LexMonitor

Caps on Pain and Suffering Damages: Do they work?

Laws that place an arbitrary cap on damages harm those that are severely injured and do nothing to those who may file a lawsuit without merit. Essentially, the legislatures of the various states that have passed such laws pass those laws without hearing any evidence in any particular case. So, in...

Alachua County Sheriff's Teen Driver Challenge

This past week, three wonderful girls from Levy County were in a terrible car crash when an oppusum crossed the road in front of their vehicle. Two girls were killed and one remains in serious condition in a Tampa Hospital.As parents, our hearts go out to these families as we try to understand how...

McDonalds...Hot Coffee...and the lies that followed

Remember Stella Liebeck? The lady that had the audacity to sue McDonalds for serving coffee that was so hot she had to have skin grafting? Watch the trailer of this movie currently in production....www.hotcoffeethemovie.com/trailer

Changing the Mind of the Health Insurance Company

On September 25, 2009, a sixty-three (63) year old happily married man, father of four and grandfather to thirteen grandchildren, and senior pastor at a church, was referred to Avera & Smith because he was suffering from stage IIB malignant melanoma of the left cheek which subsequently developed...

Wrong choice to Regulate Truck Safety?

ARLINGTON, VA (October 5, 2009) – Families of truck crash victims and a coalition of safety advocacy groups today sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee asking them to reject the nomination of Anne Ferro, currently the president of the Maryland Motor Truck Association. The letter comes on...

Truck Drivers Who Break the Rules

Trial Lawyers: 28,000 Truckers Violate Safety Rules; Raise Insurance LimitsAugust 31, 2009A new analysis of government data reveals that more than 28,000 motor carrier companies that operate 200,000 trucks have violated federal safety regulations.The trial bar association, the American Association...

Support the Troops This Holiday SeasonAs families gather for the holidays, some will face a conspicuous absence - their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, uncles, aunts or cousins can't make it home because they are serving abroad.Military service requires sacrifice, but service...

Federal Trucking "Hours of Service" Rules announced

Many of you are aware that Avera & Smith is substantially involved in litigation involving truck crashes. Following is an announcement from Public Citizen regarding the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's decision on rules regulating the number of hours a truck driver can drive before a...

New Scam Involving Jury Duty....

Our friends in law enforcement want everyone to be aware of this scam which is relatively new. Please, never give your social security number or date of birth to anyone over the phone. If this happens to you, please write the number of caller ID and call law enforcement immediately to report the...

Watch for New Scams and More Old Scams....

Particularly in light of the economic situation and the "lending crisis", we all need to be alert to scams intended to steal your money or to trick you into giving your money to someone who acts as though they have your best interests at heart. Here are some things you can do to avoid being the...