The Amtrak Cascades 501 departed Seattle on its inaugural voyage on the morning of December 18, 2017. Just after 7:30 a.m., the train derailed at high speed in DuPont, Washington, causing three fatalities, dozens of injuries, and widespread destruction. Government reports state that the derailment occurred because of excessive speed and emphasized that operators of the…
Recovery of Medical Expenses in Personal Injury Actions Generally To recover damages for past medical expenses in a personal injury lawsuit, a plaintiff must present evidence and prove that the medical expenses incurred were both “reasonable” and “necessary.” For more than 100 years, this simple formula was the least complicated aspect of a plaintiff’s personal injury…
Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. would like to thank all our clients and local counsel for a wonderful year and we wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a blessed Holiday Season. Regardless of what Christmas means to you, we hope your Christmas is full of holiday cheer shared with family and friends.…
On December 11, 2017, the New Jersey Supreme Court handed injured employees and struggling small businesses in New Jersey a huge victory. In Vitale v. Schering-Plough Corp., A-20-16; 078294 (N.J. December 11, 2017), the Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court’s ruling that a contractual limitation on the right of an employee to sue a…
The law of physics known as the “Uncertainty Principle” states that the position and velocity of an object cannot be measured exactly, at the same time, even in theory. The reason for this is that any attempt to measure precisely the velocity of a subatomic particle, such as an electron, will knock it about in…
As the weather starts to turn colder (at least here in the Northern states), our thoughts turn to the holidays and all the joys of the season. Again, not to be a Grinch this season (see my previous article entitled “Subrogating Christmas” that discusses the dangers of real Christmas trees and holiday lights, with some subrogation tips),…
A Philadelphia jury handed down a roughly $28 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson and Bayer AG on Tuesday, December 5, giving hope to tens of thousands of Xarelto plaintiffs after a series of defense verdicts in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) currently pending in the Eastern District of Louisiana. This is also very good news for…
After considering a motion brought by the plaintiffs in 46 actions pending in nine federal districts across the country, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) entered an order on Tuesday, transferring those actions to the Northern District of Ohio for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings. Those cases represent only a fraction of the cases filed…
Insurers Seek Reimbursement for the High Cost of Opioid Addictions Big Pharma is having a Big Tobacco moment. Since 1999, the number of prescription opioids sold in America has almost quadrupled. Over the same period, prescription opioid deaths have more than quadrupled and millions have become addicted to legally-prescribed painkillers that are 50 times more powerful…
A car slams into a number of other vehicles stopped at a red light, only to quickly flee the scene. This fact scenario almost always involves operating under the influence or a stolen vehicle. In the case of a stolen vehicle, rarely is a thief considerate enough to take out insurance covering his operation of the stolen vehicle…