Earlier last year, a New York woman was taking a Segway tour of the National Mall when she sustained a nasty fall, shattering her elbow and requiring her to spend three days at George Washington University Hospital. According to one local news report, the accident occurred last fall while the…
In a city that is occupied by drivers from several surrounding states, the question often arises, “who causes most of the accidents in Washington DC?” An article by the Washington Post takes a look at a recent study released that analyzes some of the traffic and accident data in the…
Generally, a personal injury plaintiff must prove four elements to prevail in a negligence claim: duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages. However, in some cases, plaintiffs can take a “short cut” under the legal theory of “negligence per se.” Negligence per se is a Latin term that means negligence…
A federal appellate court approved class certification and a settlement in a class action lawsuit based on the 2010 explosion and oil spill on an oil drilling rig operated by British Petroleum (BP) in the Gulf of Mexico. In re Deepwater Horizon, et al, No. 13-30095, slip op. (5th Cir.,…
Two new lawsuits seek to hold over eighty members of a Yale University fraternity vicariously liable for an automobile accident that killed one person and injured two. A fraternity member allegedly lost control of a U-Haul truck and struck several pedestrians outside a football game. The estate of the woman…
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a challenge by the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) to recent changes made to a federal regulation affecting hazardous materials. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended its hazard communication (HazCom) standard in March 2012. ATRA claimed that OSHA overstepped its authority,…
The US Department of Veterans Affairs said in a recent report released last week, that so far six deaths have been attributed to delayed screenings for colorectal cancer at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Columbia. According to the report, which was released by the VA’s Inspector General, delayed colonoscopies…
The West Virginia Supreme Court recently issued a unanimous ruling prohibiting a plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit from adding additional defendants to a lawsuit after the statute of limitations had expired. The opinion affirmed the dismissal of the suit by the relevant circuit court from June. The lawsuit, filed…
The long lasting damage and seriousness of concussions have become major concerns in sports in recent years. The NFL is currently involved in a multi-million dollar lawsuit involving more than 4,000 former players related to head injuries and related complications. The NCAA is now facing a similar lawsuit, and the…
The Marshall University Board of Governors was recently granted dismissal of a lawsuit in which it was named defendant. The claim was dismissed because the plaintiff in the case failed to meet the pre-suit notice requirement under the West Virginia code, which requires notice of the claim and relief sought,…