{"id":2054482,"date":"2023-10-03T21:06:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T01:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-jury-awards-iraq-army-veteran-2-49m\/"},"modified":"2023-10-03T21:07:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T01:07:26","slug":"texas-jury-awards-iraq-army-veteran-2-49m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-jury-awards-iraq-army-veteran-2-49m\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraq Army Veteran Receives $2.49M from Texas Jury"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-jury-awards-iraq-army-veteran-2-49m%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2054482&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">STOCK IMAGE. (Photo by Mark Wilson\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>OAN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/tag\/brooke-mallory\">Brooke Mallory<\/a><br \/>6:04 PM \u2013 Tuesday, October 3, \u200d2023<\/h2>\n<p>A jury awarded $2.49 million to an Army veteran who was discharged following the onset of a crippling disease brought on by exposure to burn pits\u2064 while serving in Iraq.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-1\" style=\"min-width: 320px; min-height: 50px;  text-align: center;\">  \t<script>  \t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-1'); });  \t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>According to <em>Military.com<\/em>, Le Roy Torres, a former Army captain, won a case last week against the state of Texas due to the state breaking the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/vets\/programs\/userra\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/vets\/programs\/userra\" target=\"_blank\">Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the civil\u200d trial, a jury of six people returned a unanimous verdict in Torres\u2019 favor.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, Torres filed a lawsuit alleging that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)\u2064 had rejected his request to continue working as an\u200d administrator for the highway patrol.\u200d Instead, he claimed, the state refused him a disability retirement pension, forcing him \u200dto retire.<\/p>\n<p>DPS maintained that the state legislature had to provide its assent before it could be sued. The case was sent\u200c back to Texas where the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Torres.<\/p>\n<p>After a \u201cgrueling\u201d battle, Torres made a statement to <em>Military.com<\/em> on Monday, saying that he \u2062felt justified by the Friday ruling.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cAs citizen soldiers, we deserve to keep our professions\u200d when we return from serving \u2064our nation such as a deployment, subsequently accommodating \u200dthe injured veteran if they return with certain limitations,\u201d\u00a0Torres told <em>Military.com<\/em>. \u201cWe should not have to bear\u200b the burden alone due to illnesses or injuries\u200d caused by the instrumentality of war.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Brian Lawler, Torres\u2019s lawyer, asserted that the DPS completely ignored Torres.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cAfter Dec. 16, 2011\u2026 No one from the \u200dDepartment of Public Safety contacted Le Roy to tell him what was going on and there was no evidence at all (literally none) that DPS looked\u200d for another\u2063 position for him to fill, despite \u2062their lawful, affirmative duty to do so,\u201d Lawler said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>When Torres\u200b was sent \u200dto\u200c Iraq in 2007, he contracted constrictive bronchiolitis, a disease that obliterates the lung\u2019s airways. Bronchiolitis\u2062 makes breathing extremely difficult, exhausting\u200c people who are affected.<\/p>\n<p>He had\u2064 previously been posted \u200bto Joint Base Balad, \u2064where one \u2063of the biggest\u2062 burn pits was utilized by American soldiers \u2063to get rid of rubbish produced by the facility, including regular trash, medical waste, electronics, batteries, plastics, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Torres was eventually found to have both an autoimmune disease and a \u2062traumatic brain injury.<\/p>\n<p>Torres, an Army reserve officer, and his wife Rosie spearheaded a ten-year campaign\u200b to have burn pits recognized as a health danger and\u200b to pass historic legislation that would give sick \u200dveterans benefits.<\/p>\n<p>He is also the co-founder of <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/burnpits360.org\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/burnpits360.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Burn \u200bPits \u200b360<\/a>, which is a 501c3 non-profit veterans organization.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cOur mission is simple but strong \u2013 educate \u2064everyone on the impact of toxic chemical exposure, advocate for those \u200bharmed, and \u200bempower Veterans and their families to stand up for our community,\u201d the \u2062website states.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote data-service=\"twitter\" data-category=\"marketing\" data-placeholder-image=\"https:\/\/c3.oann.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/complianz-gdpr\/assets\/images\/placeholders\/twitter-minimal.jpg\" class=\"cmplz-placeholder-element twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congratulations to Burn \u2063Pits 360 co-founder, Leroy Torres in a landmark win for veterans\u200c with disabilities against the \u200dState of Texas.<\/p>\n<p>For more on this historic\u200d win, click here:<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wAzv9yku1B\">https:\/\/t.co\/wAzv9yku1B<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8TGAoTFurF\">pic.twitter.com\/8TGAoTFurF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u2063Burnpits360 (@Burnpit360) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Burnpit360\/status\/1707930258932908527?