Author: foresterhaynie

Wisconsin is the latest state to consider statewide legislation that would increase the minimum age required to buy tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Wisconsin state legislators are considering moving the minimum age to buy tobacco products and vaping products from 18 years of age to 21. This and similar legislation is in response to the current ongoing rash of hospitalizations associated with vaping products.

According to the Public Health Law Center at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, 18 states, including the District of Columbia, have already moved their minimum age to 21 years of age. 4 states have the current minimum age to buy tobacco products and vaping devices at 19 and 29 states have kept the legal age at 18 years old.

The Wisconsin legislation doesn’t come from partisan lines either. Assembly Bill 422 enjoys bipartisan support from both the Republican party and the Democratic party. Debate around the bill focuses around contradictory standards of adulthood in our laws. Representatives that support the bill stress that this is a peer pressure issue that makes young Wisconsin residents susceptible to harm. Opponents stress that 18 years of age is considered to be the age of majority in other areas of the law, like the legal voting age.

No matter the age, the number of vaping related illnesses has been rising across the nation. According to an article in the Journal Sentinel, as of September 19th of this year, at least 530 people have developed vaping-related lung illnesses.

In Texas, as of September 1st of this year, the legal age to buy tobacco, tobacco products, and vaping devices such as e-cigarettes is 21. This, like the proposed legislation in Wisconsin comes as a reaction to the widespread use of vaping devices by youth in the state. Vaping device companies like JUUL Labs and Altria have supported the legislation to increase the minimum age.

At Forester Haynie we are currently reviewing and taking cases regarding lung illnesses related to vaping products. If you or a loved one believe that you have developed a lung illness due to a vaping product contact us at foresterhaynie.com or give us a call at (214) 210-2100.

Elder abuse is reaching an all-time high across the nation. Adult Protective Services received more than 60,000 reports of different types of elder abuse in 2018—a sharp increase from the 48,000 reports they received in 2017. The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) believes this sharp increase is caused by the number of baby boomers now retiring. However, these numbers are likely an underestimation as only 1 in 24 cases of elder abuse are reported. Globally, the number of reported elder abuse cases is projected to increase due to rapidly aging populations of many countries whose needs may not be fully met due to resource constraints. 

Elder abuse is defined as a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person.²Adult abuse can come in many forms including neglect, financial exploitation, or physical and emotional abuse. 

Financial exploitation is the most common type of adult abuse. In 2017, DSHS conducted over 10,000 investigations related to financial exploitation, nearly double the number of investigations conducted in 2012. It now accounts for more than 25 percent of all inquiries. Signs of financial abuse include adding additional names on bank signature cards; unauthorized withdrawal of funds using an ATM card; abrupt changes in a will or other financial document; unexplained disappearance of funds or valuable possessions; bills unpaid despite having sufficient funds; forging a signature on financial transactions or for the titles of possessions; sudden appearance of previously uninvolved relatives claiming rights to a vulnerable adult’s possessions; or unexplained sudden transfer of assets to a family member or someone outside the family.

Signs of physical and emotional abuse include suspicious or unexplained bruises, sores or weight loss; a sudden change in personality; neglect of hygiene, clothing, home, medicine or food; personal belongings going missing; verbal aggression; no longer attending social functions or regular activities, and losing contact with family and friends.

If you or a loved one are a victim of elder abuse, contact Forester Haynie at www.foresthaynie.com or give us a call at 214-210-2100.

As more lawsuits claiming a link between Roundup and cancer move forward, a new study claims the main ingredient found in the weed killer, glyphosate, is showing up in organic beer and wine.

While unwanted weeds and vegetation sprout underneath his grapevines, Livermore grape grower and winemaker Aaron Taylor notices that the soil remains brown and bare on the neighboring properties. Taylor explains that this is because weed killers have an effect that are neither temporary nor seasonal. In fact, popular herbicides, such as Roundup, can linger in soil for months—even years—after being applied. One can only help but wonder what the long-term effect is on our ecosystem and on us. 

