Year: 2013
Is it OK to Kill Cyclists…In Oregon?
Amazing article by Daniel Duane in Sunday’s New York Times. Here’s how he starts: “Everyone who knows me knows that I love cycling and that I’m also completely freaked out by it.” With a start like that, you might not be surprised where he ends up: cycling is fun, but dangerous. His main point: penalties… read more
Can Your Laptop Plead the Fifth? “Testimony” in a Digital Age
The Electronic Frontier Foundation always gets involved in interesting cases, and Leon Gelfgatt’s is no exception: Mr. Gelfgatt was arrested and charged with forgery. Then the government got a search warrant and seized his electronics as evidence. But he had encrypted his files, and the government couldn’t break the encryption. So they asked a judge… read more
Smaller Case Blues: Justice for 20.080 and PIP Claims
I just had lunch with a 30-year-old lawyer. He does great work. He’s got three or four years of experience, and he’s smart, eager, and a good lawyer. At first I was shocked when he told me that he’s never heard of a 20.080 case or a PIP case. But the more I thought about it,… read more
“McDonald’s Coffee Case” . . . Again
“Stella Liebeck”: The woman who spilled McDonald’s coffee on herself. The “Stella Awards”: Awards given every year to mark particularly absurd lawsuits, named after her. “McDonald’s Coffee Case”: A term that has become shorthand for “our civil justice system is broken because people sue over events that were their own fault and make millions.” We’ve… read more
Do Personal Injury Lawsuits Make the World Safer?
Personal injury lawsuits are supposed to serve several different purposes: They’re supposed to compensate someone who was injured due to another person’s carelessness. They’re supposed to make the person who actually caused a loss to pay for that loss. They’re supposed to help prevent injuries from resulting in bankruptcy if the injury was not your… read more
Hit and Run Drivers: Destroying My Faith in Humanity
I don’t have much to say about the latest nominee for driver of the year, Miriam Clinton, who hit a bicyclist with her car, breaking both his legs, rupturing his spleen, and more. She had 12 driving convictions at the time, and was driving with a suspended license. It’s pretty obvious that she should be… read more
Wrongful Death Case Against Toyota Started This Week
Remember the Toyotas that allegedly accelerated for no reason? One of those wrongful death cases is finally going to trial this week in California. Toyota has spent a whole lot of money because of this problem. It has recalled cars, and settled several cases already, including a $10 million settlement in 2010 for the death… read more
Two More Lawsuits Filed Against Mid-Columbia Medical Center
Portland, OR (July 25, 2013) – The personal injury law firm DuBois Law Group filed two lawsuits on Monday against the Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, where Dr. Frederick George Field worked as an anesthesiologist. Attorney Sean DuBois is seeking $8 million in damages on behalf of his clients, two of the victims. “Both… read more
For Insurance Companies, YOUR Time is THEIR Money
Insurance companies are happy to use delay as a tactic when they are trying to avoid paying a claim. They do this in many cases, but it can get particularly egregious in Portland wrongful death cases, such as the case against Bold Earth Teen Adventures for the death of Tyler Madoff. Tyler was 15 years… read more
Monsters Kill: Wrongful Death Suit Against Energy Drink
A mother is suing the makers of Monster Energy Drink for wrongful death, claiming the drink killed her son. People are going to make fun of this lawsuit several reasons: People are going to say that it was the 19-year-old’s own choice to drink two or more 16-ounce cans of Monster every day for two… read more