The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "litigation" ...
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Inside Pfizer's Palace Coup
The inside story of the abrupt downfall of the leader of one of the world's largest and most important companies. Named CEO of Pfizer at the age of 51, this man was a brilliant litigator who harbored ambitions to join Barack Obama's cabinet or launch his own political career. Instead, he found himself out a job, the target of a sophisticated palace coup. He departed with a $25 million severance package, even as the company's stock declined 36% under his watch.
Tags: Obama; Pfizer; CEO; Barack Obama
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Cashing In
During a period of tight city finances, Memphis was outlaying a yearly average of as much as $2,300 per day on attorneys fees. Nealry $8 million across 22 law firms was payed out by taxpayers in a four year time frame. WREG-TV uncovered that many of these lawyers were personal friends of the mayor, and the station's requests for budget items were purposefully stalled and stonewalled until serious actions of litigation against the city were threatened.
Tags: Memphis; attorneys; fees; lawyers; legal; firms; contracts; mayor; friends; finance; open records; municipal; city; campaign manager
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Police Illegally Buying Machine Guns
"An ongoing, in-depth investigation, coupled with ongoing Freedom of Information litigation, of the secret, illegal purchase of dozens of machine guns by officers of the Albany, NY Police Department who used their agency's authority to buy automatic weapons for official use only as a means to acquire restricted firearms for personal sport and amusement. Eventually, the guns began turning up for sale in at least two gun stores. To this day, several machine guns remain missing and unaccounted for while the department refuses to comply with New York's FOI Laws and has fought disclosure of the truth at every turn."
Tags: police; weapons; fireams; FOI; city government; law enforcement; gun control
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Falling Apart/Licensed, Bonded, Unaccountable
The Oregonian revealed that new residential structures across the Northwest are suffering sometimes catastrophic damage from moisture not just due to poor workmanship, but also to shoddy construction, trouble-prone building materials, inappropriate design and unanticipated complications caused by energy efficient building codes. The stories detail the financial and emotional impact on homeowners, how their dispute with builders has clogged the legal system and how builders have turned to the Legislature for protection from a rash of litigation. In addition, the investigation reveals that the Oregon Construction Contractors Board, the state agency charged with protecting consumers from bad contractors, has allowed builders with histories of incompetence, insolvency and unethical behavior to continue building, without notifying consumers of the dangers.
Tags: CAR; Oregon Construction Contractors Board; Northwest; Portland; construction defect litigation; builders; Oregon Legislature; Construction Claims Task Force; regulation
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Out of bounds: Inside the NBA's culture of rape, violence, & crime
This book exposes the "culture of lawlessness" sweeping through the ranks of the NBA, particularly with respect to crimes against women. The investigation found that 40 percent of NBA players have a police record involving a serious crime. The author had to overcome two chilling effects upon his reporting: law enforcement and court officials who were reluctant to release public records on account of fear of litigation or other repercussions from the players and their attorneys, and witnesses and individuals familiar with the players and their crimes who were afraid to sit through interviews.
Tags: BOOK; NBA; National Basketball Association; professional athletes; crime; rape; sexual assault; FOIA; Freedom of Information Act; sunshine laws
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Madison County: Where Asbestos Rules
The Post-Dispatch investigates the area of personal injury litigation, more specifically the boom of asbestos cases in Madison County. Asbestos litigation has become a billion-dollar industry which keeps lawyers, judges, juries, and plaintiffs in big business. The article focuses on Randall Bono, the supposed "king of asbestos litigation," and the major Democratic power he has in the court system.
Tags: Randall Bono; personal injury litigation; SimmonsCooper; mesothelioma
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Consumers in the dark
In this report, the Plain Dealer details how a prominent consumers' counsel deprived the publics of millions of dollars by destroying a crucial consultant's report. From the questionnaire, "Tongren kept an important consultant's report --paid for with dollars -- from the public that might have trimmed billions of dollars off FirstEnergy Corp.'s deregulation charges -- charges that are still being tracked onto electric bills years later". Furthermore, the report revealed, "Tongren had changed a records retention policy that allowed the report to be destroyed years ahead of the old schedule, and that he knowingly cleared the policy change despite numerous requests for the report while it was still protected due to ongoing litigation".
Tags: Public Utilities Commission of Ohio; LaCapra Associates; Kim Norris
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Just Deserts
Nursing homes ought to indulge in some self-care. Lest, as the National Law Journal reports, they face lawsuits and lose millions. The story discusses the biggest lawsuit damages paid by nursing homes that have been charged with sustained negligence. Also, the story talks about the specific aspects of healthcare that are targeted by lawyers when they work on the plaintiff's cases.
Tags: Nursing; law; lawsuits; damages; litigation
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The Bone Screw Files: He believed in his product. And he won. At a cost of $75 million and counting.
The article chronicles a class action law suit against the manufacturer or bone screws. The manufacturer won, but only after years of court battles and lots of money spent to show how the suit was unfounded.
Tags: pedicle bone screws; class action lawsuit; Sofamor Danek Group Inc; mass litigation; orthopedic surgery; Medtronic Inc
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Arbitration Policies are Muting Whistle-Blower Claims
According to the article, "In the past two years, dozens of court decisions have required people who claim to be fired whistle-blowers to take their grievances to arbitration. The rulings deprive whistle-blowers of one of the most potent threats they can wield against their former employers--that the allegations of misconduct will be litigated in a public forum."
Tags: whistle-blowers; whistle blowers; arbitration; employees; complaints; grievances; court; misconduct; companies