Steven and I have been having a discussion – it started here. Here is his latest missive: “My mistake, I did not mean to state that this particular lawyer(s) was sleazy, but that the trial bar in general is sleazy. I will admit that there must be some decent trial…
Day on Torts
Amounts of Settlement Not Discoverable
The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled that the amounts of settlements made by doctor in other cases are not discoverable in another medical malpractice action against him. The case is Miller v. Kelly; it is reported at 130 P.3d 982 (Ariz. App. 2006). The Court held that “the amount…
Was I Too Harsh?
I got this comment from Steven concerning my post about the settlement of the medical malpractice lawsuit concerning John Ritter’s death: “{T]his illustrates the insanity of the system. If a patient arrives in the ER with a ruptured AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm), his chance of survival is ~50%. 25% die…
Tractor Trailer Wrecks In News Again
The FMCSA has a new study out that “[d]rivers of large trucks and other vehicles involved in truck crashes are ten times more likely to be the cause of the crash than other factors, such as weather, road conditions, and vehicle performance ….” A quick summary from the press release:…
Data Concerning Injuries
Here is some interesting data about injuries in the United States from the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: * 50 million injuries a year require medical attention * Cost in medical expenses? $80+ Billion * Cost in lost productivity over the injured person’s lifetime? $326 Billion. *…
Wrong Site Surgeries
Go to the Tennessee Medical Malpractice Law Blog for a post on wrong site surgeries.
Lawyer and Insurer May Be Sued For Pressuring Opposing Witness Into Not Testifying
Teresa Sigmon, attorney for the defendant in a medical malpractice case, allegedly pressured one of the plaintiff’s consulting experts in the case into withdrawing from an agreement to testify for the plaintiff. The plaintiff then sued her, her law firm, and the the medical malpractice insurer for “abuse of process,…
Exxon Chairman Retires – Almost $400M in Pension and Benefits
Not a bad deal ….
Strike!
Can a community college be sued when a pitcher on its baseball team intentionally hits an opposing player in the head with a baseball? Sure. Can the school be held liable? No, not according to the California Supreme Court. Avila was beaned with a baseball during a game. He believed…
7th Circuit Rebufs Lawsuit of Wrongfully Imprisoned Man
Mr. Wallace was 15 years old when he was charged with murder. He served eight years in prison before an appellate court determined that he was arrested without probably cause and that his confession was tainted by the illegal arrest. He sued, but the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals held…