This group has recently been adopted by the national fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha and approved by the Chico State IFC Board to be a new part of Greek life on campus at Chico State University.
The new Lambda Chi Alpha chapter is composed of a group of innovative young men who wish to better college life by improving the campus, as well as the Chico community. In the last six months they have conducted two large park cleanups, three homeless shelter feedings, and one fundraiser to fight cancer. This adds up to roughly 500 combined hours of community service and 350 meals served.
CASA of Santa Barbara’s Focus on Protecting Children
Attorney Renee Nordstrand became a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Children volunteer in 2001. She volunteered her time for many years to protect the rights of children in the foster care system.
CASA’s Mission
The mission of CASA of Santa Barbara County is to ensure a safe, permanent, nurturing home for every abused and/or neglected child by providing a highly-trained volunteer to advocate for them in the court system.
What CASA Does
The goal of CASA of Santa Barbara County is to prevent abused, neglected, and abandoned children from becoming lost in the Juvenile Dependency system.
How CASA Works
CASA volunteers are unique in providing information not usually available to the Court. Because of the enormous number of cases filed in Juvenile Court and dwindling resources to adequately investigate cases, judges are often compelled to make decisions based on less than complete or objective data. One of CASA’s objectives is to provide unbiased recommendations to support the best interest of the child, which can be an invaluable aid to judges. All of our volunteers complete an initial 30-hour training course and then 12 hours of continuing education for every year they serve. Volunteers are supported by the CASA staff in their advocacy for children.
California High Court Ruling Assigns Liability to Hosts in Liquor Cases Involving Underage Minors
The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously this week that hosts who charge admission to parties may be held legally responsible if a drunken underage guest is hurt or injures someone else. The cover charge amounts to a sale of alcohol and state law creates liability for those who sell alcohol to obviously intoxicated minors. The court erred on the side of permitting liability in order to provide a strong deterrent against the provision of alcohol to minors. This ruling could open the way for lawsuits against minors as long as cover charges were involved.
In the 1970s, the California Supreme Court made social hosts who serve alcohol to intoxicated guests legally liable for their harmful behavior. The Legislature responded by creating immunity for hosts, but later carved out an exception for individuals who sell alcohol, whether or not they are licensed. The Legislature has further expanded liability, making parents, guardians and “any adult: responsible if they knowingly serve alcohol at their homes to minors.” That law affects only adult hosts.
Compounding Pharmacy Owners Agree to $100M Settlement Over Fungal Meningitis Outbreak
CNN has reported that the owners of a now defunct New England compounding pharmacy responsible for a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak in 2012 have agreed to establish a $100 million fund for victims.
This settlement is only preliminary and must be approved by a judge before it is finalized.
In a statement, the owners of the bankrupt pharmacy said that the establishment of this fund is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing. They claim they are willing to make the money available to help the families of those who died and individuals who suffered injuries “as a result of this tragic outbreak.”
Santa Barbara Family Says It Will File Claim with Congress in Daughter’s Hit-and-Run Death
The family of a 27-year-old Santa Barbara woman who was hit and killed by a drunk driver while crossing the street says they will file a wrongful death claim with the House of Representatives.
The family contends that the driver, who was working as a congressional aide for Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) at the time of the accident, was on official business when he attended a holiday party, became intoxicated, and allegedly slammed into the victim while driving home.
He allegedly did not stop at the scene of the fatal accident at the 500 block of Anacapa Street and was only arrested after he crashed into a tree on Cabrillo Boulevard a few blocks away.
Johnson & Johnson Offers $2.5 Billion to Settle DePuy Hip Lawsuits
Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson said that the medical device manufacturing giant will pay approximately $2.5 billion to settle some 8,000 lawsuits brought by plaintiffs, who claim they have suffered serious complications from defective DePuy ASR hip implants.
The proposed settlement is less than what Bloomberg News had speculated in late November when it reported that J&J was prepared to pay out a record $4 billion to settle those same cases.
The agreement, which was announced in the Federal District Court in Toledo, specifies that $2 billion will be set aside for basic awards. An additional $475 million has been reserved for people who suffered more extensive injuries. J&J also announced that medical costs for those patients would be paid under a separate $3 billion dollar fund.
When It Comes to Teen Driving Habits, the Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree
Teens are always an easy target when it comes to talk about unsafe or distracted drivers.
Of course, the statistics seem to bear this out. In 2011, teens accounted for 10 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a report in 2012 that indicated that the risk of a 16 to 17 year old driver being killed in a crash increased with each additional teen passenger. The risk actually quadruples with three or more passengers.
And teens continue to have the highest crash rate of any group.
But, according to research studies also conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teenagers learn by example and the more parents work with their teens on driving before they go solo, the better and safer those teen drivers will be. Parents teaching teens safe driving techniques in a wide variety of situations tends to rub off.