Articles by Sean Murphy

Pro-Gun Advocates Claim Victory in Oklahoma Session

Advocates for expanded gun rights in Oklahoma are claiming success in the 2012 legislative session after the passage of several pro-gun measures, including one that allows permit holders to openly carry firearms. The open-carry bill, given final approval by the …

Oklahoma Senate Approves Workers’ Comp Alternative

Oklahoma companies would be allowed to opt out of the state’s traditional workers’ compensation system and instead self-insure or have alternative coverage under new guidelines outlined in a bill approved on April 18 in the state Senate. Groups representing big …

Lawmaker: Oklahoma Cannot Wait On Insurance Exchange

A legislative panel exploring the impact of the new federal health care law on Oklahoma will likely suggest that the state should do the minimum amount required to comply with the act, the committee’s chairman said. State Sen. Gary Stanislawski, …

Lawsuit Cap Prompts Oklahoma Courthouse Rush

Courthouse officials across Oklahoma have reported a surge in civil cases being filed ahead of a law that took effect Nov. 1 that caps the amount of damages plaintiffs in bodily injury lawsuits can collect for pain and suffering. The …

Oklahoma Teacher Disfigured in Fire Opposes Liability Damage Caps

After a lengthy battle with breast cancer, Connie Plumlee was undergoing her last reconstructive surgery when something went horribly wrong. A fire believed to have started from a cauterizing tool in the operating room ignited alcohol on her face and …

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Holland to Face Doak in November

Longtime insurance agent John Doak of Tulsa has defeated former Insurance Commissioner John Crawford of Oklahoma City for the Republican nomination for state insurance commissioner. In the only statewide race on the ballot, Doak kept Crawford from returning to the …

Oklahoma GOP Forges Ahead With Workers’ Comp Overhaul

Oklahoma Senate Republicans are continuing their push to completely overhaul Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation laws, arguing the system is too expensive for businesses. The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a half-dozen workers’ compensation bills, most of which drew opposition from Democrats …

Third Lawsuit Filed Against Oklahoma Eatery Over E. Coli Outbreak

Attorneys for 14 people sickened by an August 2008 outbreak of E. coli have filed a lawsuit seeking more than $3 million from the operators of a Locust Grove restaurant where the bacteria originated. The complaint was filed in Mayes …

Oklahoma Teen Alleges Discrimination by Retail Giant

A Muslim teenager claims in a federal lawsuit that she was denied a job at an Abercrombie & Fitch clothing store at a Tulsa mall because she wore a head scarf. In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court …

Lawmakers Eye Tornado Shelters for Trailer Parks in Oklahoma

Prompted by a deadly February tornado in southern Oklahoma, a state House panel on Tuesday examined ways to increase the number of tornado shelters at mobile home parks. Reps. Pat Ownbey, R-Ardmore, and Samson Buck, D-Ardmore, represent the area where …