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 30, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-service=\"twitter\" data-category=\"marketing\" async data-cmplz-src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts \u200bdirectly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts\">https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h3>Representative Henry Cuellar speaks out after he was carjacked\u200d at gunpoint near his residence just a mile away from\u2064 the Capitol.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h3>Analysts predict Generation Z will have a massive impact on \u2062the 2024 Presidential Election.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h3>The House of \u200dRepresentatives ousts\u200b Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker while Judge Engoron hits Trump with a gag \u2064order.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h3>The Biden White House is\u2063 putting\u2064 a stop to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/over-100-dolphins-thousands-of-fish-found-dead-in-brazilian-amazon\/\" title=\"Over 100 dolphins, countless fish discovered dead in Brazilian Amazon.\">senior administration officials traveling internationally<\/a> for energy engagements that promote carbon-intensive fuels.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h3>Meta is planning\u2062 to lay \u200doff employees on Wednesday in the unit of its metaverse-oriented Reality Labs division focused\u2063 on creating custom silicon.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h3>Sam Bankman-Fried\u2019s fraud trial got under way with jury\u2064 selection on Tuesday, nearly\u200c a year after his now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange\u2019s\u00a0collapse.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h3>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-crypto-market-bears-the-scars-of-ftxs-collapse\/\" title=\"FTX's collapse left lasting scars on the crypto market.\">global cryptocurrency market remains badly scarred<\/a> following\u2064 the tumultuous collapse of crypto exchange\u2062 FTX and other big players last year.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<h3>A California federal judge has ruled people who own Tesla cars must pursue autopilot claims in\u200b individual arbitration rather than court.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> rnrn  <\/p>\n<h2> What is the significance of the recent jury awarding $2.49 \u2062million to Army veteran Le \u2062Roy Torres in his lawsuit over burn\u2063 pit exposure?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Title: Army \u2063Veteran Awarded $2.49 Million in\u2064 Lawsuit Over Burn \u200dPit Exposure<\/p>\n<p>Introduction:<\/p>\n<p>In a significant victory for the rights of military veterans, a \u200cjury recently awarded $2.49 million to Le Roy Torres, an Army veteran who suffered from a debilitating disease caused by exposure to\u2063 burn pits during his service in Iraq. The lawsuit, filed by Torres\u200c against\u200c the state of Texas, highlights the\u200d importance of upholding the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act and ensuring that veterans are not denied their rightful benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Background:<\/p>\n<p>Le Roy Torres, a former Army captain, \u200dhad filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in 2017, alleging that the state had violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act. He claimed that the DPS had rejected his request to continue\u200b working as an administrator \u2063for the highway patrol and denied him a disability retirement pension, forcing him into retirement. The case was sent back to Texas, and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately sided with Torres, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.<\/p>\n<p>The Verdict:<\/p>\n<p>After a challenging legal \u200cbattle, Torres emerged victorious when a jury of six \u2063people unanimously ruled in his favor. The jury awarded him $2.49 million as compensation for the hardships he endured due to burn pit exposure and\u200b subsequent health complications.<\/p>\n<p>Le Roy Torres&#8217; Statement:<\/p>\n<p>Expressing his satisfaction with the \u200bruling, Torres stated that military personnel returning \u200bfrom deployments should be allowed to retain \u2062their professions, with accommodations made for injured\u200d veterans who may have limitations. He emphasized that they should not have to shoulder\u2064 the burden\u200c alone\u200b when illnesses or injuries are caused by the effects of war.<\/p>\n<p>Negligence by the DPS:<\/p>\n<p>Brian Lawler, Torres&#8217; lawyer, asserted that the DPS \u200chad completely neglected Torres&#8217; situation. \u200bHe stated that after December\u200d 16, 2011, there was no communication from the DPS regarding Torres&#8217; \u2064position or\u2064 any evidence to show\u200c that the department made an\u200d effort to\u200c find an alternative role for\u2063 him, despite their legal obligation to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Burn Pit Exposure and Health<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>veteran, received a $2.49 million jury award after being discharged due to a debilitating illness caused by exposure to burn pits during his service in Iraq. The verdict was announced by OAN&#8217;s Brooke Mallory on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. This case highlights the consequences of hazardous conditions faced by military personnel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1866,"featured_media":2054483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2054482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oann"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1866"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2054482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2054482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2054483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2054482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2054482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2054482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}