Posted on July 27th, 2010
Monday, Nike Inc. announced plans to pay $1.54 million in workers’ compensation to 1,500 Honduran workers who were suddenly laid off last year. In January 2009, workers at the Choloma and San Pedro Sula factories were surprised when the factories were closed without notice.
Nike’s decision comes after months of pressure from anti-sweatshop university and student groups. Initially, Nike had refused to pay any workers’ compensation or severance claiming that it was the responsibility of the workers’ subcontractors, Vision Tex and Hugger.
The $1.54 million will be distributed between the 1,500 workers based on length of service and earnings. Nike will also cover the cost of enrolling the workers in Honduras’ national health care program for one year.
While some workers’ compensation advocates are praising Nike’s decision, others believe the workers’ are still owed millions in severance payments.
If you or someone you love is seeking workers’ compensation, contact the Champaign workers’ compensation lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about your rights.
Posted on July 21st, 2010
President Obama signed an order yesterday asking federal agencies to improve overall workplace safety standards. The order asks that in four years federal agencies will have significantly reduced the number of claims filed by employees, the time spent to review claims, and sped up employees’ return to the workplace.
In 2009, the federal government spent over $1.6 billion on workers’ compensation claims and 79,000 new claims were filed by federal employees. These numbers do not include U.S. Postal Service statistics.
“Many of these work-related injuries and illnesses are preventable, and executive departments and agencies can and should do even more to improve workplace safety and health, reduce the financial burden of injury on taxpayers, and relieve unnecessary suffering by workers and their families,” stated Obama.
If you or someone you love has been injured or become ill on the job, contact the Champaign workers’ compensation lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about your rights.
Posted on July 13th, 2010
Yesterday, the New Jersey state supreme court ruled in favor of requiring drivers who do not speak English to be provided with an appropriate translation of the statement of consequences associated with not taking an alcohol breath test.
While many states have some written translations or translators on hand, no other state requires that a translation of the statement be given. The law specifically states that law enforcement officials are not required to make sure drivers understand the statement, and that if a driver’s language can not be identified or translated then the driver is given immunity.
One official involved in passing the changes to New Jersey’s DUI laws stated, “I think other states are going to follow New Jersey’s lead”.
If you or someone you know has been charged with driving under the influence, contact the Champaign DUI defense lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about your rights.
Posted on July 7th, 2010
Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Financial Regulation allowed State Representative Ron Stephens to keep his pharmacy license after his driving under the influence arrest in March. However, Stephens’ pharmacy license will be on probation for one year. This is the second time Stephens’ pharmacy license will be on probation, after being placed on probation in 2001 for the use of controlled substances.
Stephens was also ordered to not consume alcohol and if he does so his pharmacy license will be revoked.
Stephens was arrested by Decatur police in March after police witnessed him crossing the center line and hitting a curb on U.S. 51. Police officials said his blood alcohol content was .101.
If you or someone you know has been charged with driving under the influence, contact the Champaign DUI defense lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about your rights.
Posted on June 30th, 2010
Earlier this month, the Obama administration approved 25 million dollars worth of grants to be distributed to universities, medical centers, and state health departments in an attempt to try to reduce medical malpractice costs and lawsuits across the country.
In an address to Congress last September, President Obama made a promise to Republicans to include reducing medical malpractice in health care reform. ”I don’t believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I’ve talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs,” stated Obama.
White House administrators hope the funds will reduce injury and improve doctor/patient communication, as a result lowering liability insurance premiums and lowering the number of medical malpractice lawsuits.
If you or someone you love has been a victim of medical malpractice, contact the Champaign personal injury attorneys of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000 to learn more about your rights.
Posted on June 23rd, 2010
Charges have been filed against a teenage high school student after she told police that she had smoked marijuana before being involved in an accident. She has been charged with two misdemeanor DUI charges.
The accident occurred as the teen was driving and she struck a fellow high school student that was crossing the street. In Illinois, the law states that a DUI charge if given to anyone that has marijuana in their system while driving even if the substance does not impair the driver. The teen slowed after she struck the pedestrian, but than drove off.
If you or a loved one has been charged with a serious crime such as DUI, contact the Champaign DUI defense lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates by calling 217-328-6000.
Posted on June 15th, 2010
The Illinois State Police will be having two roadside checkpoints in order to crackdown on unsafe driving such as driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and transporting alcoholic beverages.
The police are taking a zero tolerance approach on drunk driving. Safety check points were designed to prevent people from driving drunk. Forty percent of all motor vehicle accidents in Illinois have alcohol as a significant factor. A grant from the US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Administration has funded the roadside check points.
If you or a loved one has been charged with a DUI, contact the Champaign DUI lawyers of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates by calling 217-328-6000.
Posted on June 8th, 2010
DUI charges have been dropped against a cop that was involved in an accident that killed two people. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.
The police officer was initially charged with a misdemeanor DUI that turned into a felony after the accident was fatal. The case would be determined on the fact whether or not the man was drunk driving or not.
According to reports, the judge threw out a piece of evidence that was a security video of the officer taking shots at a bar. The judge said that there was no indication that the cop was drunk. The family may continue with a civil case.
Posted on June 4th, 2010
An Urbana man faces nine counts of various crimes. According to court reports, a Champaign County grand jury indicted the man on two counts of domestic violence, one count of disrupting public services, and one count of assault on a police officer, along with a number of other counts.
The man apparently was arrested after police received a tip. During the arrest, the man punched a police officer and tried to escape. However, other officers were able to apprehend him.
If you or anyone you know has been charged with a crime, contact the Champaign criminal defense attorneys of Thomas A. Bruno & Associates at 217-328-6000.
Posted on May 27th, 2010
According to Champaign police, a 17-year-old man was arrested Thursday last week and charged in Champaign County Circuit Court with residential burglary and criminal trespass to residence.
The incident occurred at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, when a woman who knew the man heard a crash from the back of her home in the 300 block of Nelson Court. When she went to investigate, she saw the man standing in the frame of her broken back door. The man fled the scene on foot.
She called police, and since she knew and could identify the man, they were able to catch him relatively soon thereafter.
If convicted of the more serious burglary charge, the man could face up to 15 years in prison.
