Locks Law Firm

Automobile Insurance Continues To Be The Subject Of Lawsuits In New Jersey

Automobile Insurance continues to be the subject of lawsuits in New Jersey. Recently the State Supreme Court decided the case of Haines v Taft, which raises a red flag to which all NJ drivers should pay attention. By way of background, New Jersey is what is called a "no fault" state for auto insurance. This means that you have the RIGHT to have your reasonable and necessary medical bills paid by your own insurance company according to a fee schedule immediately after an accident, no matter who or what caused it; you do not have to wait to prove that someone was at fault.

Partners Al Anthony & Karl Friedrichs included on this year's New Jersey Super Lawyers List

Congratulations to Partners Al Anthony and Karl Friedrichs, who were selected to the 2019 New Jersey Super Lawyers list. This is Al’s 13th year on the list and Karl’s 3rd year on the list. (Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. – superlawyers.com).

Three Ways to Catch an Out-of-State Corporation, Including Breaking News

Out-of-state corporations do not like to face justice from Philadelphia juries. Here is the status of three ways to catch an out-of-state corporation through personal jurisdiction.

Excellent Opinion on Spoliation of Video Surveillance in Slip-and-Fall

The Superior Court has just issued an excellent precedential opinion granting a new trial to a plaintiff after the trial court refused to give an adverse inference charge on spoliation (destruction of evidence). Marshall v. Brown’s IA, LLC, 2019 WL 1372399 (Pa. Super., March 27, 2019). The opinion is not only very helpful on video surveillance in slip-and-fall cases, but it has comments that could be useful in any video surveillance case.

Buca Di Beppo Announces Nationwide Data Breach Exposing Customer Credit and Debit Card Information

Data breaches of this type can have long term effects on your finances if not handled in a timely manner.

To see if you've dined at an affected location, click here.

More information on the Buca Di Beppo data breach.

Latest Data Breach: FEMA Announces that over 2 Million Disaster Survivors Information Exposed

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who had helped provide shelter for millions of survivors of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria as well as the California wildfires, has failed to protect the personal and confidential information of these disaster survivors. Information exposed includes street addresses and banking information.

Medical-Device and Software Maker ZOLL Medical Announces Data Breach

ZOLL Medical reported Monday that the personal information of over 275,000 patients were exposed during a recent server migration, the medical device maker said.

Charlotte E. Ray, Esquire: America’s First Black, Female Lawyer

In recognition of Women’s History Month 2019, and in recognition that last February was celebrated as Black History Month I have chosen to highlight the life and career of a legal trailblazer who, outside of limited circles is virtually unknown to most Americans. Charlotte E. Ray was America’s first black female lawyer. She was also the first woman to be admitted to practice before the to the District of Columbia Bar, and the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. Attorney Ray’s admission to practice was seen for the precedent it was, as women who came after her used her example in seeking admission to practice as attorneys.

What You Don't Know Could (Seriously) Hurt You: 4 Things to Keep in Mind When Picking a Nursing Home

On March 6, The US Senate Committee on Finance held hearings in Washington on Elder and Nursing Home abuse and neglect. We all know that the Federal government is tied up with partisan politics in almost all respects. But this Committee heard gut-wrenching and horrific testimony from the adult children of elder victims, true episodes of neglect resulting in bed sores, falls, infections, sexual assault and death. Yes, you read that correctly: sexual assault, rape, of an 87-year-old victim in a nursing home. There was testimony from experts in the field, leaders in health care, all deploring the fact that fully one third of nursing home residents experienced harm in a 2014 study; and that 2 years ago, the US Inspector General warned the public of problems at nursing homes in 33 states, listing sexual abuse, substandard care and neglect as prime categories of mistreatment. The work of this committee is critical, as almost all nursing home residents are beneficiaries of Medicare and or Medicaid and these facilities depend on those agencies to get paid. We all understand that nursing homes exist to protect and shelter our most fragile and vulnerable loved ones as they seek to live their lives with dignity and respect on "the back end of life". How we treat our elders is certainly a fair measure of who and what we are as a society. If you or your family are faced with the heartbreak of a tough decision as to where to place Mom or Dad, keep in mind some important points for you to think about and watch for in your search:

Pennsylvania Adopts New Rule For Civil Procedure To Address “Doe” Defendants

Effective April 1, 2019, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has adopted new Rule 2005, which codifies the initiation of suit against “John Doe” defendants. This new rule lays out the proper procedure that Plaintiffs can use to initiate a suit against unknown defendants, commonly referred to as “John Doe” defendants.

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