All Topics

• New Report: the Medical Malpractice Hoax

  Ben Glass | January 19, 2007 4:44 PM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  Public Citizen has just published a new report, again exposing the medical malpractice "crisis" for what it is, a big hoax on the American Public. This new report will provide additional ammunition for citizens (particularly like those in Virginia, Texas and Florida) that face some of the most one-side doctor protective legislation in the country.In a press release, Public Citizen said:The real...

• 15 Passenger Vans="Death Traps"

  Michael Phelan | January 19, 2007 1:00 AM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  A 15 passenger bus (commonly referred to as a 15 passenger van) is designed to seat 14 passengers and a driver. The design of these buses is a standard cargo chassis with an extended full-size body that has been equipped with passenger seating. These buses have been sold by GM, Ford, and Chrysler under various names:1. Chevrolet Express 35002. GMC Savana G35003. Dodge Ram Van/Wagon B35004. ...

• Does the Doctor You Trust Not Trust You? (Especially If You Have A Medical Malpractice Claim)

  Rick Shapiro | October 08, 2006 9:28 AM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  Would you be surprised to learn that the physician that you trust has very strong opinions relating to whether or not you should be able to sue a careless doctor for malpractice? Would you be extremely surprised to learn that the doctor you trust, regularly testifies on behalf of doctors that are sued for malpractice and does not believe that physicians should ever testify in support of a...

• When Railroads Take Police & Legislators on Train Ride, Is It Really About Safety, Or About Their Liability?

  Rick Shapiro | September 08, 2006 8:22 AM | 1 CommentVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  There was a recent article in the local newspaper concerning Norfolk Southern Railway Company conducting a special train ride carrying one hundred people in two passenger cars behind a locomotive, to help these people understand rail safety and the dangers of railroad crossings. However, Norfolk Southern Railway Company and "Operation Lifesaver", a non-profit group, have been accused of trying...

• Who Really Has the Money? (Think Runaway CEO Salaries, Not Runaway Juries)

  Rick Shapiro | July 22, 2006 4:39 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  By James C. Lewis, HSCLA Attorney It seems that with every passing year, we hear more and more complaints from the big corporations in the United States about the fact that lawyers representing injured victims are costing them huge sums of money by suing them and taking them to court. These corporate spokesmen frequently blame the trial lawyers in this country (who represent injured victims)...

• Lawyer Wins $11,000,000.00 verdict against Allstate

  Staff Writer | July 10, 2006 9:04 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  A New Mexico jury has awarded nearly $11,000,000.00 in damages against Allstate Insurance Company to an Albuquerque lawyer because they ruined her legal practice. Allstate Insurance Company had routinely hired Suzanne Guest, an Albuquerque lawyer, to represent the company in defense of personal injury claims; however, when Guest and Allstate were sued by two people she had injured, the company...

• ERISA is Turned on Its Head

  Ben Glass | June 22, 2006 6:32 AM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) was passed in 1974 to protect the cash in your pension fund. Today it protects the insurance companies from lawsuits for disability benefits. In fact, your employer's disability insurance policy may be providing only illusory benefits.Ninety-nine percent of all disability insurance plans offered to employees are governed by ERISA. Under ERISA,...

• What Experts Must Say

  Ben Glass | June 19, 2006 5:06 AM | 1 CommentNorthern Virginia, VA

  From time to time you see a debate about what "magic words" medical experts must use when testifying. The Supreme Court of Virginia just ruled on this issue in a plastic surgery medical malpractice case involving a botched "tummy tuck." While noting that the expert had not used the right "magic words," the Court also noted that the defendant plastic surgeon's lawyers had not made a timely...

• John Cooper, Attorney at Law

  Staff Writer | June 15, 2006 3:04 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  John Cooper returned to Norfolk in 1988 for a one year clerkship with U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca B. Smith after law school at the University of Virginia. John's law practice is devoted exclusively to personal injury litigation in the eastern United States. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa academic honor...

• Are the Nation's Railroads Really Safer, Or Are Many Injuries Going Unreported?

  John Cooper | May 22, 2006 9:58 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  Norfolk Southern Railway Company and other major Railroads are always patting themselves on the back about their safety records. The railroad industry has historically been one of the most dangerous occupations in America. As a result of the dangers, a separate federal law covers railroad workers who get hurt on the job called the Federal Employers' Liability Act (F.E.L.A.). When a railroad...