New packets help with Taser litigation and federal tort claims.

For plaintiff members assessing and preparing claims on behalf of clients injured by Tasers or the negligence of federal employees, the ATLA Exchange offers two new litigation packets containing documents, analysis, and case strategies.

Suits have emerged against both Taser International and the cities and municipalities using these devices. In March, the company issued a new warning providing guidelines for operational safety and addressing Taser deployment, health risks, post-deployment procedures, and maintenance. The company continues to market the device as a safe alternative to firearms.

The "Taser: Unsafe and Lethal" litigation packet contains complaints from two separate Taser cases (one alleging wrongful death and the other claiming use of excessive force and civil rights violations); deposition transcripts and summaries of key Taser International employees; a Taser study from the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California; similar matters; and secondary resources including a TRIAL article, a U.S. Department of Defense study, and a bibliography of journal and newspaper articles on Taser injuries and deaths.

The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) is the waiver of sovereign immunity by the United States and provides the exclusive remedy for personal injury, death, and property damages resulting from the negligence of federal employees. This litigation packet helps plaintiff attorneys analyze key issues when handling a mandatory administrative claim or a bench trial.

"An Overview of the Federal Tort Claims Act: From Mandatory Administrative Claims to Bench Trials" includes an outline introduction to the FTCA; the full text of the act and excerpts of the various applicable statutes; a Standard Form 95; a Freedom of Information Act records request checklist; FTCA sections of the U.S. Attorneys' manual; example agency regulations and FFCA handbooks; sample court documents; a sample stipulation for compromise settlement and release of claim, and irrevocable reversionary inter vivos medical trust; ATLA Education speaker papers; and a bibliography of law journal and law review articles.

For more information, log on to www.exchange.atla.org and click on "Litigation Packets," or call the Exchange at [phone] or [phone], ext. 615.