Atlanta Injury Law Blog

The U. S. Supreme Court may use a dispute over punitive damages awarded to a smoker’s widow for a broad review of when punitive damages are unconstitutionally high.  The jury awarded Mayola Williams $821,000 in actual damages and $79.5 million in punitive damages. The U. S. Supreme Court had previously sent the case back to…

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences  web site offers an online brain atlas with multiple atlas images, including sectional and MRI images, of the brain and spinal cord Ken Shigley is a trial attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, who has represented numerous survivors of brain and spinal cord…

We have seen years of criticism of the lack of seat belts and inadequate passenger protection on school buses and other buses. In the next few days, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) is expected to issue a final rule that will require seatbelts for small school buses but only recommends seatbelts for larger…

As a personal injury trial lawyer in Georgia, I have often told clients that they do not want what goes with the kind of case that makes headlines. It is better to have good health than a multi-million dollar injury case. A recent New Jersey case is a good illustration of that. In 1999, an Aramark…

Individuals and families who suffer catastrophic loss due to trucking accidents always face hardship. In the midst of a the worst recession in a generation, the hardship is often even greater. Responding to that harsh reality facing our potential clients, I have adopted a new fee schedule that cuts average fees by more than 10%.…

In today’s Wall Street Journal, divorce lawyer Raoul Felder writes that in the current deep recession, bankruptcy and negligence lawyers should do OK, but divorce lawyers need a bailout. (Divorce Lawyers Could Use Subsidies Too, WSJ, 12/6/08)   A few excerpts: Bankruptcy lawyers should be doing OK, since more people are going out of business, and…

In September 1995, I explained the Internet (“It was developed for national defense and  used to be called the Arpanet”), email and web sites to a couple of hundred lawyers at a seminar at St. Simons Island.  Since this was before anyone had Power Point or LED projectors, I used transparencies on an overhead projector…

As a trucking accident attorney representing people seriously injured by large trucks, and the families of people who are killed, I work almost every day with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, and try to keep up with trucking safety regulation. Looking forward to transition at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, it is interesting…

Georgia is one of the states that has adopted a hard cap ($350,000 here) on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits.  Noneconomic damages include pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, etc. However, a catastrophic medical malpractice case with substantial economic loss may still result in a large recovery.  The death of a high income…

As a lawyer representing handling serious injury and wrongful death cases resulting from tractor trailer accidents, I work all the time with the  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and monitor what’s happening with trucking safety regulation. Looking ahead to the  transition at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, it is interesting to look back at…