If you’re planning on filing a lawsuit, you probably have what you believe to be evidence that you were wronged in some regard. Understanding evidence, however, does take some real legal knowledge. In fact, you may find that, upon meeting with your attorney, they don’t really believe that the things you consider to be evidence […]
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Police Sued Over Privacy Violations
CNN reported that a police department in Washington is facing a lawsuit over violating the rights of inmates. The reporting details that 11 women and 1 man are suing a police department over alleged instances where the inmates—who were all arrested on suspicion of drunk driving—were recorded while they were undressing and using the toilet. […]
Frivolous Lawsuits Get too Much Publicity
The idea behind a lawsuit is to give a person who was wronged because of another person’s negligence away to get compensated. This can include suing manufacturers for putting dangerous products out on the market when they should’ve known better, suing motorists who are prone to driving dangerously and end up hurting or killing someone […]
Dog Bites and Liability
Unfortunately, many dog owners are not responsible with their animals. In fact, it’s quite reasonable to argue that the biggest cause of dog bites has nothing to do with dogs, but with the people who are in charge of taking care of those dogs. There are differences on a state-by-state basis as to how much […]
Daycare Worker Arrested for Raping Children
For parents with children in daycare, a nightmare scenario seems to be unfolding in Ohio. According to NewsOK, a daycare worker has been arrested on two counts of rape. The woman, according to the article, had engaged in sexual conduct with an infant and made a video of herself doing it. Police claim that they […]
Class Action Against LinkedIn Reveals Importance of TOS
If you’ve gotten emails that appear to be from a friend of yours but that were actually from LinkedIn giving a pitch for the website, you’re not alone. In fact, a lawsuit has been filed against the business social networking website alleging that the company breaks into email accounts, uses the contact list to send […]
Can You Sue a Company for Mishandling Your Information?
Today, it’s not uncommon for companies with whom people do very casual business – cellular phone companies, Internet service providers, etc. – to have some very sensitive information about their clients. For example, Social Security numbers are routinely used as forms of identification and many companies require that information in order to open an account. […]
Why Do Personal Injury Attorneys Turn Down Cases?
There are instances when a personal injury attorney may turn down your claim. This may leave you wondering if there is any hope for justice but, keep in mind the fact that civil lawsuits are not really about justice; they’re about compensation. If you’ve been turned down as a client by an attorney, some or […]
How Do You Sue on Behalf of a Child
Some of the largest jury awards are actually handed out to children. These occur in cases involving medical malpractice during birth, car accidents that permanently damage a child and in other cases. Obviously, a child cannot enter into a contract or take any other legal action of their own accord. Parents are the ones who […]
Understanding Workplace Injuries and Safety
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) provides regulatory structures that businesses need to follow to safeguard their employees. There are other agencies involved, as well and, in some cases, they are specialized, such as the special branch of OSHA that deals with mine safety. If you’re injured in the workplace, remember the following information.
Training Matters, and Is Required
For some tasks, laws require that employees are adequately trained. For example, if your employer tells you to work in a confined space and you haven’t any confined space entry training, that may be contrary to the law, depending upon your situation. Equipment operators have to be trained and people who work on some types of machinery are required to have special training. The reasons for these regulations and requirements is that people are in real danger to life and limb when training requirements aren’t met. If you’ve been injured at work because an employer told you to take on a job for which you were not trained, talk to an attorney.
Intimidation By Your Employer
Your employer holds your whole livelihood in their hands. They can take away your paycheck or otherwise make your life miserable. If you’re being intimidated out of taking action by your employer, you should speak with a personal injury lawyer. You may be looking at more than a lawsuit over the injury alone. There are specific responsibilities that employers have to their employees and, when they do not uphold them and an employee is injured, the employer may be held to have been negligent in causing that injury.
Talking to an Attorney
Talking to an attorney is always confidential. In fact, client/attorney privilege is one of the most ancient protected relationships in the world. Your employer is not going to find out about you talking to an attorney from that attorney themselves, so be sure you don’t let that intimidate you out of taking action to protect and promote your own interests.
Injuries and Negligence
When someone is negligent in a way that causes you an injury, they are sometimes vulnerable to being sued. When an employer doesn’t live up to the reasonable expectations placed upon them under the law, they are sometimes vulnerable to these types of lawsuits. If you’ve been injured and you’ve been caused pain and suffering, medical expenses and other harm, you should talk to an attorney.
Suing Your Employer
Filing a lawsuit against an employer is a big decision. Make sure you have an attorney at your side that is up to the challenge. Depending upon what company you’re suing, they may have tremendous legal resources with which to defend themselves. To maximize your chances of winning, you need an attorney who will be able to take them on in front of a jury.
