Dr. Murray has filed an appeal without an attorney. He is fighting for his life on several fronts, the least of which is likely malpractice insurance coverage for the death of Michael Jackson. Stay tuned! I'm sure Dr. Murray will find an attorney to represent him for the publicity alone.
I recently blogged that Dr. Conrad Murray had to fight the charge of involuntary manslaughter in the event he had medical malpractice insurance. In spite to the guilty verdict that would likely void coverage (assuming he was insured) it is still likely that he will still face civil suit from the Jackson Clan. I will be surprised if he escapes a second suit and trial. So I'll keep watching the headlines.
If you're wondering why Dr. Conrad Murray is fighting so hard in the criminal trial, think Medical Malpractice insurance coverage. Assuming he has it and assuming the Jackson Clan is gearing up for a medical malpractice suit, in most cases, a criminal conviction will void the policy. In short, Dr. Murray has no choice but to fight for his innocence. Everyone is watching for the verdict!
While anyone can be a victim of Cyberbullying, it is usually students that are affected by it.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has put together a list of things you can do to stop the scourge of Cyberbullying. I have abbreviated it below:
1. Print out all instances of Cyberbullying;
2. Keep the electronic evidence. Don’ t delete the messages;
3. Ignore the sender. Responding may make it worse;
4. Report the sender and block him/her.
5. Report improper content to the users website or ISP; and
6. Call 911 immediately if you feel you are in danger.
Hoag Law Group offers a free initial consultation on a variety of legal issues. It costs nothing to find out your rights. Please call for a free initial consultation.
Lynette Simmons Hoag
Hoag Law Group, LLC
3727 N. Kedzie Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
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Last year I blogged about a common question asked after suit is filed: When can I expect to recover on my personal injury or insurance claim or “Where’s My Money?” There are a number of factors that play into the answer, but if a case does not settle before suit is filed and remains contested, you can expect to recover (if you do recover) within as little as nine months or expect to wait as long as 3 years. You may fall into the 2 to 3 years category if your case has to be tried to verdict in order for you to recover. Fortunately, there is recent push in Cook County to get rid of the trial back logs that extend the date by which you may recover by 2 to 3 years. Cases are now tried on the first or second time they are up to trial. This means that you will not have to wait around for continuance after continuance, up to three years, to get your settlement or verdict check. Certain trial dates encourage settlements and get you paid faster!
In June, I blogged about the increased penalties on drunk drivers in Illinois. Anyone driving drunk who causes an injury in an accident will have their license summarily suspended. Continuing this trend of harsher penalties, the Illinois Supreme Court Upheld the felony conviction of a driver found to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. What’s surprising is that there was no proof that the use of drugs caused the fatal accident. The felony driver had only trace amounts of a methamphetamine in his system at the time of the fatal crash.
If you or some one you love has been involved in an accident with a drugged driver, be sure to seek legal counsel.
Here is a surprise you do not want while you are going through the pain of your loved one’s death: Your claim for life insurance has been denied because of an issue with the application completed years before. Most frequently the issue is with a disclosure about your loved one’s health. For example, the insured has a history of heart disease or high blood pressure that was not disclosed. Most potential clients call and state that the loved one gave the insurance company access to all of their medical records and providers! Just because s/he did not specifically disclose heart disease or high blood pressure does not mean that s/he were hiding this fact. It would be clear to anyone reviewing the medical history. Well, there is the rub, so to speak. Many insurers wait to fully review your loved one’s application until the premiums have been paid for years and a claim is made. Only then are all the medical records reviewed, the issue “discovered” and the claim denied. Of course, this is unfair and you may have a cause of action against the insurance company. However, be careful not to fall victim to this scam. Be very clear about health issues when the application is prepared. It is better to know if you are truly insured now rather than finding out there is not insurance after life. If you have an issue concerning life insurance or are concerned about how your claim is being handled and evaluated, call today for a free consultation.
Yesterday, I saw an awful bumper sticker. It said “My mother was killed by someone talking on a cellphone.” I have definitely seen an uptick in accidents caused by texting, talking and eating while driving. There is no doubt that distracted driving causes accidents. So this long holiday weekend, remember that famous quote from Hillstreet Blues: “Hey, let’s be careful out there,” and be extra alert. I wish everyone a Happy and Safe 4th of July!
In the past blogs I have discussed basic policy language, special limits of liability and exclusions. If you have “cheap” insurance you might want to check out the “Exclusions” section of your policy. I recently came across a policy with 14 specific exclusions including a surprising exclusion concerning the theft of an insured car. This particular exclusion does not cover the theft of your car if you:
1. Left your car unlocked; or
2. Left your keys in the car.
The policy specifically provides:
Part V – Physical Damage
Exclusions.
This policy does not apply under Part V:
(n) to loss due to theft if evidence exists that forcible entry was not required to gain across to the vehicle or that evidence exists that keys were left in the automobile while it was unattended or that no evidence exists that ignition wires were altered to operate the automobile without keys.
Have you ever had the suspicion that an “incident” or injury that happened to an elderly or disabled loved one in a hospital or nursing home was not a random, isolated occurrence? If so, you can now confirm your suspicions or mollify your concerns by analyzing hospital specific-safety information online.
In April 2011, Medicare released a hospital-specific study that allows anyone to review information on safety issues or “adverse events” within a hospital or nursing home. The information was gathered by Medicare from a two year review of hospital bills concerning the care and treatment of elderly and disabled patients. The safety issues noted include serious bedsores, urinary tract infections from catheters, incompatible blood transfusions and items left in the body after surgery.
This information is available at hospitalcompare.hhs.gov and healthcarereportcard.illinois.gov. Call today for a free consultation, if you or a loved one has been injured due to the negligence of a medical provider.
