News & Articles

When a child is injured in California, a parent or guardian cannot simply negotiate a settlement and pocket the money on the child’s behalf. California law requires court approval before any settlement of a minor’s claim becomes binding, and it imposes strict controls on how the funds are held, invested, and eventually released. The governing […]

Under California law, a person or company that hires an independent contractor generally is not liable to the contractor’s injured employees. The California Supreme Court established this presumption in Privette v. Superior Court (1993) 5 Cal.4th 689, reasoning that the contractor, not the hirer bears responsibility for workplace safety. The hirer is presumed to have delegated […]

When you file a personal injury claim in Texas, your medical records become one of the most important categories of evidence in the case. The defence has a legitimate interest in verifying your injuries, but that interest does not give opposing counsel unlimited access to every health record you have ever generated. Two overlapping legal […]

There is no fixed dollar amount for a whiplash injury claim after a Chicago car accident. In Illinois, these claims are evaluated based on the evidence supporting the injury, including medical expenses, treatment records, lost income where documented, pain and suffering, and whether the available evidence connects the condition to the collision. Illinois does not […]

A pre-existing condition does not automatically prevent recovery in an Illinois personal injury claim. Illinois law generally does not allow damages to be reduced simply because an injured person was more susceptible to harm because of an existing condition. What a prior condition can change is the evidence needed to show what the accident actually […]

Sometimes, but only if the claim is complete enough to evaluate. A first insurance settlement offer may be reasonable in some cases, such as when treatment has ended, the damages are fully documented, and the available insurance coverage is known. In many other situations, however, it may be too early to determine whether the offer […]

Workers’ compensation pays your medical bills and a portion of your lost wages when you are hurt on the job. What it does not pay is compensation for pain, suffering, emotional distress, full lost earnings, or future losses beyond what the statutory schedule allows. If a third party someone other than your direct employer was […]

A Texas personal injury claim generates more paperwork than most injured people expect. Before you reach the George L. Allen Sr. Courts Building in Dallas, and often long before any lawsuit is filed, you may be asked to sign a representation agreement, medical authorisations, a Letter of Protection, interrogatory responses, a settlement release, and a […]

Under California law, a wrongful death claim produces a single, unified recovery. That recovery is not divided by the same percentages that would govern an inheritance. Instead, each eligible heir receives a share that reflects the personal loss that heir actually sustained as a result of the death. The court has authority to determine the […]

Texas law treats lost wages and lost earning capacity as two separate economic damages, and confusing them is one of the most costly mistakes an injured person can make. Lost wages cover income you already missed while you were out of work. Lost earning capacity addresses a different and often larger question: how has this […]