Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation Round Up
Here’s what other personal injury and workers’ compensation lawyers have been talking about over the past few weeks: Are Congress’s Med Mal Reform Efforts Unconstitutional? (TortsProfBlog) North Carolina Proposes to Reduce Worker Benefits and Abolish Privacy Rights (Workers’ Compensation Law Blog) The value of a human life and damage caps (Tort Deform) Corporate America Discovers […]
NTSB focuses on deadly truck and bus accidents
Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) convened a 2-day panel focusing on ways to reduce truck and bus accidents. Participating in the discussion were federal regulators, safety experts and representatives from both the truck and bus industries. One of the goals of the panel was to examine the trends relating to truck and […]
Food advertising aimed at kids is on center stage
Earlier this year we predicted that in 2011 there will be increasing backlash against fast food, particularly when marketing it toward children. By way of example, we cited the recently enacted San Francisco ban of McDonald’s Happy Meals. Shortly thereafter, we posted about a class action lawsuit that had been filed in California wherein it […]
Court upholds jury award in Illinois personal injury case
The Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, recently upheld a jury verdict in a personal injury action arising from a car accident that resulted in serious injuries to the plaintiff. In Estate of Ogelsby v. Berg, No. 1-09-0639, the plaintiff, who was 60 years old at the time of the accident, was injured when the […]
Social media as evidence in personal injury cases
Social media is increasingly being used as evidence in many different types of legal proceedings, including criminal matters, divorce proceedings and even personal injury lawsuits. Social media can be a great resource in many types of cases and provides a wealth of information for personal injury lawyers. Of course, it’s a double edged sword, since […]
Illinois Court on Snow Removal Contractor’s Liability For Slip & Fall
If an employee slips and falls on snow and ice that accumulated outside of a building at which she worked, who is liable for the injuries? Does the snow removal contractor bear some responsibility? In March, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, addressed that very question in Williams v. Sebert Landscape Company, No. 1101794. […]
After the Supreme Court’s AT&T Ruling, Are Consumer Class Actions Dead?
According to many sources, the United State’s Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in the Concepcion v. AT&T decision is anything but favorable for consumers. The decision allows corporations to ban class actions by using the mandatory arbitration clauses that are now found in most contracts for the delivery of goods and services. In essence, the Court […]
New California Rental Car Recall Bill First of its Kind
In past posts, we’ve reported that rental car agencies regularly lease recalled cars without fixing the underlying safety issue behind the recall. There have been a number of attempts to fix this problem. First, in August of 2010, two consumer groups filed a joint petition with the FTC, asking that the FTC investigate the situation […]
Seasonal Jobs and Workers’ Compensation
With the warm weather and summer approaching, there will be many seasonal jobs springing up. The question that can arise is can you be compensated by Workers’ Compensation if you are injured on the job as a seasonal worker whose average weekly wage is different from full-time workers who are not considered seasonal employees?
Work Place Fights Are A Common Occurrence
Work place fights are a common occurrence. The question that commonly comes up is whether or not you can receive workers’ compensation for injuries sustained in a fight at the workplace. There is no simple answer as each claim has its own particular facts such as was there neglect by the employer, or a hostile work environment. All of the answers to these questions are taken into account when assessing this type of claim.