Miscellaneous

• Protection from Securities Fraud, Part 1

  Staff Writer | August 13, 2006 11:39 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  The Securities Commissioner for the State of Texas provides 10 tips to help consumers prevent investment fraud and avoid becoming victims of this all-to-common crime. I found the advice is a good reminder to all of us on common sense investing. Continue reading for the first of three posts on wise investing. Would-be investors should thoroughly investigate a possible investment and the...

• The California Bar Considers What Should be an Easy Decision: Should Attorneys Be Required to Disclose Whether they have Malpractice Insurance?

  Michael Myers | August 13, 2006 7:58 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  No one knows for sure how many California lawyers lack malpractice insurance, but estimates run as high as 20 percent. That means almost 31,000 of the state's nearly 153,000 active lawyers have no way of compensating clients if they mess up a case. Tough luck for the consumer. But that could change under a proposal now being circulated by the State Bar to enact rules requiring attorneys to tell...

• Woman Receives $1.6 Million--Lack of Informed Consent

  Michael Myers | August 13, 2006 7:01 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  King County Superior Court Judge Jim Rogers presided over a case where jurors awarded $1.75 million to a 26-year-old woman who said she did not give proper consent when a Centralia osteopathic doctor performed a hysterecomy on her three years ago. Medical malpractice laws in Washington were recently rewritten. You should contact an attorney about these changes.

• Doctors Can Be Sued for Overstating Their Qualifications

  Michael Myers | August 13, 2006 6:59 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Resume fraud is a pervasive issue in the Seattle and throughout the state. Many people tend to exaggerate their accomplishments on their resumes. This is problematic in its own right but takes on especially significant proportions when the exaggeration is made by a physician. In a decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court, it was held that doctors can be sued for misrepresenting their...

• Emotional Distress--Fear For Safety

  Michael Myers | August 13, 2006 6:51 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Accidents treat people differently. Two people can be in the same car during a crash. One is severely injured. The other one isn't. But that doesn't mean only the injured person has a claim. The uninjured person has a claim of his or her own if (1) they were in fear of being injured themselves and/or (2) witnessed injury to a close family member. If you or a person close to you has a claim...

• Police Officer Killed in Accident

  Michael Myers | August 13, 2006 2:48 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A Seattle police officer died after a speeding sport-utility vehicle struck his patrol car in the city's Central District early Sunday morning. The officer was driving northbound on 23rd Avenue South through a green light at about 4 a.m. when an eastbound GMC Yukon ran a red light and struck the middle of his patrol car, police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said. "The officer was killed instantly." ...

• Loss Of Parental Consortium

  Michael Myers | August 12, 2006 6:49 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  When parents are injured as the result of someone else's negligence they have personal injury claims. It is quite possible that their spouses (or in some cases their domestic partners) have loss of consortium claims (basically, for the loss of at least part of the relationship) with a loved one. The children of the injured parent are often overlooked. But children, and even stepchildren, may...

• Hospitals Are Reluctant to Disclose Malpractice Statistics

  Michael Myers | August 12, 2006 3:34 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  When the Institute of Medicine issued a landmark report in 1999 saying that up to 98,000 people die each year in hospitals because of medical errors, a national effort was launched to improve patient safety. And patient rights groups began pushing for disclosure of more information when problems or medical errors occur. But there are still significant problems. Not just with patients dying...

• City of Bellingham Puts $400,000 Aside in Train Crossing Injury Case

  Michael Myers | August 12, 2006 3:08 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  The Bellingham Herald reports that the City of Bellingham has set aside $400,000 to cover a potential settlement in a lawsuit after a train crashed into a woman's car in 2001. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Alizon Veit, named both BNSF Railway Co. and the City as liable parties for the crash.As this case illustrates, train crashes can involve the fault of several parties (drivers, train...

• Automakers and Insurance Companies Reducing Property Damage at Human Expense

  Michael Myers | August 12, 2006 2:53 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Over the past 10 years whiplash injuries have increased. There are approximately 3,000,000 whiplash injuries per year attributable to stiffened bumper systems designed to protect the cars and avoid property damage repairs by the insurance industry. Studies show that car bumpers can withstand 10 - 12 mph low speed (yet hard impact) crashes with little or no damage. But these crashes kill a...