Good news for plaintiffs to start off the week. Rod Gaston, a lawyer in our office, tried a Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) case in Baltimore County last week against a State Farm insured. The offer in the case was $37,000. After hearing evidence for three days, the jury returned after…
Our firm has spent a lot of time, effort and energy trying to get an honest answer that defense experts sedulously avoid: how much do you make testifying in accident cases and how much have you made from this law firm/insurance company? I think we have fought this issue as…
Paul Luvera discusses a tough issue for Plaintiff’s lawyers: do you clue the jury in during your opening statement how much you will ask for in closing? I struggle with this and often opt for a middle ground. I lay out the foundation of what I will ask for: medical…
In its final day in session, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill that will place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November to raise the jury prayer amount in civil cases in Maryland. Any case pled in District Court in Maryland for more than $10,000 can be “bumped…
Yesterday, the Maryland Daily Record published the first of a three-part series I wrote with retired Judge Clifton J. Gordy (now a mediator and arbitrator) on mediation in serious personal injury and wrongful death claims. The article is for both plaintiff and defense lawyers looking to make mediations as productive…
The Maryland Senate passed HB 825 which increases the minimum minimum limits of car insurance liability coverage in Maryland from $20,000.00/$40,000.00 to $30,000.00/$60,000.00. The Maryland House of Delegates has already approved the bill, and we expect the Governor to sign the bill soon. The bill will go into effect next…
The Baltimore Sun’s Jay Hancock continues, improperly, to receive a license by the Baltimore Sun to blog about tort claims while having a limited understanding of Maryland tort claims. And maybe it is just me, but this is a terrible idea. Minimum Insurance Limits He notes in his blog some…
The Maryland Daily Record has an interesting article today on the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund (MAIF). For out-of-state readers, MAIF is a unique animal: a state-run insurance company for drivers that cannot get car insurance from private insurers. Most states deal with this problem by forcing private insurance companies to…
Tomorrow, the Maryland House of Representatives will vote on House Bill 825 which would raise the minimum limits of automobile coverage from $20,000.00/$40,000.00 to $30,000.00/$60,000.00. Is $30,000 enough coverage for a significant accident? Of course not. Maryland has had 20/40 limits since 1972. This is 102,000/204,000 in 2010 dollars. But…
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a Chattanooga, Tennessee bar after a car accident killed a woman just a few days before Christmas. The case is an interesting twist on the classic dram shop case. The suit alleges that the bar gave its employees free alcohol and allowed…