In a case that could prove to be one of the most important privacy rights battles of the modern era, the 3rd Circuit will hear arguments this week on the proper legal standard to apply when prosecutors demand cell phone location data. The 3rd Circuit will become the first federal appellate court to tackle the question as Justice Department lawyers square off against a coalition of privacy and civil liberties lawyers from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy & Technology and the ACLU.
As of Friday, Toyota had attracted more than a dozen class actions filed on behalf of consumers who allege that Toyota's failure to adequately disclose problems with its accelerator pedals amounted to fraud. Despite the rising litigation, the consumer claims face a number of obstacles, according to some law professors and defense attorneys. Consumers will have to prove actual economic damages and assert individual claims that are consistent enough to merit class certification by federal courts.
Bernard Madoff's brother, sons and a niece, accused in a lawsuit of using the family finance business like a "piggy bank," have agreed to an asset freeze, according to a document filed in court Friday. Trustee Irving Picard sued the family members in November, seeking nearly $200 million that he said had enabled them to live lavishly at the expense of Madoff investors. The consent order requires them to seek permission from Picard to spend more than $1,000 except in the case of exemptions such as legal or medical fees.
Why make substantial changes to a successful software platform when you could easily get by with tiny improvements and call it new? That was the question consultant Brett Burney answered as he explored the new processing and review features of Clearwell E-Discovery Platform version 5.0.
Before the market meltdown in the fall of 2008, Charlotte, N.C., was headquarters to the largest and third-largest banks in the United States measured by deposits -- Bank of America and Wachovia Corp. But in the last 18 months, the banks that used to be the biggest exclamation points in a booming regional economy became Charlotte's biggest question marks. As the banks go, so go their law firms. Last year there were cuts in 18 of the 21 Am Law 200 offices in Charlotte, and the cuts were deep.
With its Monday announcement that it is opening offices in Sydney and Perth with 17 locally recruited partners, British legal giant Allen & Overy is clearly making a major push into Australia. The newly hired group counts 15 former partners of Australian firm Clayton Utz, and two from Freehills. The move by one of London's top corporate firms highlights the growing conviction among U.K. shops that Australia presents a potentially lucrative route into the expanding Asian markets.
The New York legal market saw demand rise in the last months of 2009, with improved conditions in litigation and corporate practice areas. In its quarterly report on market conditions, consulting firm Hildebrandt Baker Robbins said demand nationwide grew 2 percent in the last three months of last year compared to the same period in 2008, with New York experiencing the strongest growth in billable hours of the major markets.
The SEC has voluntarily dropped its civil case against four former Broadcom executives, including the former general counsel. It was the latest setback in the U.S. government's pursuit of securities fraud tied to stock options backdating at Broadcom. In December, a federal judge dismissed criminal charges against Broadcom co-founder Henry Nicholas and former CFO William Ruehle, largely due to prosecutorial misconduct. The judge also dismissed the SEC's related complaint but gave the commission the option to amend the charges.
A New York federal judge has approved several settlement agreements between the government, trustees charged with liquidating the estate of disbarred attorney Marc Dreier and his defunct 250-attorney law firm, and other parties affected by his massive fraud. Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled Friday that a coordination agreement, which prevents the federal government from going after the proceeds of avoidance actions brought by the trustee for Dreier LLP, was "reasonable and in the best interests of the victims collectively."
OUTRAGEOUS RIAA - the nature of the RIAA threat to US 5th and 8th amendment due process rights
Peanut Butter Salmonella danger escalates
Created on 06/28/2006 12:31 AM by leflaw
Updated on 02/19/2009 08:33 AM by leflaw
Announcements
Use of Dietary Supplements Pose Health, Financial Risks
Posted by: leflaw on 06/12/2009 09:50 AM
(Read: 832)
The sale of some dietary supplements is often a financial scam, rather than a healthy choice. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that some weight loss supplements such as, hoodia, acai, and colon cleanser capsules might not work, could be dangerous, and are hitting consumers hard in the wallet with expensive monthly charges.
WRITE TO WHITEHOUSE.GOV about RIAA COPYRIGHT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST!
Posted by: leflaw on 02/19/2009 08:26 AM
(Read: 1176)
The Dept. of Justice is threatening to weigh in on one of the numerous cases relating to the Constitutionality of statutory damages in copyright law. In case anyone hasn’t heard this, the Obama Administration has larded the DOJ with numerous copyright litigators and lobbyists. Leflaw represents the defendant in this case.
