Miscellaneous

• Dell Laptop Batteries Can Start Fires

  Michael Myers | August 29, 2006 8:49 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Dell said Monday it will recall 4.1 million notebook-computer batteries made by Sony because they can overheat and catch fire. The company negotiated conditions of the recall with the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, which called it the largest electronics-related recall ever involving the agency. "In rare cases, a short-circuit could cause the battery to overheat, causing a risk of...

• Two People Drown in Lake Washington

  Michael Myers | August 27, 2006 11:34 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  An outing on Lake Washington turned deadly Wednesday evening when two people apparently drowned after jumping into the water from a small boat to cool off. A 34-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman, both from Seattle, were on the boat along with the man's 18-year-old cousin when the three decided to take a quick swim before heading to shore. The man and the woman drowned. Accidents like this...

• Vacation Internationale--Class Action

  Michael Myers | December 16, 2007 2:16 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  We recently met with an owner of points in Vacation Internationale. When upgrading his ownership interest from a term of years to perpetual, representatives of Vacation Internationale advised that it owned the various vacation properties in fee simple. Based on information obtained from a former VI employee, it appears that this was a material misrepresentation and VI does not own many of its...

• Alaska Crab Fishermen Back in the News

  Michael Myers | November 19, 2007 9:23 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  This summer we tried a case against the Wizard (one of the vessels shown on Disney's "Deadliest Catch" television series). Captain Keith Colburn was one of the witnesses in the case.The case arose from a career ending shoulder injury suffered by a crew member when he slipped and fell down the engine room stairs. We prevailed in court and established that the Wizard was negligent and...

• 207 Cruise Ship Incidents Reported to FBI in Last 6 Months

  Michael Myers | October 01, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  In April cruise lines adopted a new method of reporting crimes that happen at sea in an effort to establish a more definitive and standardized picture of crimes that happen at sea. Since April, cruise lines have reported 207 incidents to the FBI. Of those, 72 were considered to be potentially serious crimes by the FBI. 18 investigations were opened, 13 of those for rape. Cruise lines like...

• Four Killed in "Flightseeing" Plane Crash Near Ketchikan

  Mark McLean | August 24, 2007 12:55 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A plane crash north of Ketchikan, Alaska killed four Holland America Line patrons on a "flightseeing" tour. Five other Holland America patrons were seriously injured. Three of the five survivors were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and are in critical condition. The plane was operated by SeaWind Aviation.Victims of the crash include Eric, Christine and (three year old)...

• Apple and AT&T Sued Over iPhone

  Mark McLean | August 07, 2007 2:49 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Apple and AT&T are facing a potential class-action lawsuit over the battery life of the new iPhone. The suit alleges not only that the iPhone was defective, but also that corporate officers knew of the defects and fraudulently withheld that information from customers. The lawsuit follows a complaint sent to Apple CEO Steve Jobs by the New York State Consumer Protection Board which asks him to...

• Big Mountain Prevails in Skier Injury Case

  Michael Myers | May 03, 2007 7:53 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A seven person federal jury determined Big Mountain was not liable for the injury of a young boy. As noted in an earlier entry it's tough to win cases against ski areas. The law is unfavorable and jurors are pre-disposed to think that skiers and snowboarders have assumed any and every risk imaginable. Even though they're tough, valid cases should be seriously considered. And, as mentioned in...

• Car Pins Ferry Rider at Ferry Ticket Booth

  Michael Myers | February 17, 2006 11:14 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  On February 7, a ferry rider opened her car door to pick up a piece of paper, when her foot slipped off the break. The car started to roll and the door hit the ticket booth, closing on the rider's chest. As it continued to roll, the car door squeezed tighter. Eventually, the ferry rider passed out. Ferry workers came to the rescue and moved the car away from the ticket booth. The ferry...

• Overturned Bus Highlights Maria's Law

  Michael Myers | November 30, 2008 11:15 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  As many of you saw on the news, a bus carrying the Bellevue High School Football team overturned this weekend. The cause of the accident was an improperly secured ladder. This incident highlights...