It is the duty of CPSC inspectors to intercept bad toys and other household products before they reach the market.

“Anything that could potentially harm consumers, my job is to stop it here,”
– CPCS compliance investigator from a video posted on the agency’s website.

The leaders of the federal agency made the decision without warning consumers or full disclosure to Congress. They continued the shutdown at the ports and a government testing laboratory until September, including spring and summer months that were their inspectors’ busiest in 2019.

USA TODAY found an extraordinary lapse in safety surveillance during the pandemic which was hidden from the public. From April to September, during the COVID-19 closures, the agency issued a fourth of the violations it did during the same period a year earlier.

CPSC inspectors performed an average of 3,000 monthly screenings at the ports at the beginning of 2020, according to internal agency data. By May, that number had fallen to about 100 and in August, they only performed 47. As of December 2020, the records show inspectors were still not working in five of the 18 ports they normally patrol, Chicago, New York City, Savannah, Buffalo, New York, and Norfolk, Virginia.

Target, Dollar Tree, Walgreens, Amazon, and UPS were among the large wholesale distributors, shipping companies, and name-brand retailers who brought in products from overseas while the CSPS investigators were away from their posts this year, not screening for hazards that wholesalers and retailers are supposed to test for themselves.

Shoppers of these stores and others that import products will have no way to differentiate good products from any bad items that have slipped in. Experts fear it could take years to discover the dangerous items that have been allowed into American homes.

If you notice any problems, experts say to immediately report them to a CPSC website where such complaints are publicly posted: saferproducts.gov.

Find out more information about the records and communications obtained by USA TODAY by reading their article: “Leaked reports: Feds pulled toy police from ports, safety checks plunged in COVID-19.”

The post Major Drop In Toy Safety Inspections for Over Six Months Due to COVID-19 Threat appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

The webinar took place Thursday, Oct. 1, on a Zoom conference starting at 11:15 a.m. CST. The purpose of the program is to encourage a dialog among lawyers, scholars, and judges on some of the key issues that have arisen during the pandemic regarding the resolution of civil disputes. Civil jury trials, pre-trial management of cases, developing effective court rules in an era of social distancing as well as what the future may hold will be discussed.

To watch the program, go here.

Clifford is a member of the Board of Advisors of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, a research organization that works to develop solutions to public policy challenges in order to help make communities throughout the world safer, more secure, healthy, and more prosperous.

For further information, please contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell).

www.CliffordLaw.com

The post Bob Clifford to Speak on the Implications of COVID on Civil Litigation appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

Many business owners have contacted Clifford Law Offices to pursue insurance loss claims as a result of them being forced to shut down or significantly scale back when the coronavirus struck the United States. U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Bough of the Western District of Missouri who is presiding over a case involving multiple business owners ruled Aug. 12, 2020, that policyholders claiming a loss due to the pandemic may move forward with their cases because they made a plausible argument that their property losses were a direct physical loss attributable to COVID-19.

The seven business plaintiffs in the Kansas City case, led by Studio 417 salon, argued that coronavirus is a widespread airborne virus that very well could have been present in its business establishment, even though it might be undetectable by the naked eye. The presence of this virus rendered their businesses unsafe and unusable, thereby forcing their shutdowns by various municipalities or states’ orders. That shutdown, they argued, triggered their insurance coverage due to the presence of the virus that led to a physical loss even it did not cause structural physical damage. Studio 417, Inc., et al. v. The Cincinnati Insurance Co., Case No. 20-cv-03127-SRB.

Judge Bough ruled that under the ordinary meaning of “physical loss,” the policyholder suffered a loss when the spread of coronavirus led to prohibition or restrictions on their businesses. He cited a previous case of U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Perry of St. Louis in Mehl v. Travelers that denied summary judgment to an insurance company when a policyholder alleged his house was uninhabitable because of an infestation of spiders. “Mehl supports the conclusion that ‘physical loss’ is not synonymous with physical damage,” Judge Bough wrote in his opinion, and further commented that “other courts have similarly recognized that even absent a physical alteration, a physical loss may occur when the property is uninhabitable or unusable for its intended purpose.”

The post Federal Judge Sides with Business Owners in Losses Resulting from Pandemic appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

Keith A. Hebeisen, partner at Clifford Law Offices and past President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association says, “The entire country has been affected by this pandemic. Certain activities, including live court appearances, are just not safe yet. For that reason, the judges of the Cook County Circuit Court Law Division have been working remotely since March, just like the lawyers and millions of other Americans. Everyone wants cases to move forward, and it will take everyone working together to ensure that justice is not denied or unduly delayed. Since March, the courts have done the best they can to confront this unprecedented crisis. The courts are open to business as usual, with jury trials remaining as the only exception. I have no doubt that in time, jury trials will resume in a modified manner to limit any risk to participants, including jurors.”

Judge Flannery ordered that all court operations of the division shall resume with the caveat that until further order of the court all proceedings will be conducted by remote means without appearing physically in the courthouse. That means that almost all court proceedings (statuses, motions, and hearings) will be conducted by video, teleconference, or email submission. Non-jury trials also will be proceeding remotely. Lawyers are also expected to proceed with depositions remotely if necessary to avoid unsafe exposure of witnesses, lawyers, and court reporters to the virus.

Jury trials that have been or are set for this year are being given “Trial Setting” dates for 2021 while the court system adjusts to hundreds of people congregating at the Daley Center and still honoring social distancing policies in place in the state.

