Victims and families of victims who were sickened and, who in some cases died, due to a 2009 Salmonella outbreak are calling on congressional lawmakers to keep their promise to implement food-safety reform, said PR Newswire/US Newswire. Newswire noted that one year after the outbreak involving contaminated peanut products, Congress has not yet passed food safety legislation. The massive outbreak was linked to Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) facilities.

The group representing 27 victims who fell ill as a result of contaminated peanut products is seeking a Senate floor vote on legislation to increase food safety authority under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and help to limit future outbreaks. “Americans cannot afford to wait for another outbreak for Congress to pass food safety legislation that protects families from facing the same hardships we have faced,” said Jill Summers, the mother of Makayla Stephens, a victim from Quapaw, Oklahoma, said Newswire. “It took over a month after Makayla first got sick for there to even be a recall on the products. No one in America should have to worry whether the food they eat and feed their families will make them sick,” added Summers. More Peanut Salmonella Victims Press Congress for Action on Food Safety

A father-son team of investment advisers are facing civil securities fraud charges relating to the Arthur Nadel Ponzi scheme. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleges that Neil and Christopher Moody misled investors about the financial condition of three hedge funds they managed, and misrepresented that they controlled the funds’ investment and trading activities when in fact they were being handled by Nadel.

Nadel, who was indicted last year on 15 fraud counts, was president of Sarasota-based Scoop Management. The hedge funds managed by Scoop included Viking IRA, Valhalla Investment Partners LP, Viking, Victory, Victory IRA and Scoop Real Estate. Nadel reportedly told his 350 investors that his funds held $360 million, but in truth, they only held around $125,000. More SEC Charges Father and Son in Nadel Scam

Another consumer who used a Zicam nasal cold remedy is suing Matrixx Initiatives, claiming the recalled product destroyed her sense of smell.

Last summer, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) said it had received 130 reports of anosmia—loss of sense of smell—in people who had used the product. Following the FDA alert, Matrixx Initiatives recalled two of the products: Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs. The company had already withdrawn Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size, the third product named by the FDA. More Illinois Woman Latest to File Zicam Lawsuit

A Chinese drywall lawsuit has been filed by the Louisiana attorney general against manufacturers and home developers. The lawsuit claims the state of Louisiana has and will continue to suffer economic loss because of the defective Chinese drywall.

Defendants in the suit include Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, one of the major manufacturers of Chinese drywall. Other international and domestic manufacturers, distributors, and importers of toxic Chinese wallboard are also named as defendants. More Louisiana AG Files Suit Over Chinese Drywall

National Gypsum, a U.S. drywall manufacturer, has been hit with a class action lawsuit by Florida homeowners who say the company’s wallboard is causing problems in their houses identical to those blamed on Chinese drywall.

George and Brenda Brinku of Alva, and Lydia and Apolinar Garcia of Cape Coral, are listed as lead plaintiffs in the National Gypsum lawsuit. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the Brinku’s home contains only domestic drywall, and 90 percent of it was made by National Gypsum. The family has experienced extensive corrosion to their home, and a Florida health official told the Herald Tribune that this past spring that the Brinku’s residence was one of the worst examples of an affected home he had seen. More Drywall Lawsuit Names American Manufacturer

One Florida county is seeking a disaster declaration because of Chinese drywall. In seeking the declaration from Gov. Charlie Crist, officials in Broward County said Chinese drywall has impacted some sections of the county as badly as a hurricane might.

A disaster declaration would make federal and state financial assistance to homeowners in Broward County whose homes have been ruined by Chinese drywall. More Broward County Wants Chinese Drywall Disaster Declaration

Over 100 immigrants have died while being held in detention by the by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since 2003. But according to a New York Times investigation, documents indicate that many ICE officials – many of whom still work in key positions at the agency – have long tried to cover up the death toll.

Documents – including confidential memos, BlackBerry messages and emails – for The New York Times investigation were obtained by the paper and the American Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information Request. More Immigrant Deaths While In Detention Kept Under Wraps

More than 100 lawsuits involving Prempro and other hormone replacement therapy drugs have been reinstated, thanks to a ruling by a federal appeals court. On Wednesday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2008 district court ruling that had not only dismissed the Prempro lawsuits in Arkansas federal court, but had prevented them from being sent back to a Minnesota state court.

Hormone therapy drugs like Prempro, Premarin, and Provera are used to treat the hot flashes and other symptoms that accompany menopause. In 2002, a major study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) determined that Prempro, Premarin and similar drugs significantly increased the risk of stroke, blood clots, heart attacks and breast cancer. The results were so alarming that the NIH canceled the study, citing risk to the study’s participants. The authors of the study suggested that many of the women who used the medications should quit and talk to their doctors about alternatives. More Prempro Lawsuits Reinstated By Federal Appeals Court

We’ve been following the issue of nursing home abuse for some time. As a matter-of-fact, yesterday we wrote that a Brooklyn nursing home was ordered to pay about $19 million in damages to a family whose loved one allegedly died as a result of abject neglect. Now, ABC World News is reporting that a California nursing home used chemical restraints – drugs – to silence residents. In some cases, this practice was fatal.

It seems the practice was ongoing since at least 2003 at the Kern Valley Nursing Home, said ABC. Nursing director, Gwen Hughes would chemically restrain complaining or annoying patients with strong anti-psychotic medications, said ABC. Hughes’ practices were so intense that three residents at the nursing home died, added ABC. More Chemical Restraint Alleged In Nursing Home Deaths

Last year, President Barack Obama signed The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law meant to allow the federal government broad authority over tobacco products and enable regulators to control cigarette packaging and marketing. The law is also meant to allow how much nicotine—the addictive component in cigarettes—is added in tobacco products.

Recently, some tobacco companies—R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Lorillard Inc.—are included in a group that filed a federal lawsuit to block some of the provisions of the law, claiming it violates their rights to free speech under the U.S. constitution, reported Reuters. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco is an arm or Reynolds American Inc., the maker of Camel and Winston brand cigarettes; Lorillard sells Newport cigarettes, said Reuters previously. More Most Of FDA Tobacco Law Upheld