Posted by: leflaw on 02/11/2009 07:52 AM
(Read: 1228)
Peanut Company Closes Second Plant . Peanut Co. President and Victims' Families Invited to Testify Wednesday Before Congress.
As people with personal connections to the salmonella outbreak prepared to testify Wednesday morning on Capitol Hill, a flurry of activity continued in one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history.
New developments unfolded this week in a chain of events that has resulted in the removal of 1,845 peanut products from store shelves, following more than 600 illnesses and an estimated eight deaths linked to bad peanuts.
The FBI raided the Peanut Corporation of America's Blakely, Ga., facility Monday as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the peanut recall. The company's subsidiary in Plainview, Texas, today announced it, too, would temporarily close its doors after lab tests detected the possible presence of salmonella.
Posted by: leflaw on 02/08/2009 07:59 AM
(Read: 1208)
Federal food regulators describe a massive salmonella outbreak traced to a Georgia peanut butter plant in 2007 as “a wake-up call.” But that realization did not lead officials to scrutinize at least one other peanut processor: the Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely.
They didn’t even know the plant made peanut butter. Uncertain? See our guide to which peanut products are safe and which should be thrown out. A16
> Recalled products remain on some shelves, but merchants say that’s not necessarily their fault. A17
> Georgia agriculture was already facing a difficult year. Then along came the peanut crisis. D1
Senators rebuke federal regulators in peanut-borne salmonella outbreak
Posted by: leflaw on 02/06/2009 06:58 AM
(Read: 1204)
latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-peanut-fda6-2009feb06,0,6599717.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Senators rebuke federal regulators in peanut-borne salmonella outbreak
Agriculture committee members fault a lack of coordination and authority, saying a Georgia peanut facility was not adequately overseen. Some people call for an agency to regulate only food.
By Ben Meyerson
February 6, 2009
Reporting from Washington — Members of a Senate panel rebuked federal health and food safety regulators Thursday for slow intervention in the nation's peanut-borne salmonella outbreak, demanding that officials find ways to cooperate when responsibility is split among different agencies.
"All of this happened because of a failure -- the failure of our government to prevent unsafe food from entering the food chain," Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told officials from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at an agriculture committee hearing.
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), lamenting the lack of food safety enforcement authority, said he wanted to see steeper penalties than fines.
"I'd like to see some people go to jail," Leahy said. "You give them a fine, well, it's just the cost of doing business. But if somebody thinks they're going to go to jail . . . that's an entirely different thing."
Federal officials are investigating a Georgia plant operated by Peanut Corp. of America in connection with an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that has sickened nearly 600 people in more than 40 states. Eight may have died because of it.
Senators focused on the absence of strict regulation of the plant in Blakely, Ga., which had not undergone an FDA inspection since 2001. The FDA contracted its operations to Georgia in 2006. State inspectors repeatedly found sanitation problems at the plant from 2006 to 2008, including grease and food buildup and gaps in doors that could allow rodents to enter, according to news reports.
The FDA, by invoking federal anti-terrorism laws, later obtained internal company test records that Georgia inspectors could not -- including lab tests that found salmonella on 12 occasions in the last two years.
"We simply have an outdated system. Whatever worked 50 to 100 years ago certainly isn't working the way it used to," said Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).
The answer, Harkin said, is more cooperation among the agencies responsible for regulating food safety and more authority for regulators.
"We saw the impact of deregulation on our financial sector, and now we are seeing the impact of weak oversight on food safety inspections," Harkin said after the hearing. "Food safety in America has too often become a hit-or-miss gamble, and that is truly frightening."
Harkin proposed a uniform database allowing physicians across the country to enter information. He also suggested the possibility of a new federal agency dedicated solely to food.
Marion Nestle, a nutrition, food studies and public health professor at New York University, said in an interview that forming a single agency was essential. "Food safety agencies have proven over and over again that they cannot work together," Nestle said. "How much worse does it have to get?"
FDA Reaches Settlement with California Hearing Device Maker
Posted by: leflaw on 07/24/2008 12:47 PM
(Read: 2121)
If you have had a negative experience with a cochlear implant, visit noticenetwork.com
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reached a settlement with California hearing device manufacturer Advanced Bionics LLC and its president and CEO Jeffrey Greiner over alleged violations of federal law.
