Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)

• Dr. Files Suit Against County Due to Lack of Protection

  Susy Owen | February 09, 2008 4:07 PM | 0 CommentsSanta Clarita, CA

  The law protects dog owners' rights as much as it tries to ensure public safety. Accordingly, the county Animal Services Department will not remove your dog just because someone merely thinks the dog is vicious. Dr. Nancy Matthews, a 47-year-old Valley Center equine veterinarian, says she suffered as a result. In November 2006, Dr. Matthews was with her two sons, 8 and 11-years old when she was...

• Proposed Legislations Will Reduce Child Drowning Deaths

  Claude Wyle | July 23, 2007 11:35 AM | 0 CommentsSan Francisco, CA

  The mother of the 4-year-old boy who recently drowned in a Great America pool blames lifeguards for not spotting her son until it was too late to save him, but was not in the pool herself at the time of the drowning. Great America now requires all children less than 4 feet tall wear life jackets while in its pools. Will this new rule save lives? Or will it only provide a false sense of...

• What was she thinking?

  Laura Mackie | January 29, 2007 1:03 PM | 0 CommentsSacramento, CA

  Recent headlines in the Modesto Bee brought to mind that eternal question "What was this person thinking?" It's a fair question (considering the circumstances), and in actual fact, an experienced litigator should probably ask themselves this question on a fairly regular basis. The incident currently under consideration is a perfect example of tragic results in a situation where poor judgment...

• Fort Worth Bans the Chaining of Dogs

  Susy Owen | February 20, 2008 2:58 PM | 0 CommentsSanta Clarita, CA

  In 2007, Texas House Bill 1411 was passed making it a misdemeanor to chain a dog overnight, in extreme weather, or for more than three consecutive hours. That is a start. Now, the City Council of Fort Worth has improved on that law and has banned chaining dogs in front and back yards, period. The cost to anyone violating this law is a $500 fine for the first offense. If that does not get the...

• Slip and Fall Lawsuit Filed Against Bronx Theater

  Shannon Weidemann | July 18, 2007 10:49 AM | 0 CommentsFresno, CA

  A Theater in the Bronx and a Synagogue have had a slip and fall lawsuit filed against them by a man that broke his leg while attending a dinner event. A temporary stage and staircase was built over the theater seats for the dinner. The man fell down the staircase.Attorney Al Bernstone, who is representing the Karans in a lawsuit seeking an as-yet undetermined amount in damages, charged that...

• How's this for irony?

  IB Contributor | June 10, 2007 12:01 AM | 2 CommentsOrange County, CA

  Court Hearing to Save Pitbull a Day after Pitbulls Attack Tustin woman and Maul her DogEarly Wednesday morning, two female pitbulls snatched a poodle from the arms of an elderly woman in Tustin and mauled the little dog in front of her eyes, in her front yard, according to an article in The Orange County Register. On Thursday morning, a Westminster woman's attorney begged an Orange County...

• Dog Bite Statistics

  Rick Patterson | January 02, 2007 2:59 PM | 0 CommentsLancaster, CA

  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year more than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs. Given that over 50 percent of all dog bites occur on the dog owner's property, the issue is a major source of concern for insurers.In 2005 dog bites cost insurers $317.2 million. In 2003 the cost was $321.6 million. The cost of an average dog bite went from $16,600 in...

• Kurita's Bill Would Toughen Pet Laws

  Susy Owen | March 01, 2008 6:08 PM | 0 CommentsSanta Clarita, CA

  Tennessee's State Senator Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville is looking for accountability. And now she will introduce a bill that will provide that accountability for pet owners. The bill is known as "permissive legislation." In the event of a dog attack the case would go to General Sessions Court. Currently a dog attack case would go before a Circuit Court judge, which would assure a fine of $50...

• Mount Baker Man and Dog Attacked by Pit Bulls

  Shannon Weidemann | September 16, 2007 6:47 PM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  A man and his dog were attacked in Mount Baker, just outside of Seattle, by two pit bulls. They were out for a walk when the dogs attacked them. Both of the pit bulls were found and are at the Seattle Animal Shelter. No decision has been made on whether the dogs will be euthanized. The dogs' owner, a woman, could face up to a $1,000 fine and criminal charges in connection with the attack,...

• Dog Bite Punctures Toddler's Eye

  Chrissie Cole | August 11, 2007 10:33 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  A two-year-old boy was hospitalized after suffering a dog bite that punctured his left eye on Tuesday.The boy, whose name was not released, was taken to Terre Haute Regional Hospital and then transported by helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. As of late Tuesday, his condition was unknown.The boy was attacked by the dog when his mother was house-sitting while the homeowners were in...