08/07/2015 // Hartford, CT, USA // cttriallawyers // Neil Ferstand // (press release)
In our continuing effort to inform and educate Connecticut Legislators on the importance and extent to which the civil justice system enters our lives, legislators this week received a variety of news items beginning with a USA Today analysis of the number innocent bystanders killed as a result of police vehicle chases since 1979. In addition legislators will find an article concerning a recent Federal Court decision on the necessity for a Court warrant to track cell phone data and, the need in Connecticut for more family caregivers who provide more than $5 billion in unpaid care services for their loved ones. An additional piece speaks to the global fight by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to defeat anti-smoking.
A Death a Day From Police Chases
More than 5,000 bystanders and passengers have been killed in police car chases since 1979, and tens of thousands more were injured as officers repeatedly pursued drivers at high speeds and in hazardous conditions, often for minor infractions, a USA TODAY analysis shows. The bystanders and the passengers in chased cars account for nearly half of all people killed in police pursuits from 1979 through 2013, USA TODAY found. Most bystanders were killed in their own cars by a fleeing driver.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/07/30/police-pursuits-fatal-injuries/30187827/
Federal Judge: Cellphone Tracking Requires a Warrant
A federal judge in San Jose has raised the bar for law enforcement agencies to collect the type of cell-tower data that is routinely used to trace suspects' whereabouts in criminal investigations. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California ruled that the Fourth Amendment applies to historical cell site information, meaning the government must obtain a search warrant to demand it from cellphone carriers.
http://www.therecorder.com/id=1202733557252/Judge-CellPhone-Tracking-Requires-a-Warrant?kw=Judge%3A%20CellPhone%20Tracking%20Requires%20a%20Warrant&cn=20150731&pt=Newswire&back=law&src=EMC-Email&et=editorial&bu=Law.com&slreturn=2015063111181
CT AARP: More needed to aid family caregivers
A new report by the American Association of Retired Persons estimates that Connecticut family caregivers provided a cumulative total of $5.93 billion in unpaid care services to their adult loved ones in 2013. Also in 2013, 459,000 family caregivers in Connecticut spent 427 million hours caring for their relatives and close friends, helping with daily activities such as bathing or dressing, preparing meals, driving to appointments, and various other tasks.Connecticut AARP Director Nora Duncan said the report proves further measures need to be taken to assist family caregivers in Connecticut.
http://www.westhartfordnews.com/articles/2015/07/29/news/doc55b95413608d2328073272.txt
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Works Globally to Fight Antismoking Measures
From Ukraine to Uruguay, Moldova to the Philippines, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its foreign affiliates have become the hammer for the tobacco industry, engaging in a worldwide effort to fight antismoking laws of all kinds, according to interviews with government ministers, lobbyists, lawmakers and public health groups in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States.
Media Information:
Address: 150 Trumbull Street, 2nd Floor Hartford, Connecticut 06103
Phone: 860 522-4345
Url: http://ctlablog.org/connecticut-legislators-receive-civil-justice-news-for-the-week-of-august-3rd_13472.html