If you’re injured in the workplace and end up being offered a settlement by your employer, be sure to contact an attorney right away. Taking the money without asking an attorney first is always a bad idea.
Premises Liability and Event Venues
Summer always means that a lot of big events will be held around the Houston area. Music concerts, fairs and other activities can sometimes draw thousands – or even much larger crowds – to get in on the fun. Premises liability law sometimes becomes relevant because of how people are injured at these activities. Here are some things to consider if you were injured at a venue where an event was being held.
Negligent Security
When you go to certain types of concerts, you are taking risks. For example, some concerts traditionally have what are called “mosh pits” in the audience area where people routinely slam into each other, throw each other on the floor and engage in other rather extreme forms of dancing.
When you’re at such a venue, however, and when you’re injured by somebody who should have been stopped by security, you may want to speak with a personal injury attorney. There are obviously situations at certain concerts where you’re going to be more likely to be injured than you would be at other types of concerts. The security, however, still does have an obligation to provide a safe environment and a good lawyer may be able to help you go after the venue owner if they did not provide adequate security for the safety of their guests. If you were seriously injured – such as in a trampling incident – be sure to speak with an attorney right away.
Dangerous Venues
Even though there may be an event going on, the venue is still responsible for providing a safe environment. If you suffer a slip and fall injury, tumbled down a flight of stairs or were otherwise injured because the venue owner did not pay adequate attention to providing a safe environment, you should speak with an attorney right away. There may be nothing you can do about it but, then again, the attorney may find that you have a lawsuit that is very much worth your while to pursue.
Keep Safety In Mind At All Times
If you’re going to attend concerts and other large events this summer, be sure to be safe. Filing a lawsuit against a venue owner who was negligent is generally the best option in the very worst possible situation. Make sure you choose venues wisely, stay out of crowd presses, and pay attention so that you’re aware if something bad is about to happen at the concert or other event or if things are generally going to get out of control for whatever reason.
If you are injured and you believe that there was negligence on the part of the venue owner, it’s best to speak with an attorney right away. There are limitations on how long you have to file a personal injury claim and, because of that, a good attorney will want to speak with you as soon as possible. The meeting is generally without any obligation on your part and provides a way for the attorney to hear your story and to determine whether they want to represent you in court.
What Makes Truck Accident Cases so Tough?
There are plenty of personal injury attorneys out there but not all of them can handle cases involving big rig wrecks well. These are some of the toughest cases to handle. When you consider the situation, it’s not hard to understand why this is the case.
Many Trucking Companies Have Deep Pockets
Going up against a trucking company is not easy. They have plenty of money and they can certainly pay for their legal defense. In fact, they usually have people available to them who can make sure that people injured by their drivers feel intimidated out of suing. They don’t do this by threatening anyone; they’re just very good at making victims feel like it’s all the victim’s fault and that there’s no point in even suing.
The first thing you need out of an attorney is the ability to see through this smokescreen!
Don’t Accept Just Any Settlement
Some of the trucking companies will offer you a settlement and make it sound like they’re doing you a favor. This is almost never the case. When they offer you a settlement, it’s simply because they don’t want you to take them to court. They offer these settlements, in most cases, because they don’t want to end up paying far more to satisfy a jury award.
Realize that these companies have enough money to make it seem like they’re being very generous. When you’re injured, out of work, desperate for money and don’t know what to do, it can be tempting to take whatever the trucking company is offering you as a settlement. Don’t settle for that. Talk to an attorney. Your truck accident attorney represents you interests. He’ll be able to tell you whether or not it’s worth it to take the settlement.
Trucking Companies Have Tough lawyers
Trucking companies can certainly afford to hire good attorneys and any attorney arguing against a trucking company is not going to be going up against amateurs. An experienced attorney on your side, however, is not intimidated by this. If you were injured and the reason for those injuries was the negligence of the trucking company, your attorney can make sure that you’re represented effectively.
What Does Negligence Mean?
With lawsuits against a trucking company, negligence can occur in many different scenarios. The mechanics that work for the company may not have maintained the equipment correctly and that negligence may have caused your injury. The driver may have been overworked and that may have been the origin of the negligence. There are many different ways in which a trucking company may have been negligent but an experienced big rig accident lawyer will find out and will go after them if they were negligent.
Do not take a settlement check without talking to an attorney. If a trucking company was negligent and caused you to come to harm, there is no reason that they should be able to get away with it without being held accountable. A good Houston truck accident attorney can sit down with you and discuss your situation, see if you might have a good case on your hands and may take you on as a client if you do.