Are Real Estate Title Companies ripping off consumers with false filing fees?
Posted by: leflaw on 06/03/2008 02:58 AM
(Read: 2562)
Apparently, some title companies are. Here is a case that we just came across where a New Jersey Title company was pocketing filing fees, and not filing anything. This is a violation of many states consumers laws. CLICK HERE FOR PDF file of complaint
A Los Angeles judge has blasted one of the nation's leading plaintiffs
firms in asbestos litigation for trying to get the upper hand in a case
through what he called a "type of judicially sanctioned extortion." The
judge concluded that Waters & Kraus had re-filed in California a case
that was first filed in Texas as a way to force a settlement. Calling
such tactics a "waste of the court's time," the judge said Waters &
Kraus has played the same "grisly game of asbestos litigation" in at
least nine cases.
Employees in Massachusetts who injure themselves at work may not be entitled to disability retirement benefits if their employer accommodates them with a lighter job.
A recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling held that employers can change an injured worker's duties to keep him on the job and prevent him from going into retirement and collecting disability.
A new study projects growth of roughly 5% in corporate legal spending over the next six months, but corporate lawyers say that fixed legal budgets preclude most increases and that any higher legal spending that is tied to the economic crisis is temporary and unsustainable.
U.S. News & World Report said that it is "investigating" Brooklyn Law School's responses to the magazine's annual law school ranking survey, specifically with respect to part-time students. The magazine said some rival law schools noted that Brooklyn Law wasn't listed in the part-time ranking and questioned whether the school also excluded part-time students in its responses for the overall ranking in an effort to boost its ranking.
Lewis and Roca has opened its first California office in Silicon Valley's Mountain View with the addition of three intellectual property attorneys from White & Case: Frank Hiscox and Dana Brody-Brown, who now are partners at Lewis and Roca, and Alexa Horne, who has joined of counsel.
A Los Angeles judge, ruling on a case of first impression, has found that the federal CAN-SPAM Act preempts a California law designed to curb false and misleading commercial emails.
The May 4 ruling, which throws out a case claiming $45 million in damages, is the first to address the pre-emption issue in California's state courts and could stymie future suits filed under the statute.
The U.S. Department of Justice is cracking down on employers that discriminate against returning injured soldiers, who are having a hard time getting their old jobs back, either being demoted, or denied work altogether. DOJ is suing employers nationwide — almost on a weekly basis — for failing to promptly re-employ returning service men and women, in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
Plantiffs' law firms Baron & Budd of Dallas and Miami-based Alters, Boldt, Brown, Rash & Culmo are teaming up to work on the groundswell of class actions being filed against homebuilders using Chinese-made drywall.
Massachusetts medical malpractice lawsuit filings continued their downward trajectory last year, with cases falling below the 500 mark for the first time this decade, according to Massachusetts state court data.
A surprising thing is happening among companies spurred by the financial crisis to take a sharp pencil to operating budgets and scrutinize spending. As business contracts and companies trim outside legal costs, seek fee reductions and alternative billing arrangements, and pare rosters of outside firms altogether, epic layoffs within large law firms have been the obvious result.
For some contract lawyers, work is synonymous with being a galley slave, performing grunt jobs in stuffy basements or offices far removed from meaningful contact with other legal professionals.
From firm leaders to potential laterals, everyone involved with the movement of lateral partners wants to know how the market is, whether things are different now than in other downturns and whether firms are really making commitments in these uncertain times. The answer is both simple and complicated.
Enterprising lawyers who form new businesses that are irresistibly attractive to both clients and talent alike likely will drive a fundamental change in the way the business of law is conducted. Economic distress and frustrated clientele are merely catalysts of that change.
A recent article in The New York Times suggested that enrollment in college humanities courses is declining and that the humanities, to retain their following, must "justify their worth." The study of literature gives a lawyer, particularly a trial lawyer, many of the skills he or she needs to assess evidence and persuade a trier of fact.
Fannie Mae, the government-backed mortgage-finance company, recently stopped guaranteeing mortgages in condo buildings where fewer than 70% of the units have been sold, up from 51%. Lenders, which want to repackage loans to secondary buyers, have taken note of the new guidelines, and many banks are now refusing to make loans that Fannie Mae won't guarantee. This has resulted in essentially all new condominium projects being doomed.
