$30 Million
A Harris County, Texas, jury rendered a $30 million verdict against the Houston-based owner of SunMart convenience stores for defrauding gasoline purchasers, according to the Texas Attorney General’s Office. SunMart is owned by Petroleum Wholesale L.P. (PWI). The AG’s office said the verdict confirmed that SunMart’s gas pumps at 86 stations in Texas provided less than a full gallon of fuel for each gallon charged. Inspections conducted by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) in 2008 found that out of 1,701 gasoline pumps at 86 SunMart stores 985 were dispensing less than a full gallon of fuel. According to court documents filed by the state, 58 percent of SunMart’s pumps were calibrated to dispense less than a full gallon of fuel.
$300 Million
The state of Louisiana owes hundreds of its citizens more than $300 million stemming from a decades-old lawsuit in which the state was found liable for massive flooding that resulted from the construction of the Interstate 12 bridge. The Tangipahoa River flooded hundreds of homes and businesses in and near Robert in 1983, but the victims are still waiting for the state to pay a judgment that now totals $300 million with interest. Homeowners sued the state, claiming the I-12 bridge was designed and built in such a way that it disrupted the natural floodplain and swept water into their homes. The state is on the hook for the money but so far, lawmakers and back-to-back governors have made only a small dent in compensating the flood victims, according to the Associated Press. Earlier this year, the Legislature appropriated $2 million toward paying the judgment. The flood victims’ attorney, Jean-Paul Layrisson, said the appropriation was meant to encourage the Jindal administration to finally reach a settlement.
15,000
Mistakes and unavoidable problems kill an estimated 15,000 elderly U.S. patients every month in hospitals, according to a recent U.S. government report. More than 13 percent of patients covered by Medicare, or about 134,000 people monthly, have some sort of so-called adverse event each month. These include mistakes such as surgical errors or sometimes unavoidable problems such as an infection spread in the hospital, or patients having their blood sugar fall to unusually low levels. The new numbers, which total about 180,000 deaths a year, were presented in a report by the Office of Inspector General at the Health and Human Services Department.
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