As of March 2023, the West Virginia House of Delegates has passed a new PFAS protection act, and the Senate is considering passing it too. The bill “requires the DEP to identify and address PFAS sources impacting public water systems; requires facilities that have recently used PFAS chemicals to report their use to DEP, requires...
Monthly Archive: March 2023
In late February, Stephen traveled to Phoenix, AZ, to present a Continuing Legal Education course at the Winter Meeting of the American Association for Justice. This national organization, which is over 75 years old, supports trial lawyers across the country by defending Americans’ right to trial by jury. They “fight every day to protect our...
In late December, 3M announced that it would stop manufacturing PFAS by 2025. If you’ve been following our coverage of PFAS for a while, you’ll know that this is a huge step forward for all of us. “PFAS” are a category of chemicals that have many uses in products as disparate as firefighting foam and...
Did you know that National Guard and Reserve service members are eligible for reduced interest rates when they’re on active duty? Unfortunately, they’re not always getting what they’re entitled to. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Reserve and National Guard members called to active duty are paying an extra $9 million in interest every...
In 2020, when most Skinner Law Firm employees were working from home because of the pandemic, Stephen and Andrew decided to finally start a renovation project that had been on their “one day” list. Since clients and mediators and court reporters and opposing counsel were not coming to the office every day, they knew this...
Skinner Law Firm had a big win in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond for a client who is battling abusive debt collection practices. Our client, who was the victim of identity theft, fought to set aside a judgment that was fraudulently obtained. After setting aside the judgment, our client filed suit against...
A recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found an association between the frequent use of hair straighteners and uterine cancer. People in the study who’d used hair straighteners frequently (defined as at least four times in the past year) were approximately three times more likely to have gotten uterine cancer...
“A forced arbitration clause is a get-out-of-jail card that takes away consumers’ day in court, forcing them into a tribunal that is often biased, secretive, and lawless.” Forced arbitration is a bad trend. According to the National Association of Consumer Advocates, forced arbitration is when a company “requires a consumer or employee to submit any...