I received an email from a personal injury lawyer in Baltimore last night asking about a liability dispute case the lawyer has. I thought I would respond to him in today’s blog. This lawyer’s client filed suit pro se for his property damage claim, which will be heard next month…
When I try a case with another lawyer (usually my partner, Laura Zois, if we are trying a large case), I always want to do the opening statement and direct examination of our client because I believe these are the most important components of a trial. Particularly the opening statement.…
Consumer Reports announced today that car seats for infants often cannot withstand the impact of vehicle accidents when a vehicle strikes its side. Of the models tested in simulations of such impacts, ten failed, some of them “disastrously,” according to the magazine’s February issue. The car seats are rear-facing models…
I have encountered yet another spoliation issue in a truck accident case where the defendant cannot produce their trucking log that was requested within six months of the incident. Federal regulations require commercial truck drivers to maintain their log for at least six months. Unlike New Jersey and California, Maryland…
Over 60,000 Chrysler vehicles are being recalled to reprogram a brake system computer whose defects may lead to an inability to control the car. Chrysler says the failure occurs when the instrument panel warning lamps illuminate, followed by the loss of various controls in some cars. They report no accidents…
A chiropractor soliciting business sent to our law firm these auto accident facts listed below. This chiropractor did not provide any support for his statistics so I pass them along on a for what they are worth basis because (1) they are interesting and (2) they also give you some…
The New York Times reports on a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that found, as you might expect, that most small vehicles cannot provide the same safety protection that buyers find in bigger vehicles. Of the eight cars crash-tested, only one received passing scores on both side…
The Maryland Court of Appeals> overturned a lower court in a 4-3 decision in Goldberg v. Boone, a Montgomery County informed consent case. Facts of Goldberg v. Boone Plaintiff underwent a mastoidectomy (an operation on the mastoid bone, which is the prominent bone behind the ear, to remove a cholesteatoma…
The Dallas Morning News reports that it determined that a quarter of big-rig truck drivers faulted in fatal crashes in Texas from 2000 through 2005 had rap sheets. Their research found that of 953 fatal truck accidents where the driver was determined to be a fault, 25% were convicted of…
If you are a personal injury lawyer who regularly tries cases, you have encountered a witness, most likely the defendant’s medical expert, that you just cannot cross-examine even if your technique of cross-examination is sound. After you walk back to the trial table with your tail between your legs, what…