News & Articles

A settlement and a trial are two different ways of resolving a personal injury claim. A settlement is a negotiated agreement that resolves some or all claims without a trial, while a trial is a formal court proceeding in which a judge or jury decides disputed issues based on the evidence presented. A settlement provides […]

Legal Snapshot Legal Topic: California Hospital Lien Act – Civil Code §§ 3045.1–3045.6 Case Stage: Pre-settlement / Settlement Disbursement Primary Legal Issue: Hospital lien perfection, notice requirements, and the 50% collection cap Primary Authority: California Civil Code §§ 3045.1, 3045.3, 3045.4 [1] Date Legal Authority Last Reviewed: July 2025 Under California law, a licensed hospital […]

When a California personal injury plaintiff has health insurance, the amount a jury may award for past medical expenses is generally limited to the amount actually paid and accepted as full payment by the medical provider, not the larger amount originally billed. The California Supreme Court established this rule in Howell v. Hamilton Meats & […]

Under California law, a property owner or occupier can be held liable when inadequate security allows a third party to commit a crime that injures a visitor, tenant, or invitee. The claim rests on premises liability principles rooted in California Civil Code section 1714, which imposes on every person a duty of ordinary care in […]

A serious crash involving a semi-truck or 18-wheeler generates a category of evidence that simply does not exist in an ordinary car accident, federal records that carriers are legally required to maintain, electronic data streams captured by onboard computers, and regulatory files that can reveal a driver’s true fitness and fatigue level at the moment […]

When both drivers dispute who caused a collision, physical science fills the gap that conflicting witness accounts cannot. Accident reconstruction is the discipline that translates crash evidence, vehicle damage, tire marks, road surface conditions, electronic data, and geometry into a factual narrative about what happened. In a disputed Dallas crash, where the other driver’s insurer […]

A Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (CR-3) that contains wrong facts or an unfavorable “contributing factor” notation is not the end of your personal injury claim. Under Texas law, the report is generally excluded from evidence as hearsay at trial, the officer’s fault opinion carries no binding legal weight, and correctable factual errors can be […]

After a serious crash in Dallas, the at-fault driver’s liability policy is often the first number anyone focuses on. In many cases it is not the last. Texas allows an injured person to pursue compensation from every available insurance source that may apply, and a thorough coverage inventory can make the difference between a recovery […]

Yes. When another driver’s negligence damages your vehicle, Texas law allows you to seek compensation for more than just the cost of repairs. A car that has been in a collision is often worth less on the open market than an identical vehicle with a clean history, even after professional repairs are completed. That permanent […]

Texas law requires insurers to work to specific statutory deadlines when handling first-party claims. When an insurer misses those deadlines, the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act (TPPCA) imposes penalty interest and allows recovery of attorney fees. When an insurer goes further and handles a claim unreasonably or deceptively, a separate set of rules under […]