Posts Tagged ‘lawsuits’

Blood Donation Infection Leads to Lawsuit

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Christopher Bui thought he was doing a good deed when he went to the Stanford Hospital to donate blood. Unfortunately, by the end of his ordeal, he ended up not being a hero, but a victim.

Bui had donated at the hospital yearly for over ten years before the fateful incident that led him to develop a debilitating infection. The expenses related to treating the infection at the hospital quickly added up and soon, he could no longer afford to pay. At this point, the hospital refused to provide him with further treatment. He is now suing the hospital for medical malpractice.

According to an Orange County personal injury lawyer, hospitals promise to take care of blood donors if any ill arises as a result of their donations. By refusing to treat Bui, they broke this promise to the donor and may have cost themselves additional donations from those who now fear the potential repercussions will not be covered by the hospital.

To read more about this suit, see the article in Justice News Flash. Image via Thirteen of Clubs [Flickr].

Harrassing Debt Collector Sued By Widow

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Dianne McLeod says that harassing debt collection phone calls made to her husband ultimately resulted in his having a heart attack and dying. She claims the same debt collection agency would call up to ten times daily, making Stanley red in the face and have chest pains.

Stanley already had suffered from two heart attacks before the collectors started their harassment. His second heart attack required he receive a helicopter ride to the hospital. One of the collection agents made light of his suffering, saying, “Why don’t you have that helicopter pick you up and bring that payment to the office.” This statement and more, all of which are illegal debt collection practices, were left on the McLeod’s message machine and will provide strong evidence against the agency in court.

The fact that the collection agency knew about his condition can certainly be used against them now that Mr. McLeod has passed, says a prominent Orange County personal injury attorney. Green Tree Servicing, the collection agency, denies the company is in anyway responsible for McLeod’s death. The trial is scheduled to start next month.

To read more about this case, see the article on CNN.

Group Fighting Lawsuit Abuse Is Mostly Big Business

Monday, November 30th, 2009

noleneThe Orange County Register has reported that one of the largest anti-lawsuit organizations is actually operated in the interests of stopping civil lawsuits from hurting the bottom line of many America’s largest corporations. While the California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse has a private donor list, the Center for Justice & Democracy claims that some of the organization’s largest donors are tobacco industry conglomerates and other major corporations.

The CCALA tries to back its assertions against lawsuit abuse by painting an image of lawsuit victims as greedy money lovers, who are bankrupting the government with frivolous lawsuits. While they call themselves a “a nonpartisan grassroots movement of concerned citizens and businesses who are fighting against lawsuit abuse in California,” the Center for Justice & Democracy says their real goals are ”to incite public scorn for the civil justice system, juries and judges, and to pave the way for enactment of laws immunizing corporations from liability for actions that harm consumers.”

As American citizens, it is important to realize that civil courts exist to help right non-criminal wrongs. The majority of civil cases are very legitimate and deal with victimized persons trying to get their lives back together. The only way we can continue these practices is by ensuring that lawsuits are continually protected from special interest groups such as the CCALA. If an individual or corporation has hurt you, you have the right to take action by filing a lawsuit and working with an Orange County injury attorney. Don’t let these corporate-backed groups take away your rights.

To read more about the CCALA, see the article in the Orange County Register. Image Via nolene [Flickr].

Kobe Bryant And Wife Sued By Housekeeper

Monday, September 28th, 2009

gamerscoreA former maid of Kobe Bryant is suing the basketball star and his wife for wrongful termination, harassment and verbal abuse. According to the maid, Maria Jiminez, Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, “badgered, harassed and humiliated” her and refused to pay overtime or health insurance. Maria said she performed housekeeping services for the family for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. After only two weeks on the job, she claims Vanessa began verbally abusing her by yelling, screaming and criticizing her in front of the family and their other employees.

When Jiminez was hired, she was offered a salary of $50,000 and health insurance benefits for herself and her family. But when she learned she needed to get surgery for an ovarian cyst, she discovered she had no medical coverage at all. According to court papers filed by her Orange County personal injury attorney, her medical expenses cost over $120,000.

A judge in Orange County threw out part of Jiminez’s lawsuit as he felt her “intentional infliction of emotional distress” accusations were already covered by her “wrongful termination” claims. But overall, the court is letting the suit move forward.

The Bryant family is counter suing the 48 year old maid, claiming she broke her contract and acted in bad faith.

For more information, read the article in KTLA. Image via Gamerscore [Flickr]

Facebook Facing Privacy Invasion Lawsuit

Monday, August 24th, 2009

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As an Orange County personal injury attorney, I frequently notice that most people associate the word “injury” exclusively with physical harm to the body -but it isn’t limited to this. Personal injury can apply to damage to the reputation or invasion of privacy as well, as evidenced in a recent lawsuit against the social media site Facebook.

The company is facing an Orange County personal injury lawsuit based on claims that the company violates California’s online privacy laws. The five users suing the company are claiming they were mislead as to the use of their personal information. The users filing the suit include two minors, a professional photographer, a model based in LA and another user from Orange County.

Facebook claims the suit is meritless, but only time will truly tell if the social media moguls will be brought down by these accusations or not.

For more information on the suit, please read the full article in the OC Register. Image Via Gauldo [Facebook]