The Law Offices of Blaine A Tucker offers FREE consultations to injury victims involving trucks. Call us at 713-771-5453 to protect your rights.
Suing for Defamation on the Internet
Defamation of character can be a serious issue. It was once famously said that a lie can make it around the world before the truth can get its boots on. On the Internet, a lie can make it around the world in a fraction of a second. There are real consequences when someone disparages you and a lawyer may be able to help.
Texas Justice – A recent case
A couple in Texas who were the victims of Internet defamation recently won over $13 million in jury awards from a lawsuit they filed. The misinformation about them that was posted on a popular website was particularly vile. They were able to demonstrate that they had suffered because of it and the jury found in their favor. If someone is doing you wrong online, they can be held responsible in real life.
Understanding Libel and Defamation
Defamation is essentially communicating with third parties in a way that causes harm to their reputation or that dissuades other people from associating with them. There are statements that really don’t ascend to this level that you could likely not sue over but which are commonly thrown about online. Here’s a way to understand the difference between defamation and just a nasty fight.
If someone is defaming you, they’re talking to other people about you in a way that does you real harm. If someone simply calls you a name or says something bad about you in the context of expressing their opinion, that really isn’t defamation. If they’re communicating with people and saying awful things – you’re a murderer, a thief, a liar, etc. – and they’re doing so in a way that makes it hard for you to do business, to maintain associations with people or that otherwise harms you, it may be defamation and you may be able to sue.
Can All Lawyers Handle This?
No. Some lawyers are criminal lawyers and there have been cases where the things that people have said and done online have resulted in criminal charges being filed. The lawyers that pursue the person accused of the crime are not your lawyers and do not represent you. You need an attorney that specializes in filing lawsuits in civil court to represent you. They’ll be the ones who will go after the person specifically to get you compensated for the damage that the defamation has done.
How Do I Know?
Talk to a lawyer. Remember that simple disputes online are not defamation. Someone saying thing about you that happen to be true is generally not defamation, either. If it were, every newspaper in the country would be getting sued for libel every day. Defamation is not about exposing unflattering truths, it’s about lying in a way that causes real harm. If you believe that you’ve been the victim of such behavior, be sure to contact an attorney. Texas victims of this type of activity have already won lawsuits and, if your case is solid, you may stand to win a lawsuit as well. Remember that direct retaliation is never a good idea; get an attorney.
Children’s Summer Activities and Liability
Every summer, parents send their children to camps, sporting organizations and give them other opportunities to get outside and enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, some activities and facilities have people who are particularly incompetent at what they do running them. They aren’t always concerned about the children they’re in charge of. In such situations, it’s easy for a child to become injured because of the negligence of the facility or the personnel involved. If this happens to your child, you should speak to a personal injury lawyer right away.
Premises Liability
Premises liability is an area where a personal injury attorney can help you when your child was injured because the facility where they were socializing, working out, participating in sports or attending a camp were not maintained properly and presented a danger. People get injured all the time in seemingly innocuous incidents. For example, people take a tumble quite often without suffering any real injuries. In some situations, however, people end up being severely injured because of a fall. Slip and fall injuries are common reasons that people end up filing a premises liability claim.
Negligent Care
Some facilities take on a lot more responsibility than others where the welfare of children is concerned. For example, some summer camps exist to help children who are overweight to shed extra pounds and get in better shape. If these facilities are run in a competent and intelligent manner, they can really make a difference in a child’s life. If they’re run by people who don’t pay attention to whether or not a child is being pushed too far or too fast, can result in serious injuries and even death.
If your child was injured, and you believe it was because someone in charge of them was specifically negligent, contact a injury attorney right way. Even if there is a wrongful death involved, a personal injury lawyer can help you. You may or may not have a lawsuit worth pursuing but, at least, the attorney can let you know what kind of options you have in front of you.
Bullying and Abuse
Bullying and other forms of physical and psychological abuse can cause serious injuries. If your child was injured because camp counselors, exercise program supervisors or other individuals who were in charge of providing a structured environment, failed to do so, an attorney can help. There may be negligence involved and, particularly if your child was brought to harm, speaking to an attorney may be the best remedy you have.
Remember that the people who provide services for children are taking on a lot of responsibility. When they fail to come through on those responsibilities and when a child is injured or when a family is financially harmed because of that failure, a personal injury attorney may be able to file a lawsuit against them for negligence and to win you compensation for what you’ve been put through.
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The Law Offices of Blaine A Tucker offers FREE consultations to injury victims. Call us at 713-771-5453 to protect your rights.
