Year: 2013

Lobbyists Hard At Work Helping Insurance Companies Rob You Blind

I am so sick of insurance companies getting away with screwing consumers! It’s happening again, right now. House Bill 3160 passed the Oregon House, but is being held up in the Oregon Senate by the forty-seven(!!!) lobbyists that are bending your Senators’ ears. (ORS 646.605 – 646.656) makes it illegal for businesses to use “unconscionable… read more

ACLU vs. NSA: Protecting Rights to Privacy

Everyone’s talking about Edward Snowden’s recent revelations of the extent to which the NSA has been tracking U.S. citizens. If you haven’t heard (where have you been?), Edward Snowden is a former National Security Administration contractor who, after leaving the NSA with classified surveillance information, has been leaking said information to show Americans how the… read more

It Pays to Dig Deeper: Investigating Single-Car Crashes

I bet that 90% of lawyers would have made a $9 million mistake on this case. Before I explain, let me walk you through the scenario. Imagine that you’re a personal injury lawyer, and someone calls you up and tells you this story: “I live in California, but I was on a car trip in… read more

Want to Save 1,800 Lives This Year? Lower the BAC Limit

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for states to reduce the legal blood alcohol content level from .08 to .05. When Australia dropped the legal limit for blood alcohol content while driving from .08 to .05, provinces there reported a drop in fatalities of 5% to 18%. Every state in the U.S. currently… read more

Bringing Such a Small Case to Trial Would Be Silly

I teach a class to paralegal students one evening per week. On last week’s midterm exam, I asked them to write an essay outlining possible tort claims that could be brought on behalf of a fictional woman who sprained her ankle slipping on water in Fred Meyer. In her answer, one of the students wrote… read more

Little Known Law Creates Injustice for Workers Injured on the Job

“Whatsoever you have done unto the least of these men, you have done it to me.” I learn new things every day. Today I was taught something by a 25-year-old man with broken bones in his back who has required three surgeries so far. His medical bills are about $500,000 so far, and he’s not… read more

Should a Drunk Driver Be Allowed to Sue the Bar That Overserved Her?

The fearless lawyers at Pickett Dummigan brought an unusual lawsuit a while back regarding a drunk driving accident. They represent Ashley Schutz for extremely serious injuries that she received after she drank way too much alcohol and then caused a car crash. The suit is complex and has multiple defendants and causes of action, but… read more

Six Months for Cracking Man’s Skull and Leaving Him to Bleed

I wrote about the hit-and-run that left Ryan Hendrix with a cracked skull and bleeding near the brain back on December 13, 2012. The driver who hit Mr. Hendrix as he was crossing the street was finally sentenced recently: to six months in jail, three years probation, and one year without a driver’s license. Ronald… read more

Do Gaps in Treatment Lead to More Injury Trials?

One of the duties of a personal injury lawyer in Portland is to tell people the truth, even when it hurts. To tell people that their actions, however well-intentioned and justifiable, may have certain unfair consequences. No lawyer enjoys it, but it is part of our job. So don’t shoot the messenger. Let me give… read more

Minors Can Get Counseling Without Telling Parents…But Can’t Tan

There is an interesting juxtaposition of bills affecting the rights of minors going through the Oregon legislature these days. One that gives minors more rights, and one that takes rights away. I’m in favor of both of them – giving rights with one hand, and taking them away with the other. Senate Bill 491 –… read more