The National Research Council of the National Academies of Science released in February a long-awaited report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. The findings could play a major rule in shaping the future treatment of expert evidence.
Michael Elkin has been named managing partner of Winston & Strawn's New York office and elected to the firm's executive committee. Plus more law firm movers in this week's column.
The sudden, if unsurprising, announcement that Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter will retire instantly ratcheted up the scrutiny and political pressure on President Barack Obama and on the growing list of potential replacements — some of whom are already drawing fire.
In her first interview since taking office March 20 as the government's top lawyer before the Supreme Court, U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan spoke with The National Law Journal's Tony Mauro about her new job.
Although the flu strain isn't an official pandemic yet, state and local officials are already flexing legal muscles. But escalation to the pandemic stage, say health law experts, could draw officials into truly novel legal situations, such as who can order isolation or quarantine to contain the disease.
Whether partners or shareholders in professional firms are employees or employers for purposes of the anti-discrimination laws remains an open issue. During the present financial crisis, when law firm "right-sizing" has led to numerous partner departures, the issue has taken on increasing practical importance.
With increasing frequency, a single operational or financial issue can balloon into multifront litigation. In such circumstances, regulatory, civil and, in some cases, criminal, proceedings may commence and unfold in parallel. There can be no single blueprint for navigating such "parallel proceedings," but there are some issues that are common to nearly all of them.
Changes to the global landscape during the next two decades are expected to drive a new generation of disputes. Climate change and unprecedented pressure on world resources — including carbon-based energy sources, minerals, food and water — will be among the key structural drivers. At the same time, the global financial crisis and the rise of state capitalism seem set to provide the catalyst for further financial and economic conflicts. This new generation of disputes will call for a sophisticated range of dispute resolution mechanisms and may challenge existing structures.
A Los Angeles judge has blasted one of the nation's leading plaintiffs
firms in asbestos litigation for trying to get the upper hand in a case
through what he called a "type of judicially sanctioned extortion." The
judge concluded that Waters & Kraus had re-filed in California a case
that was first filed in Texas as a way to force a settlement. Calling
such tactics a "waste of the court's time," the judge said Waters &
Kraus has played the same "grisly game of asbestos litigation" in at
least nine cases.
Employees in Massachusetts who injure themselves at work may not be entitled to disability retirement benefits if their employer accommodates them with a lighter job.
A recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling held that employers can change an injured worker's duties to keep him on the job and prevent him from going into retirement and collecting disability.
A new study projects growth of roughly 5% in corporate legal spending over the next six months, but corporate lawyers say that fixed legal budgets preclude most increases and that any higher legal spending that is tied to the economic crisis is temporary and unsustainable.
U.S. News & World Report said that it is "investigating" Brooklyn Law School's responses to the magazine's annual law school ranking survey, specifically with respect to part-time students. The magazine said some rival law schools noted that Brooklyn Law wasn't listed in the part-time ranking and questioned whether the school also excluded part-time students in its responses for the overall ranking in an effort to boost its ranking.
Lewis and Roca has opened its first California office in Silicon Valley's Mountain View with the addition of three intellectual property attorneys from White & Case: Frank Hiscox and Dana Brody-Brown, who now are partners at Lewis and Roca, and Alexa Horne, who has joined of counsel.
A Los Angeles judge, ruling on a case of first impression, has found that the federal CAN-SPAM Act preempts a California law designed to curb false and misleading commercial emails.
The May 4 ruling, which throws out a case claiming $45 million in damages, is the first to address the pre-emption issue in California's state courts and could stymie future suits filed under the statute.
The U.S. Department of Justice is cracking down on employers that discriminate against returning injured soldiers, who are having a hard time getting their old jobs back, either being demoted, or denied work altogether. DOJ is suing employers nationwide — almost on a weekly basis — for failing to promptly re-employ returning service men and women, in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.
Plantiffs' law firms Baron & Budd of Dallas and Miami-based Alters, Boldt, Brown, Rash & Culmo are teaming up to work on the groundswell of class actions being filed against homebuilders using Chinese-made drywall.
Massachusetts medical malpractice lawsuit filings continued their downward trajectory last year, with cases falling below the 500 mark for the first time this decade, according to Massachusetts state court data.
