Recent Blog Posts
Is it Elder Abuse to Convince Someone to Change A Will
It’s the stuff of tabloid journalism and soap opera plots: a suave individual comes into the life of an older person late in life, and friends and family members are shocked (or not shocked, as the case may be) to find that their loved one changed his or her will right before death in… Read More »
New Study Gives State-by-State View of How We Get Injured
Is your body in perfect working order at this moment? Chances are, it is not. British researchers released a report in 2012 finding that the average person suffers 124 ailments each year, which means they suffer nearly 10,000 such ailments over their lifetime (9,672 to be exact). The criteria for ailment in that study… Read More »
What Happens When Road Rage Causes an Accident?
The phrase “road rage” is recognized and used all over the country these days, but you may recall that the Los Angeles area has the dubious distinction of being the birthplace of the term after driver shootings on the 405, 110, and 10 freeways in the late 1980’s prompted newscasters to start calling these… Read More »
Can I Recover in an Auto Accident Lawsuit if I Was Jaywalking?
In many collisions involving automobiles and pedestrians, the driver of the car will argue that the pedestrian was at fault for not following the law. And, it is in fact the case that a number of such collisions do involve pedestrians who entered the street either against the light or where there was not… Read More »
Can I Sue for a Dog Bite in California?
A dog bite may not seem like the kind of action you sue over until you see the devastating consequences of a dog bite up close. Dog bites, especially those that break the skin, can involve expensive trips to the emergency room, thousands of dollars in medical bills, prolonged pain and suffering, and extended… Read More »
Why Are So Many California Foster Children on Antipsychotics?
There is no doubt that being a child in California’s foster care system is stressful, with frequent moves between homes, exposure to abusive adults and fellow children, and unstable educational and disciplinary regimes. But, whether well-intentioned or not, many foster children in California are subject to additional stresses of being prescribed antipsychotic medicines on… Read More »
What Factors Do I Need to Show to Prove Negligence in a Personal Injury Case?
Every day you probably see a billboard, bus sign, flyer, newspaper ad, or radio or TV commercial telling you that if you’ve been in an accident, you may be able to win a large settlement or verdict worth many thousands or even millions of dollars. And yet we’ve all had accidents in our life… Read More »
What Factors Can Reduce Your Personal Injury Settlement?
In a successful personal injury suit, you are generally entitled to recover the full cost of your injuries from an accident over your lifetime: medical bills, lost income and reduced earning potential, and pain and suffering for starters. But in many cases, plaintiffs will find that their full recovery might be reduced in a… Read More »
How to Establish Vicarious Liability in a Personal Injury Case
When you are injured by the negligent act of another, then the individual who committed the negligent act is liable to you. But other parties may also be liable to you based on the legal theory of vicarious liability, and those parties may be in a much better financial position (through either insurance or… Read More »
Contributory vs. Comparative Negligence
Long ago, defendants in personal injury cases could defeat a plaintiff’s negligence claim by simply showing that the plaintiff’s negligence caused any role in causing his or her injuries, even if the defendant’s fault far outweighed that of the plaintiff. For example, even if a plaintiff’s fault played only a 1% role in causing… Read More »