Roundup’s active ingredient is glyphosate, a chemical that many experts believe causes cancer and other illnesses in humans. Although the Environmental Protection Agency does not classify glyphosate as carcinogenic, the World Health Organization does. Yet, since Monsanto first brought it to market in the 1970s, U.S. farmers have been using glyphosate more and more. In the U.S., farmers use more than 250 million pounds of poison each year. Just in 2017, California’s wine industry alone applied about 300,000 pounds of glyphosate-based herbicides.

So, how can glyphosate not contaminate our food—or more importantly, our wine—supply? Unfortunately, research has shown that glyphosate can linger in almost every corner of our environment, including our food, soil, water, and urine. To make matters worse, a study released early this year found glyphosate in 19 of 20 beer and wine samples tested, including some made from organically farmed ingredients. Sutter Home Merlot had the highest level of glyphosate of all 20 brands, at 51 parts per billion (ppb). Beringer Estates Moscato and Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon had slightly smaller quantities of the chemical. Corona, Miller Lite and Budweiser had between 25 and 30 ppb of glyphosate. while Guinness and Heineken contained about 20 ppb. Beverages from Stella Artois and Sam Adams also had trace amounts of the chemical.

If you or a loved one developed lymphoma after using or being exposed to Roundup weed killer, contact Forester Haynie at www.foresthaynie.com or give us a call at 214-210-2100.

Forester Haynie and Shellist | Lazarz | Slobin recently filed an FLSA collective and class action lawsuit against Universal Protection Service, a/k/a Allied Universal Security Services on behalf of security guards that work or have worked for Allied Universal. Allied Universal is a security and facility services company that provides security personnel to a variety of locations across the country.

The lawsuit alleges that Allied Universal’s security guard employees are or were hourly-paid, non-exempt employees, who worked at Allied Universal’s customers’ sites providing security services including patrolling, monitoring, and reporting suspicious activity. The lawsuit states that these security guards frequently earned either minimum wage or slightly more than minimum wage and often had to work over forty hours a week and thus were eligible to receive overtime wages.

The complaint alleges that Allied Universal’s policies with regard to these security guards violated the FLSA and state law. According to our clients and the lawsuit, Allied Universal allegedly often requires its security guard employees to perform uncompensated work “off-the-clock” before and after their scheduled shifts in violation of the FLSA. The complaint also alleges that these security guards are not allowed to take their meal and rest breaks as required by Colorado and California state law.

If you have ever been a security guard employee of Allied Universal, and would like to assist our firms’ investigation into Allied Universal, or want more information about the case, then please fill out the form below to speak with one of our attorneys.

Rappers Waka Flocka Flame and Safaree Samuels took to Instagram to show displeasure at several food brands earlier last month. Waka Flocka Flame shared an image denouncing popular brands such as Corn Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, Ritz Crackers, and Doritos products alongside a picture of Dewayne Johnson who received a $289 million jury award in a case against Monsanto. To see Flame’s post, click here.

The rapper denounced the companies because they contain Glyphosate. Glyphosate is the same active ingredient found in RoundUp products owned by Monsanto, which has been alleged to cause cancer formations such as Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. When Dewayne Johnson was diagnosed with cancer and sued Monsanto, the jury awarded Dewayne with the $200+ verdict. However, the judge presiding in the case reduced the amount to $78 million. 

Dewayne Johnson worked as a groundskeeper and was regularly exposed to Glyphosate as a part of his job. He would frequently use another Monsanto product, Ranger Pro, which is the non-brand name version of RoundUp and contains concentrated levels of Glyphosate in order to kill weeds. Dewayne Johnson was 42 when developed a strange rash and was subsequently diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. 

Unfortunately, Glyphosate has been found in the popular food brands that rapper Waka Flocka Flame posted about in dangerous amounts, according to The Sun. Prolonged exposure to the chemical, especially in concentrated amounts, can lead to non-Hodgkins Lymphoma or other types of cancer. 

The team at Forester Haynie is currently evaluating and filing cases against Monsanto on behalf of people who have been diagnosed with cancer because of the prolonged exposure to their products. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with any form of cancer due to the exposure to RoundUp products call the team at Forester Haynie today. 

To read The Sun’s full article, click here.