A surprising thing is happening among companies spurred by the financial crisis to take a sharp pencil to operating budgets and scrutinize spending. As business contracts and companies trim outside legal costs, seek fee reductions and alternative billing arrangements, and pare rosters of outside firms altogether, epic layoffs within large law firms have been the obvious result.
For some contract lawyers, work is synonymous with being a galley slave, performing grunt jobs in stuffy basements or offices far removed from meaningful contact with other legal professionals.
From firm leaders to potential laterals, everyone involved with the movement of lateral partners wants to know how the market is, whether things are different now than in other downturns and whether firms are really making commitments in these uncertain times. The answer is both simple and complicated.
Enterprising lawyers who form new businesses that are irresistibly attractive to both clients and talent alike likely will drive a fundamental change in the way the business of law is conducted. Economic distress and frustrated clientele are merely catalysts of that change.
A recent article in The New York Times suggested that enrollment in college humanities courses is declining and that the humanities, to retain their following, must "justify their worth." The study of literature gives a lawyer, particularly a trial lawyer, many of the skills he or she needs to assess evidence and persuade a trier of fact.
Fannie Mae, the government-backed mortgage-finance company, recently stopped guaranteeing mortgages in condo buildings where fewer than 70% of the units have been sold, up from 51%. Lenders, which want to repackage loans to secondary buyers, have taken note of the new guidelines, and many banks are now refusing to make loans that Fannie Mae won't guarantee. This has resulted in essentially all new condominium projects being doomed.
The National Research Council of the National Academies of Science released in February a long-awaited report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. The findings could play a major rule in shaping the future treatment of expert evidence.
Michael Elkin has been named managing partner of Winston & Strawn's New York office and elected to the firm's executive committee. Plus more law firm movers in this week's column.
The sudden, if unsurprising, announcement that Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter will retire instantly ratcheted up the scrutiny and political pressure on President Barack Obama and on the growing list of potential replacements — some of whom are already drawing fire.
In her first interview since taking office March 20 as the government's top lawyer before the Supreme Court, U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan spoke with The National Law Journal's Tony Mauro about her new job.
Although the flu strain isn't an official pandemic yet, state and local officials are already flexing legal muscles. But escalation to the pandemic stage, say health law experts, could draw officials into truly novel legal situations, such as who can order isolation or quarantine to contain the disease.
Whether partners or shareholders in professional firms are employees or employers for purposes of the anti-discrimination laws remains an open issue. During the present financial crisis, when law firm "right-sizing" has led to numerous partner departures, the issue has taken on increasing practical importance.
With increasing frequency, a single operational or financial issue can balloon into multifront litigation. In such circumstances, regulatory, civil and, in some cases, criminal, proceedings may commence and unfold in parallel. There can be no single blueprint for navigating such "parallel proceedings," but there are some issues that are common to nearly all of them.
Changes to the global landscape during the next two decades are expected to drive a new generation of disputes. Climate change and unprecedented pressure on world resources — including carbon-based energy sources, minerals, food and water — will be among the key structural drivers. At the same time, the global financial crisis and the rise of state capitalism seem set to provide the catalyst for further financial and economic conflicts. This new generation of disputes will call for a sophisticated range of dispute resolution mechanisms and may challenge existing structures.
We can file a federal trademark for your business, band or company name or logo for as little as $250, plus filing fees. We also handle copyright registrations at competitive rates. For more information see COPYRIGHT
Haifa Smoked Fish, located in Queens, New York, is recalling Haifa brand vacuum packaged Whole Schmaltz Herring with the lot number 20, because the product was found to be uneviscerated.
Pierino Frozen Foods Inc. of Lincoln Park, Michigan is recalling its 24 oz. packages of Pierino Frozen Foods’ “Jumbo Shells with Cheese” because they contain undeclared eggs. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to eggs run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
Global Commodities Inc. of Hicksville, NY is recalling its 0.50 lbs. packages of Aahu Barah brand Dry Apricot food treats because they contain undeclared Sulfites. People who have allergies to Sulfites run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a Class I recall of Exel/Exelint Huber needles, Exel/Exelint Huber Infusion Sets and Exel/Exelint “Securetouch+” Safety Huber Infusion Sets, manufactured by Nipro Medical Corporation for Exelint International Corporation.
