In the news recently there have been several tragic stories about student violence in South Florida schools.  What often gets overlooked is the damage that poor staffing at these schools brings on children.  Another example came to light on today when a Pine Crest teacher was arrested for having sexual relations with minors.  See the full story here.

The attorneys at Balkan & Patterson, LLP have received justice and financial settlements for victims of abuse and injuries occurring at schools, including against Pine Crest.  Balkan & Patterson, based in Boca Raton, FL, have personal injury lawyers with experience at handling child abuse cases both as former child abuse prosecutors in Broward County and as civil justice attorneys. For more information or to contact us, please visit www.balkanpatterson.com.

The Boca Raton-based personal injury law firm of Balkan & Patterson LLP is pleased to annouce that we will be accepting new cases in securities and investment fraud. A form of consumer fraud, there are a number of these cases in light of the recent financial crisis and the $700 billion bailout plan.

There are laws to protect investors and securities traders, and when those laws are broken, you have legal recourse. Perpetrators of securities fraud may include: financial advisors or analysts, stockbrokers, investment banks, brokerage firms, corporations and private individuals who promote or sell investments. The crime can range from a stockbroker recommending a stock that he knows is not a smart buy, but on which he receives a ‘kickback’ for selling, to a private investor acting on inside information and buying large quantities of stock in a certain company because of a pending lucrative merger. Insider trading, accounting fraud, and companies who misrepresent their information are common. Investment and brokerage houses offer misleading or just plain false information to investors.

For more information, please contact the personal injury, consumer and securities fraud attorneys of Balkan & Patterson, LLP at www.balkanpatterson.com.

As many as 30 million potentially faulty tire valves have been installed on cars and vehicles throughout the country. These valves were manufactured in China and have a tendency to crack and split, which can result in a tire blowout. Several American tire makers and car and auto companies have used these valves. The “ingredients” in the manufacture of the tire valves were not correct, and it causes the product to wear out at a faster rate. The tire valves are being investigated by the government, although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s records show that millions of the faulty valves were installed on cars and truck in the U.S. between Sept. 2006 and June 2007.

Here are a few tips to determine whether the valves on your tires are safe:

1. Spray a mixture of soap and water on the tire valve. If air is seeping out, bubbles will form.

2. Monitor your tire pressure. If your tires are consistently low on fair, it could be a faulty tire valve.

3. Have a mechanic or auto professional check your valves to see if they are in good condition.

For more information, please contact the Boca Raton-based personal injury law firm of Balkan & Patterson, LLP at www.balkanpatterson.com or call (561) 750-9191.