On May 11, 2016, the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 was signed into law and became effective immediately. The Act was passed overwhelmingly by Congress and creates a legal claim in federal court for theft or misappropriation of trade secrets. Most states have had trade secrets laws for years, but the federal law gives … Continued
An oilfield worker was killed on an oil rig near Gillette, Wyoming on July 7, 2016. According to the initial investigation, the rig partially collapsed, crushing 26 year-old Joshua Adams. Mr. Adams was working for Basic Energy Services, a Texas company. The circumstances of the tragic death are still being investigated. As oil and gas drilling … Continued
A federal court jury in Ohio found that corporate giant DuPont’s dumping of chemicals into the Ohio River caused cancer in a man who lives near the river. The chemical, called ammonium perfluorooctanoate, is used in the manufacture of Dupont’s Teflon, Gore-Tex, and Stainmaster carpet products. Dupont denied that the chemicals caused cancer. However, the … Continued
Three Workers Burned and Two Killed in Separate Oilfield Tragedies Three workers were burned and one was killed when a wellsite operated by XTO Energy exploded, engulfing the rig and the workers in a devastating fire. The explosion occurred on June 18, 2016 at the XTO wellsite outside of Watford City, North Dakota. One of … Continued
Brief On June 18, the United States Patent and Trademark Office cancelled six trademark registrations owned by Washington D.C.’s National Football League franchise, because they use the word “Redskins.” The Trademark Office action was based on its finding that the word “Redskins” is disparaging to Native Americans — and the federal trademark law, called the … Continued
Robert P. Schuster, P.C., successfully defended a health and nutrition website from charges that its content violated copyright and trademark laws. The website—nationally prominent for its discussion of health and nutrition issues—included explanations of what has become known as the biologic theory of ionization (RBTI). That theory was developed in the past century by a … Continued
The families of Tony and Deaun Smith have written the presidents of Encana Oil and Gas (USA) Inc. and Encana Corporation, asking each of them to institute company safety changes to protect the public from future trucking tragedies such as the collision that killed Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were killed on … Continued
Robert P. Schuster represented the families of Tony and Deaun Smith who were killed in a totally preventable truck collision in Fremont County, Wyoming. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were stopped on a highway in their PT Cruiser—having been flagged down at a highway construction project. An Encana Oil & Gas (USA) truck collided into the … Continued
GE Funding Capital Market Services, Inc. agreed to the payment of $70 Million to federal and state agencies to settle claims of arising from municipal bond investigations, according to a report in Law360. The investigation reportedly discovered that the bidding process for the issuance of municipal bonds had been rigged and corrupted. Bond traders … Continued
Anthony and Deaun Smith were killed in Fremont County, Wyoming by a truck being operated for Encana Oil & Gas (USA). Mr. and Mrs. Smith were stopped at a road construction site when they were rear-ended by the Encana truck, a 2009 Dodge 5500. The truck—weighing more than 12,000 pounds—slammed into the back of the … Continued