Miami Personal Injury Lawyer

Today the American Tort Reform Association ("ATRA") released its list of the top ten "judicial hellholes." South Florida topped the list. News outlets across the country picked up the press release and largely ran it unfiltered. So what was left out?How about a list of some of the members of ATRA? Included in this illustrious list of members are large pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and...

Drastic caps on medical malpractice damages awards enacted by the Florida Legislature were supposed to result in far lower insurance premiums for doctors. In fact, Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation reports that rates dropped by a mere 3% last year. Where is the money going?To the insurance companies, of course. Credit rating organization A.M Best found in May that malpractice insurers...

This morning I ran across an editorial about the recent Vioxx settlement that did a great job pointing out the need for reform in the pharmaceutical industry as well as specific areas where reform is needed. Merck announced a few weeks ago that it would settle Vioxx lawsuits for $4.8 billion. The list of necessary reforms is long. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act passed by Congress in 1992...

Del Rey Tortilleria, Inc., in conjunction with the FDA, is recalling all of its flour tortillas because they may be linked to some illnesses in schools. The recalled tortillas include White Flour Tortillas; Tortillas de Harina(6 inch); Burritos 2, 3, and 4; and Fajita 8" size with date codes of Oct. 17; Oct. 20; Oct. 24; Nov. 4; Nov. 10; or Nov. 11, 2007.Illinois state officials have told us...

A Broward County jury awarded more than $2.4 million to Karlene Chambers of Pembroke Pines after her gynecologist left a sponge-like material in her following a cesarean procedure.Chambers sued her doctor, Joseph Becerra of the Pembroke Pines OB/GYN Associates, Memorial Hospital West and other medical agencies involved in the mishap for negligence.According to Chamber's attorney Crane Johnstone,...

This past Saturday, two teenage sisters went parasailing near Pompano Beach. According to the Miami Herald, while they were in the air, the winds turned gusty and the rope that tethered them to the boat snapped. They hurdled past the shoreline, hit a thatched roof shelter and then slammed into the second floor of the Beachcomber Resort. Jeannete Lewis, attorney and partner of The Haggard Law...

The sister of a man who killed himself after being targeted by the show "To Catch a Predator" as a suspected pedophile is suing NBC Universal for $105 million.Louis William Conradt, a former U.S. state prosecutor, killed himself in November 2006 after police and camera crews came to his home for NBC's Dateline Program "To Catch a Predator". The show, which involves Dateline and Internet...

Medicare officials announced Monday that they are making a great effort to get rid of healthcare fraud in South Florida. Federal officials will now require medical equipment providers to re-apply every year for their Medicare license. Each new applicant will have 30 days to reapply for a license. If they don't, their ability to bill Medicare will be revoked. If they do, the next step will be...

The Haggard Law Firm has settled yet another aviation lawsuit, this time against Photolux. This is just the latest settlement of many over the past year for a total to date of almost $1.1 million. It arises out of the June 14, 2002 plane crash near Osteen Florida of a Piper Malibu JetProp Conversion aircraft. The crash killed the pilot and his 2 passengers. The Haggard Law Firm represented...

Memorial Day weekend officially kicks off the summer pool season and it is important to keep yourself and loved ones safe. Drowning is the leading cause of death for young children in Florida and many other states. Thousands of children have died or suffered serious brain damage because of defective drains in pools. The Haggard Law Firm has developed a national and international niche...