Personal Injury Law

This Disaster Is Just The Tip Of The Ice Berg

Posted on May 19, 2010
Dauphin Island, Alabama is a special place. It is a barrier island located at western side of the mouth of Mobile Bay. It is unpretentious, quiet and beautiful. If you don't like sand, fishing, boating, laying out in the sun or reading, you are in the wrong place...

Valdez Revisited

Posted on May 17, 2010
The judicial branch of government is the only forum the average citizen has to stand toe to toe with the corporate behemoths and get a fair shake. Not only are the litigants guaranteed a fair trial but in instances where the conduct was reckless, wanton or purposeful the jury is empowered to protect society from having the same thing happen again...

Personal Account of BP/Transocean Oil Rig Explosion

Posted on May 17, 2010
60 Minutes' Interview of crewmember Mike Williams, who describes the minutes before the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion: "I hear the engines revving. The lights are glowing. I'm hearing the alarms. I mean, they're at a constant state now. It's just, 'Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep...

Big Oil Rigging the Game

Posted on May 15, 2010
What is a black swan? It's not a new cell phone model or a chic new wine label or even a bird. Coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his 2007 book, The Black Swan, black swans are events which unexpectedly occur and have major impact. Think of the stock market crash in 1929 or the Titanic hitting an iceberg...

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How Much is Too Much?

Posted on May 15, 2010
While it is undisputed that there are a continuing litany of errors associated with BP's handling of the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, there is one gross oversight no one seems to be calling them out on: measuring the size of the spill. Why is there no current, accurate measurement of the amount of oil that has and continues to flow from the BP/Transocean well? Won't the amount of oil dictate the size of response necessary? If we've learned anything from this and other massive oil spills, it's that a lot of preparation is required to properly handle the after-effects...

Alabama State Bar Mopping up Oily Lawyers

Posted on May 15, 2010
Not very long after my last post, I received the following mass-email message from the Alabama State Bar: Gulf Coast Oil Spill & Solicitation The officers of the [Alabama] State Bar thought it necessary to alert all members to steps we have already taken to alert the public concerning the ASB's public protection initiative as it relates to the BP oil spill...

Transco - Enjoying The Benefits Of Doing Business In The U.S. Without The Responsibilities

Posted on May 15, 2010
Self described as "the world's largest offshore drilling contractor," Transocean, Ltd. is headquartered in the foothills of the Swiss Alps. Is it the clean mountain air, or perhaps the rosy cheeked milk maidens that drew Transco from its original Delaware base? Think again...

The BP oil spill demonstrates that caps are wrong

Posted on May 14, 2010
Transocean it will rely upon a law that makes the owner of a sunken vessel liable only for its value after the accident. Transocean says there was $27 million worth of oil being held on the rig when it exploded so that is the extent of its responsibility...

Oil Spill Blame - It's A Kid's Story

Posted on May 13, 2010
Mrs. America was bent out of shape - really pissed. She had let her kids go to the beach for lunch only because they promised to be careful and not leave a mess. They hadn't left the beach five minutes before her cousin in Lousiana called with the bad news...

Oil Spill Producing Slick Lawyers

Posted on May 13, 2010
As a profession, we need to reevaluate our approach to the BP Oil Spill. I heard a Gulf Shores, Alabama, business owner say this week that he had gotten over 30 phone calls from attorneys seeking to represent him. His businesses rely heavily, almost entirely, on tourism at the beach...

Oil Spill is about to hit the Gulf Coast, here is how you can help...

Posted on April 30, 2010
As the Gulf Coast is about to prepare for the worst unnatural disaster since the Exxon Valdez, the question I am asking myself, and Im sure many are asking themselves, is "How can I help?" Linked below are the numbers on how to volunteer to help with the massive clean up that is about to take place in an effort to save our Gulf Coast...

Toyota, Pinto and Juries

Posted on April 09, 2010
The runaway Toyotas remind me of the exploding Pintos and both underscore the role of juries as guardians of public safety. I recall in the late 70's when it was revealed that the design of the Ford Pinto caused the gas tank to rupture from a rear end collision at speeds of 25 miles per hour...

The commercial says Im going to receive a free credit report, in fact it says it in song...

Posted on April 05, 2010
We have all seen the commercial. A guy with a guitar singing a very catchy song, about a free credit report. I've seen the commercial enough to know the words by heart. I never had a reason to use their website, but I always wondered how a website that sold itself as providing "free" credit reports to consumers, but could afford so much commercial ad space...

What should you do if you have just been in a car accident, but the other car didn't stop...

Posted on March 28, 2010
This is the classic "hit and run" scenario and a lot of times even if people have uninsured motorist coverage, their insurance company may not provide coverage. What do you need to do to insure that you are able to collect on your insurance policy? First, if there are any witnesses to your accident be sure to get their contact information so that an independent witness can corroborate your claim...

OH NO! - Healthcare Passed - The End Is Near ... And We Told You So

Posted on March 24, 2010
How will we pay for it? It's un-constitutional. We are now the United Socialist States of America ... Back off of the ledge, catch your breath, relax and count to ten. Think back two years - everyone agreed that healthcare costs were spiraling out of control...

