Airline passengers finally getting some real rights
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 23rd, 2009
You've heard those horrific stories in recent years about airline passengers whose flights sit on airport taxiways or gates aprons for hours because the planes are waiting for the weather to improve or for an arrival gate to open up. You've heard about the problems as the planes just sit there for hours on end in the cold or the heat, as the planes become foul-smelling as toilets fill up and can't be used anymore. ...
Free at last after 35 years in prison, any of us could have been James Bain
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 18th, 2009
After spending 35 years in prison for a crime he always insisted he hadn't committed, James Bain walked out of the courthouse in Polk County, Fla., yesterday, a free man once again, according to an Associated Press story in today's New York Times. It took many legal attempts to finally get the courts to analyze his DNA and compare it to DNA left at the scene of the kidnapping and rape of a nine-year-old boy...
Satellite TV sports viewers rejoice: the FCC could end the Comcast “SportsNet” monopoly
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 16th, 2009
Monopolies are typically not a good thing, unless you are playing the popular and beloved Parker Brothers game with your children. But for years, Philadelphia sports fans in the greater Philadelphia area who wanted to watch most of the games involving their beloved Phillies, Flyers and Sixers on television haven't been able to watch unless they subscribed to Comcast Corp.'s cable TV services. That's because most Phillies, Flyers and Sixers games are broadcast only on...
T’is the season NOT to be driving drunk
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 15th, 2009
With the December holidays in full swing, from Hanukkah to Kwanzaa to Christmas to New Year's Eve, it's a perfect time for us all to remember and carefully consider the dangers of drinking and driving as we celebrate family, friends and festive events. According to the activist group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), last year there were 11,773 fatalities nationally involving a driver with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. That's...
Warning: Yaz Has Side Effects
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on December 10th, 2009
If you or a loved one was prescribed Yaz birth control pills, you probably believed it would prevent pregnancy, while curing acne, treating premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and controlling cramps. Why wouldn't you? That is what the advertisements claimed. What they didn't say is that Yaz can also cause blood clots in the legs, heart attacks, gall bladder disease and other serious side effects. For many months, Yaz was advertised as a "golden birth control...
How the Current Health Care Bill Blocks Women from Health Coverage
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on December 8th, 2009
The version of the health care bill that passed the House in early November includes stipulations that may seriously infringe on a woman's right to choose. It does this by refusing to put federal money towards any health care program that provides abortion coverage. Even if a woman pays 100 percent of the healthcare premium with her own money, she would not be able to obtain an abortion under the current health plan. Instead, she...
Video Blog: Mass Transportation
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 1st, 2009
With the increased use of mass transportation systems, comes the increase in accidents. If you have been injured in a bus accident, subway crash or in another accident as the result of negligence, you need a lawyer experienced in handling these cases. In this short video, Dean Weitzman of Silvers, Langsam & Weitzman ¾ better known as MyPhillyLawyer ¾ explains how these cases are unique. As a result, he stresses the importance of hiring an...
What to Do Following a Motor Vehicle Accident
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on November 23rd, 2009
Have you recently been in a motor vehicle accident? If so, then you are probably wondering "What now?" Many people involved in car accidents or motorcycle crashes do not know what steps to take following a serious accident. They may fail to do something, or do the wrong things (like to talk to an insurance representative), which could compromise their case. The law firm of Silvers, Langsam & Weitzman—better known as MyPhillyLawyer.com—provides some action steps...
Life sentences and juvenile offenders — what is fair and right?
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on November 12th, 2009
A 13-year-old boy is not an adult. Yet when a 13-year-old boy commits a heinous crime, our court system in the U.S. can treat him like an adult and lock him up for life. That was the case for Joe Harris Sullivan, who was convicted 20 years ago in a Florida court of beating and raping an elderly woman after an in-home robbery -- all when he was 13 years old. He'd been in trouble...