Sex offender registration can be made retroactive in Texas. Many people are surprised to discover that they have been labeled as "sex offenders" when their attorney told them years ago that they would not have to worry about it. The reason for this is that Texas courts have ruled that sex offender registration is not a "punishment".

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed the risk classification for external pacemaker pulse generators be lowered from high-risk Class III to moderate risk Class II. Doctors use external pacemaker pulse generators to temporarily regulate a patient’s heartbeat until a permanent pacemaker can be implanted. The external pacemakers are also used after heart surgery or after a patient’s heart attack to control their irregular heartbeats.

Trucks are notorious for causing some of the most damaging accidents on the road. Unfortunately, some of these accidents are not as “accidental” as their name entails. In fact, many truck collisions are a direct result of reckless or negligent behaviors that, had they been avoided, could have prevented the accident from occurring altogether. For this reason, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations exist to proactively take measures preventing against unnecessary trucking accidents.

With the warmer temperatures, many are rushing out to nail salons to get beautiful nails to show off in their sandals. Sadly, you may be getting more than you bargain for when many salons and aestheticians fail to use basic hygiene.

Several years ago, my office represented a boy who fractured his legs after he was thrown from a water slide at a large water park to the concrete pavement below. Our investigation into the matter revealed that the boy should never have been permitted on the slide because he was grossly under the weight requirements set forth by the designer of the slide. Further, we soon discovered that the water park operators elected to use their own tubes—that were inappropriately sized for the slide.

It never ceases to amaze me how the poor judgment of an adult can lead to disastrous consequences for a child. Particularly with the use of recreational activities, adult carelessness frequently contributes to situations where a child is harmed because the adult watching him or her failed to provide necessary instruction to a child regarding: safe operation of a vehicle; hazards in the area; and the importance of using safety equipment.

Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), based in Orange County, California, is currently facing a civil lawsuit brought as a result of the actions of one of their employees. The employee, a pastor, was driving drunk in a company vehicle when he caused an accident resulting in the serious injuries that ultimately claimed the victim’s life. A lawyer explains how TBN may be held liable for its employee’s actions.

Throughout the United States, pedestrians account for the majority of fatalities resulting from train accidents. In 2010, 725 people died on our nation’s railroads. While deaths from train-verses-motor vehicle collisions have decreased by 42 percent, those involving pedestrians have only declined by 6 percent. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, train-verses-pedestrian accidents are the leading cause of death in the railroad industry, reported USA Today.

The Food and Drug Administration voted that the birth control Yaz needed new warnings related to the drugs risk of causing blood clots. On December 8, 2011, Food and Drug Administration panelists voted 21-5 that Bayer’s current labeling on Yaz and Yasmin, (drospirenoen containing drugs,) is “inadequate” and “needs more information” regarding the potential risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs.

As part of their efforts to prevent the injurious consequences of high greenhouse gas emissions, legislators in California passed regulations requiring producers, refiners, and importers of diesel and gasoline to reduce their carbon footprint by 10 percent over a decade. In late December, a federal judge issued an injunction preventing California from enforcing its rules on the grounds that California's regulations were in violation of the Commerce Clause in the United States Constitution.