Education crisis hits Baldwin County, Penny Tax decided tomorrow...

Posted on March 22, 2010
This blog entry may only be about small county (Baldwin County) in Alabama, but what is happening in Baldwin County tomorrow is an event that is worthy of National attention. There is a vote tomorrow that will raise sales tax by one penny in Baldwin County in order to raise revenue...

Should states require attorneys practicing in their state to have insurance?

Posted on March 21, 2010
Our office has handled a significant number of legal malpractice cases over the years, and lately it is becoming apparent that attorneys that play fast and loose with the rules of law, are also practicing law without malpractice insurance. More and more attorneys are willing to run this risk because if faced with a potential lawsuit, they can tell their former client, "If you sue me, you won't receive a penny, Im in debt with the bank, and I don't have insurance...

Do We Even Know What Tort Reform Is?

Posted on March 07, 2010
It is rare that I discuss tort reform with someone without getting a reaction and an opinion - either pro or con. What I recently realized is that in raising the issue, I have defined it in that particular conversation. By that, I mean that, in each instance, I have focused the issue on damage caps, loser pays or joint and several liability, etc...

What is Car Repair Insurance?

Posted on March 01, 2010
That was the question I asked myself after watching the third commercial for car repair insurance in less than an hour. Don't get me wrong, I understood the premise: Pay us money and if your car breaks down, we will pay for the repairs. Sounds easy enough...

Think you have Life Insurance? Think again.

Posted on February 28, 2010
More and more Americans are trying to protect their family's financial future by purchasing term life insurance. As a new husband and father, one of the first things I did was purchase term life insurance, just in case an unfortunate event happens. Its not something anyone likes to think about, but it is something that people do prepare for, or at least they think they have...

What is happening to Toyota is a lesson for any business...

Posted on February 22, 2010
I have owned two cars in my life, and both are Toyotas. I still drive a 2000 Toyota Camry. I planned that my next car would be a Toyota. Then the recalls happened. Now there are reports of more potential recalls, and the car that synonymous with reliability, is now synonymous with recall...

Chamber of Commerce - Tell Us Who You Back In This Lawsuit

Posted on February 15, 2010
I read about an interesting lawsuit the other day - DirecTV is suing Dish Network over an ad Dish has been airing. The complaint - Dish's ad is not true. Stop the presses - an advertisement stretches the truth! Imagine what you might read if a consumer filed a class action lawsuit on the same grounds - accusing DirecTV of misleading the public...

Kickback Schemes or Legitimate Marketing?

Posted on February 06, 2010
The Washington Post a few weeks ago reported that Johnson & Johnson paid tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks to boost sales of its drugs in nursing homes, including an antipsychotic that can be used as a chemical restraint. The Justice Department made these allegations in a lawsuit filed in Boston on January 15, 2010...

We Don't Need Tort Reform For Idiots Like These Guys

Posted on February 02, 2010
Whenever I get an email pressing the need for more tort reform, that need is demonstrated by some preposterous lawsuit - the armed robber who sues the convenience store for slipping on a spilled drink during his heist or fat guy that sues McFriendly's for raising his cholesterol...

Don't Wait When You Feel the Warnings

Posted on February 01, 2010
Last week we got word that a colleague had a heart attack. He got to the ER right away and turns out he had several symptoms but, luckily, no attack. Scary thing is he's only 37. I decided to get a refresher on the warning signs. The American Heart Association says that 'Movie' heart attacks are sudden and intense...

Intractable Pain - What Is It Worth?

Posted on January 28, 2010
I have never suffered a life changing injury. I have represented a lot of folks who have. When I meet with a new client, I let them know that I can feel their pain - not because I have been there myself, but because I have previously worked with so many others who have...

Sex and Betrayal: What To Do If You Contract an STD

Posted on January 26, 2010
Spring Break is upon us, that annual rite mixing unsupervised youth, fluxing hormones, exotic locales, and proximity to countless potential sexual partners. Fueled by drinking and the abundance of visible flesh, participants anonymously engage in the spirit of the moment...

Speeding - The Numbers Do Not Add Up

Posted on January 18, 2010
Everyone is in a hurry these days. I am one of those "everyone." Recently, I missed a flight home and had to spend the night in Houston. There was the sliver of a chance that I could have pulled an OJ Simpson between terminals and made my connecting flight...

Harassing Phone Calls

Posted on January 13, 2010
Harrassing phone calls by collection agencies have become a constant problem for many people. Originally these calls were coming only to land lines, but no there appears to be no hiding from problem. Have hope, there is some steps that can be taken to prevent the annoyance of these phone calls, letters, or emails...

Nursing Home Incident Reports Should Be Provided

Posted on January 11, 2010
Often in a nursing home case, determining how the incident- a fall, choking, burns- really happened is difficult because the nursing home patient often is unable to describe the event. We have to rely on the caregivers to tell us. To say there are times where they have been reluctant is an understatement...

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