The United States Supreme Court refused to review a $50 million damage award against Phillip Morris where a former 2-pack a day smoker died of cancer. The tobacco manufacture, which controls nearly half of the United States tobacco market, asked that the award be declared unconstitutionally excessive. The U.S. Supreme Court declined the request without further comment.According to the...
@thumbnail.jpg "M. Brandon Smith")
Bryan Caulfield is one of my partners. He is also a magnificent trial lawyer. This month he has once again obtained an outstanding verdict in a Tampa Bay courtroom despite facing potential jurors poisoned and prepared to distrust injured plaintiffs and their attorneys. Bryan and our associate, Lorrie Robinson, who assisted him at the trial, spent four difficult days selecting jurors and...
On March 13, and 18-year-old driving with three other teen passengers, lost control of the car and struck a tree. The driver and one passenger who was not wearing a seatbelt died at the scene. The other two 17-year-old passengers were hospitalized for treatment of their injuries.The families of the passengers should contact a personal injury attorney to discuss their options and rights. ...
Early March 12 in Sedro-Woolley, a pickup was racing another car when both drivers lost control on a curve on Highway 9. The pickup struck a power pole, killing the driver and one of the two passengers. The other passenger suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center. The driver of the car, who had a revoked license due to prior DUI convictions, suffered minor...
The Seattle Times has begun trying to open the sealed files that could be hiding potential dangers from the public. They have found that one judge in particular has sealed at least a dozen files, possibly without meeting the "compelling circumstances" standard required to seal a case. However, the judge is highly regarded and with the exception of a reporter, no one has objected to the sealing...
A high school student from Woodinville was riding in a vehicle driving on Woodinville-Duvall Road when it hit a telephone pole near 185th Avenue N.E. The student was thrown from the vehicle and suffered a broken pelvis, broken right arm and broken collarbone. The injuries are reported as non-life-threatening.The student should contact a personal injury attorney to discuss her options and...
On March 4, two prominent staff members of the Washington State Bar Association were killed in a traffic accident in Montana. According to reports, the long-time domestic partners were driving to the passenger's childhood home in Idaho when a snowstorm hit. The driver lost control of the car, swerved into oncoming traffic, and was broadsided by an oncoming car. Both were highly respected...
In 2003, a 13-year-old was walking to school when he was struck and killed by a Clover Park school bus. In the vehicular homicide trial against the bus driver, prosecuters alleged the driver was under the influence of morphine and other prescription medicines. A jury acquitted the driver of the charges. However, in a civil suit against the Clover Park School District, the School District...
Do you select your attorney on the basis of which animal mascot the lawfirm included in its advertising slogan? Are you comfortable hiring lawyers who choose a flying animal or a four legged creature as a mascot? Do you make a decision to hire a lawyer on the basis of advertising? Fees? Experience? What criteria do you use to evaluate who to hire for your legal needs? What resources do you...
I recently saw that a republican legislator from Virginia Beach had to file bankruptcy, as a result of his financial condition. Obviously, financial difficulties can happen to anyone. However, when it occurs to a legislator, it raises the possibility that money might influence legislators.It should not be accepted that influence peddling has become a way of life in our Virginia capital. For this...