To speak to at attorney at Clifford Law Offices about your case filed in the Cook County Circuit Court please contact Clifford Law Offices’ Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell).

The post Cook County Circuit Court Issues Detailed Order Regarding Cases in Law Division appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

Attorneys at Clifford Law Offices have donated thousands of dollars to send catered meals from local restaurants to homeless shelters throughout Chicago, and will continue to do so several times per week. As of June 12, 2020, 791 meals have been provided to individuals in need.

Keith A. Hebeisen, Sarah F. King, Erin E. Clifford, and Kevin P. Durkin, partners at Clifford Law Offices, are spearheading the effort to help.

Meals are sent several times per week to shelters around the city. Shelters included are Lincoln Park Community Services (LPCS) shelters at Fullerton and Sedgwick, Primo Center shelters at the Western and Lawndale location, the Salvation Army at Shield of Hope Center, and Sarah’s Circle.

Rex Italian Catering catered for the residents at LPCS’s Fullerton location:

Atolito catered for the residents of Sarah’s Circle:

Wildberry catered for LPCS shelter at the Sedgwick location:

For more information about Chicago Food and Shelter Project, click here.

The post Clifford Law Offices Launches Chicago Food and Shelter Project appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

Sarah F. King, Erin E. Clifford and Keith A. Hebeisen, partners at Clifford Law Offices, are spearheading the effort to help. So far, the firm has sent meals from local restaurants and caterers to residents of Sarah’s Circle on the north side and Primo Center for Families on South Western Avenue. Thanks to the generosity of Clifford Law Offices and its attorneys, meals are being sent daily to shelters around the city including Lincoln Park Community Services (LPCS) at Fullerton, LPCS Sedgwick, Primo Center and Sarah’s Circle.

“It is important that while all of us at Clifford Law Offices are continuing to work on behalf of our clients, we reach out to our neighbors struggling during this time. We thought what a better way to support local restaurants and caterers who need business by sending meals to shelters that need food.” King said. “We are very fortunate to be in a position where we can help those in need during this crisis, thanks to the outstanding leadership of Robert Clifford. Inspired and encouraged by his compassion, we are able to help provide food and shelter, the most important things right now for Chicagoans in need.”

Through its efforts to feed the hungry, Clifford Law Offices Food and Shelter Project also is supporting local restaurants by providing them customers to keep their businesses going.

“I am proud of the attorneys and staff at Clifford Law Offices who continue to work round-the-clock during this crisis on behalf of their clients, always pushing to figure out ways to do the very best for those who have been injured or for the families of those who lost loved ones due to wrongful conduct,” said Clifford, founder and senior partner at the firm. “For them to go the extra mile to help those impacted by COVID-19 and the pandemic personifies the lawyers at the firm – always stepping up to do more for and give back to the community. It makes me very proud.”

If you know of a restaurant or shelter in need please contact Sarah F. King at SFK@cliffordlaw.com

Clifford Law Offices has a tradition of helping the community in times of need, as can be found on its website at “Giving Back”: https://www.cliffordlaw.com/giving-back/

The post Clifford Law Offices Cares – Attorneys Step Up to Help Shelters and Support Local Restaurants During Pandemic appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

When considering if a client has a business loss insurance claim, an attorney needs to:

1. Have the client inform the insurance company that they have been affected by COVID-19 and they are intending to make a claim.
2. The attorney should obtain the policy and review it.
   • The attorney needs to look at what the insurance company considers a covered loss. This often includes physical damage or physical loss to property.
   • If the policy includes loss due to civil authority.
   • Does the policy include exemptions that would make it so that the company would not cover this type of loss?
3. If the client has received a denial letter, the attorney must receive a copy.
4. Have the client gather accounting records to establish losses in the company’s income.
5. Consider what type of actions needs to be taken.

Watch the ISBA Richard Burke Evaluation of COVID 19 Business Interruption Claims video.

The post Richard Burke Evaluation of COVID 19 Business Interruption Claims appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

Sarah’s Six Tips for Lawyers to Stay Connected with Clients During COVID 19 are:

1. Make contact with each of your clients. While this might feel overwhelming, she suggests making a list then scheduling check-ins daily.
2. Always see how they are doing before jumping into information on their case.
3. Understand what your medically vulnerable clients are going through as it relates to COVID- 19 (ask them questions, this may affect their case).
4. Be a reliable source of information (be aware of what is going on, as it relates to their case).
5. Be real with your client (talk to them about case delays and other thing facts on the case).
6. Leave your client with a positive message and be available to help them (let them know work is happening just remotely)

Watch the ISBA 6 Tips for Talking to Your Clients During COVID-19 video.

The post How Our Lawyers Connect with Clients During COVID-19 appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

The event, complimentary to NWSBA members, is part of a series organized to help members deal with the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Erin will be educating attendees on wellness points including:

• Creating a daily schedule to effectively work from home
• How to exercise at home
• What foods to eat to boost immunity
• Healthy snacking ideas
• Foods you want to limit during quarantine
• Types of foods that can help you decrease stress
• Effective ways to manage stress
• What to do if you’re struggling with sleep

The webinars in this series are sponsored by the NWSBA and facilitated through the Civil Litigation Committee.

To register for the Boosting Wellness and Managing Stress During Quarantine webinar, visit nwsba.org.

The post Erin Clifford Leads Wellness Webinar for NWSBA on May 21st, 2020 appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

You may watch the virtual press conference here:

The post Press Conference: Bar Leaders Speak Out to Protect Illinois Residents from Businesses Opening Too Soon appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.