Why Personal Injury Cases Matter
In many instances in the media, personal injury claims are cast in a bad light. In fact, they’re blamed for making insurance rates go too high, for bringing up the cost of healthcare for everyone and for myriad other problems. These claims are largely exaggerated. In fact, personal injury cases are vital to the people who file them. When you consider for a moment what these cases are really about, it’s easy to see why this particular part of the law is so vital.
Negligence of Others
To put it in the simplest terms, somebody who was negligent simply failed in every regard. They failed to do whatever a normal person in their situation should have done to have protected the life and limb of another. People are oftentimes victimized by the negligence of others. It may be the drunk driver who slams into you from behind when you’re making a turn on a weekend evening or it may be the shop owner who doesn’t flag a tile floor as being slippery and wet, ending up causing a fall that causes serious injury.
Negligence can end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the victims, sometimes even more. Tallying up the costs of medical expenses, lost wages, ongoing medical treatments, pain and suffering, loss of quality of life and all of the other things that typically go into a personal injury lawsuit quickly racks up quite a number.
Even if the law does end up punishing somebody who was negligent – sometimes the negligence does carry with it the threat of serious legal sanctions – it doesn’t end up helping their victims very much. It may feel good for the victims to know that whoever ended up harming them via their negligence gets punished but, when those bills start rolling in, the good feeling isn’t going to last long.
Lawyers Fight for People’s Rights
Whatever else attorneys are characterized as doing in the media, they do fight for the rights of their clients. That is their primary occupation. Lawyers are typically the types of individuals who are willing to fight the smallest point of the law for as long as it takes to get their clients what they deserve. A good personal injury lawyer can make certain that, no matter how un-even the playing field is between a victim and the negligent party that harmed them, the victim’s right is upheld. This takes a lot of tenacity, it takes a lot of courage and it takes a lot of skill.
If you’ve been injured because of the negligence of another person – whether it’s a doctor, a truck driver, another passenger car driver – or anyone else, the civil courts are there to help you overcome the difficulties and the harm that it caused you. Personal injury lawyers are there to make certain that those civil courts do work for you. Personal injury claims do matter. Without them, many of the people in Texas and the rest of the country would have no way to fight back against moneyed, powerful and sometimes otherwise unaccountable agencies that do them harm. Asserting your rights starts with talking to a lawyer.
The Law Offices of Blaine A Tucker offers FREE consultations to injury victims. Call us at 713-771-5453 to protect your rights.
Abuse in Nursing Homes
Sorting out the emotional wreckage that follows an instance where you or one of your loved ones was abused in a nursing home can take a long time. Unfortunately, you don’t have a long time to act if you want to go after the nursing home provider for negligence. There are usually quite a few complexities involved with these cases and understanding them might help you to determine whether you want to speak with an attorney about filing a lawsuit.
Criminal Matters in Nursing Home Abuse
If it’s discovered that an employee or another individual who had access to a nursing home facility is guilty of physical, sexual or mental abuse against the patient, there will almost certainly be criminal charges involved. One of the mistakes that some people make when these cases are going on is that they wait for the criminal case to be settled before they engage the services of an attorney to file a civil case. Whether or not anybody goes to jail for the abuse, it doesn’t make any difference to the family of the victim and the victim themselves financially.
If abuse is discovered at a nursing home and you or a loved one was the victim of that abuse, contact a nursing home abuse attorney immediately. They can start working on your claim and make certain that, if you do have a viable lawsuit against the nursing home provider, they can get it filed in time so that you do not miss the limitations on doing so.
Damages in Nursing Home Abuses
While there sometimes is a punitive element to the damages that are assessed against an abusive nursing home facility, they’re mostly to help the family. Consider the fact that, following the abuse, it’s unlikely that your loved one or you are going to want to stay in that same facility. Moving to a new nursing home can cost a great deal of money.
You may also find that you need more medical treatments to deal with the damage from the abuse, counseling to deal with the psychological damage from the abuse or that you rack up other expenses that are the direct result of the abuse. A good personal injury lawyer can assist you and your family get the financial help you deserve to cope with this.
Abuse in a Nursing Home Facility
Most of the time, a personal injury lawsuit will be filed against the nursing home operator. This will be the entity most likely to have been negligent and to have allowed the abuse to go on when it should have been stopped.
Your personal injury attorney will work out the amount you should seek in damages. Generally, these cases include pain and suffering, mental anguish, diminished quality of life, medical expenses, and a host of other expenses that are added to the total.
Nothing can really make up for having been the victim of abuse. There is no amount of money that can completely erase the damage that has been done to somebody who is been put through such a horrible ordeal. Unfortunately, such as in a recent case in Texas, abusers are oftentimes trusted individuals at the nursing home, sometimes they are even nurses. The settlement or jury award money, if you win, may help you to get the resources you need to recover, however.