Hettich Centrifuges, Beverly, MA, is initiating a North America and Canada recall of
2050 and 2076 plastic hematocrit rotors that are used in combination with the Mikro 12-
24, Mikro 20, Haematokrit 20 and Haematokrit 24 bench top plastic centrifuges. These
plastic rotors have the potential to break apart resulting in pieces of the rotor to be
forcefully ejected through the plastic centrifuge housing.
Nipro Medical Corporation, Miami FL, is initiating a nationwide recall of all GlucoPro Insulin Syringes (This does not include the GlucoPro syringe specific for use with the Amigo Insulin pump). These syringes may have needles that detach from the syringe.
The Wisconsin Cheeseman® announced today that it is recalling cheese log/cheese ball products in conjunction with the voluntary recall initiated by Parkers Farm, Inc. on January 15, 2010. Parkers Farm, Inc., located in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, believes some of its food items have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria
Hines Nut Company has initiated a recall of 270 packages of Pine Nuts, packaged under the brand name Harris Teeter Farmers Market. The Pine Nuts were purchased from Red River Foods in Camarillo, CA, and have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
MuscleMaster.com, Inc. (“MuscleMaster.com”) announced today that it is conducting a voluntary nationwide recall of all lots and expiration dates of the seventeen below listed dietary supplements sold between June 1, 2009 and November 17, 2009 (hereinafter "Recalled Products"). FDA informed MuscleMaster.com that it believes that the Recalled Products contain ingredients that are steroids. Specifically, FDA advised MuscleMaster.com of its concern that the Recalled Products may contain the following ingredients that are currently classified, or the FDA believes should be classified, as steroids: "Superdrol," "Madol," "Tren," "Androstenedione," and/or "Turinabol."
PARKERS FARM, INC. OF COON RAPIDS, MINNESOTA TODAY EXPANDED THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED RECALL OF PRODUCTS TO INCLUDE ALL DATE CODES BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES, AN ORGANISM WHICH CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL INFECTION IN YOUNG CHILDREN, FRAIL OR ELDERLY PEOPLE, AND OTHERS WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS. ALTHOUGH HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS MAY SUFFER ONLY SHORT-TERM SYMPOTMS SUCH AS HIGH FEVER, SEVERE HEADACHE, STIFFNESS, NAUSEA, ABDOMINAL PAIN AND DIARRHEA, LISTERIA INFECTION CAN CAUSE MISCARRIAGES AND STILLBIRTHS AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN.
PEO Chapter FO of Ashland, Oregon is recalling 75 - 1 lb packages of roasted hazelnuts, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
In consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., is voluntarily recalling certain lots of OTC products in the Americas, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Fiji (FULL RECALLED PRODUCT LIST BELOW). The company is initiating this recall following an investigation of consumer reports of an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor that, in a small number of cases, was associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal events. These include nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea.
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use Merrick Beef Filet Squares for dogs distributed by Merrick Pet Care with a package date of “Best By 111911” because the product may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Nurture, Inc., is voluntarily recalling selected varieties and date codes of HAPPYTOT Stage 4 and HAPPYBABY Stage 1 and Stage 2 pouch meals with date codes expiring between November 2010 and January 2011. These products are being recalled due to a packaging defect that potentially could cause the pouches to swell or leak. Swollen or leaking pouches could indicate that the products may contain bacteria that could potentially cause illness.
HP Hood is recalling select Heluva Good branded 8 oz. plastic cup containers of Cold Pack Cheese Food because they may contain Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness and nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
PARKERS FARM, INC. OF COON RAPIDS, MINNESOTA IS RECALLING PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES, AN ORGANISM WHICH CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL INFECTION IN YOUNG CHILDREN, FRAIL OR ELDERLY PEOPLE, AND OTHERS WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS. ALTHOUGH HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS MAY SUFFER ONLY SHORT-TERM SYMPOTMS SUCH AS HIGH FEVER, SEVERE HEADACHE, STIFFNESS, NAUSEA, ABDOMINAL PAIN AND DIARRHEA, LISTERIA INFECTION CAN CAUSE MISCARRIAGES AND STILLBIRTHS AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN.
NO ILLNESSES HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO DATE IN CONNECTION WITH THIS PROBLEM