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The Henderson City Council approved a $225,000 settlement Tuesday with a man who sued the city and four Henderson police officers after a  New Year’s Eve altercation he says caused him great bodily, emotional and financial harm. According to court documents, Nevada resident Adam Fradella accused officers Kyle Slattery, Kevin LaPeer, Michael Coleman and Ron Russo of violating his civil rights with a “violent physical battery and assault,” causing him to suffer injuries to his head, arms and... Read Full Story

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced the payment plan for distributing the maximum $5 million in tort claim funds to victims of the Indiana State Fair tragedy. With the amount the State has available for victims of the August 13 incident capped at $5 million, the payment protocol guarantees that at least $300,000 will be offered to the estates of each of the seven deceased victims in the stage rigging collapse. Sufficient funds remain to compensate 58 other surviving victims who... Read Full Story

City officials have settled an excessive force lawsuit for an undisclosed amount, federal court records show. Hammond resident John Stancato sued the city and five police officers in 2007, claiming he suffered a permanent brain injury after being Tasered and kicked and hit in the head by the officers. Officers Timothy Thomas, Patrick Vicari, Rich Tumidalsky, Phillip Merritt and Jeff Miller were named in the suit.Stancato said he was protesting Thomas' issuing a ticket to Stancato's girlfriend... Read Full Story

Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR) has agreed to pay an Illinois family more than US $36 million to settle two negligence lawsuits filed after a fiery 2009 derailment led to a woman's death. Zoila Tellez, 44, died after a train containing 7.6 million litres of ethanol derailed at a washout and caused a massive explosion in which flames engulfed their vehicle at a crossing. Her husband, Jose, and the couple's 19-year-old pregnant daughter, Adriana, escaped, but both were injured in the June... Read Full Story

A Cobb County jury awarded a Buford woman $1.2 million in damages for burn injuries she suffered from a cappuccino machine at a QuikTrip convenience store in 2007, her attorney said Wednesday. Cynthia Nance, 52, was scalded Halloween night 2007 at a store in Jackson County when 190-degree water shot from the coffee machine because a part had been removed for cleaning. Nance was burned on her hand and arm as she held a cup below the nozzle, said her attorney, Nelson Tyrone III. Tyrone said his... Read Full Story

A settlement of $20 million was reached in March 2009 in the a lawsuit against Burger King for the devastating brain injuries suffered by a 12 year old boy in a 2005 fall from a play structure inside a Burger King facility. The boy was playing with his 5 year old sister on the play equipment when he fell hitting his head on the tile floor. There was no protective matting below the structure to protect against such injuries. The play structure had monkey bars and a fireman's pole clearing... Read Full Story

A disabled young woman who claimed her injuries resulted from contracting a rare disease, most probably from a parrot in a pet store, has secured a multimillion-euro structured settlement likely to well exceed the highest award ever in a High Court personal injuries action. The previous highest award was €7.5 million for a child with cerebral palsy. The structured settlement agreed yesterday for Patricia Ingle, now aged 22, will pay for the costs of her lifetime care. It involves an... Read Full Story

The parents of a southwest Missouri girl who died in a traffic accident have reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit. Andy and Debbie Smallwood of Carthage will receive $50,000 from American Family Insurance Group to settle their lawsuit against 20-year-old Jarub R. Baird. Baird is serving a prison sentence for manslaughter and vehicular assault after a December 2008 accident near Carthage. The Joplin Globe reports that Baird, who was 17 at the time, was speeding and lost control... Read Full Story

A year ago today, Sunny Dickson, then 17, was sitting in the bathroom of her grandfather's Rancho Cordova home waiting for her mother to finish preparing for the family's annual Christmas Eve dinner. Her mom, Kimberly Dickson, had asked Sunny to help with her makeup, but the teenager said she wanted to have a smoke first. Sitting on the lid of the toilet, Sunny put a cigarette between her lips, took out her purple Bic lighter and closed her eyes. She later told a Sacramento County sheriff's... Read Full Story

Maryland's highest court says an asbestos award should only be reduced to reflect prior settlements with bankrupt companies if those companies admitted liability. Scapa Dryer Fabrics wanted a $1,684,415 verdict in favor of Carl Saville reduced, and the Maryland Court of Appeals complied - to an extent - in its March 23 opinion. Companies that have gone through bankruptcy but are frequent defendants in asbestos lawsuits have set up trusts to pay claimants. "The substance of the... Read Full Story