Posts by Nick Verderame
How Many Days Do I Have to Report a Car Accident?
If you’re in a car crash then you need to do several things afterwards, and one is to contact your own insurance company, because your insurance policy requires it. Our suggestion is that you do that as soon as you can. The other thing you should do, of course, is to call a lawyer. There…
Read MoreWhat Is the Statute of Limitations on a Personal Injury Claim?
Statute of limitations is the amount of the time that someone has by law to bring a claim against anyone else. In Arizona for injury cases, generally it’s two years, but this varies. For some cases, it can be one year. For some cases, you have to give notice within six months. That’s the reason…
Read MoreWho Is Guilty of the Worst Corporate Conduct in 2018?
This has been a bad year for corporations; not for their bottom lines, per se, but for their reputations: Facebook and Cambridge Analytica sold us out. United Airlines let people’s pets die. An autonomous Uber car hit and killed a pedestrian in Tempe. Google is embroiled in sexual harassment accusations. Sloan Kettering’s CEO made money…
Read MoreWill My Insurance Rate Go Up if I Make a Claim on My Own Policy?
A lot of people have the mistaken idea that if they make a claim under their own insurance policy, their insurance rates are going to go up. Under Arizona law, this is wrong. The insurance company cannot raise your rates if you are not at fault for the accident. So, do not be hesitant…
Read MoreSleep Deprived Drivers Are 15 Times More Likely to Cause a Collision
Experts in the sleep industry recommend that adults get about 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. However, despite that recommendation, surveys tell us that about 33 percent of adults in the U.S. usually sleep for less than seven hours. Driver fatigue, a problem that develops due to lack of sleep, is a factor…
Read MoreTraffic Deaths Are Increasing in Arizona. Officials Blame Driver Behavior
In 2017, Arizona’s roads and highways claimed nearly 1,000 lives. And, in a recently released report, the officials who compiled the data say, in most cases, driver behavior is to blame. The Arizona Department of Transportation releases their “Motor Vehicle Crash Facts” report every year. They compile their data from Arizona Traffic Crash Reports submitted…
Read MoreDo I Need to Hire a Lawyer After a Car Accident?
If you’ve been in a car crash, the question of “do you need to hire a lawyer” depends. If you know you’re at fault, there’s no question you’re at fault, then report it to your own auto insurance carrier and they will provide you a lawyer to defend you in that action. However, if…
Read MoreWhat Should I Bring to an Initial Consultation?
If you’re coming to an initial consultation with an attorney, it’s not required that you bring anything, but there are documents that you can bring to help your lawyers get started in their representation of you. Medical records are always helpful in figuring out exactly what the injuries that you’ve suffered are. If you’ve been…
Read MoreWhat Is a Nuisance Case?
Nuisance claims are defined by statute under Arizona law. They are generally things that are offensive to the senses of a number of people. This is the type of case where a big company comes in and pollutes your water or pollutes your air, and entire communities are affected this. What a nuisance case is…
Read MoreNick Verderame, Associate
I like representing injured plaintiffs because it’s a lot of fun. It’s not just fun what we do every day, going to court and making arguments, but it’s fun helping people in a way that impacts their life. Before I was doing this kind of work, I was doing corporate mergers and acquisitions, and it…
Read MoreU.S. Government Recovers $66 Million from Japanese Manufacturer of Defective Body Armor
The decade old lawsuit of a former law enforcement officer has facilitated the U.S. government’s re-capture of $66 million from a Japanese manufacturer. Toyobo manufactured and sold bulletproof fiber for bulletproof vests issued to local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement agencies. The fiber was eventually found to be defective. The U.S. Department of Justice…
Read MoreNine Deaths, Dozens of Injuries, Hundreds of Crashes – and Goodyear Has Known the Entire Time
In 1996, Goodyear started installing the G159 275/70R 22.5 tire – the G159, from here on – on RVs. That same year, the first complaint was made, claiming that the tire failed. To hear Goodyear tell it, there have only been 7 injuries and 58 tire failure reports since 1996. In truth, there have 74…
Read MoreCrash or Accident – Does it Make a Difference Which Word You Use?
With the incredibly high rate of traffic fatalities lately, safety advocates and concerned people have been advocating for a change in what word we use to describe the collision of vehicles on the road. We have used the words, crash, collision, or wreck to describe what has come to be described as a traffic accident.…
Read MoreClarifying the Definition of Whistleblower Anti-Retaliation Protections
In February, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled that the anti-retaliation protections of the Dodd-Frank Act do not kick in until a whistleblower has reported the fraud to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A whistleblower, as the law defines it, is someone who provides information to the SEC (or another federal…
Read MoreKmart Settles False Claims Act Case For $32 Million
At the end of December 2017, Kmart Corp agreed to pay out $32.3 million to the United States as part of a settlement of a lawsuit brought under the False Claims Act. The lawsuit, filed in 2008, alleged that Kmart overcharged government programs and private insurers for generic prescription drugs over a period of 12…
Read MoreThe Newest Vehicle Safety Watch List Is Out. Did Your Car Make the List?
Back in 2010, a young woman named Brooke Melton died in a car crash after the ignition switch in her 2005 Chevy Cobalt slipped into a different position. The lawsuit resulting from her death revealed that General Motors had known about the defective switch since 2001, covered it up, and done nothing to fix the…
Read MoreWhen School Bullying Leads to Suicide
It’s every parent’s literal worst nightmare: finding a child dead by his or her own hand. In the case of Gabriel Taye, a toxic school environment in Cincinnati, filled with bullying, physical abuse, and exclusion led to the 8-year old hanging himself. His grieving parents have been left asking, what could have been done? They…
Read MoreSuits Alleging Negligence Ruled Not Applicable in Inherently Risky Activities
There are some sports and events we participate in that carry obvious risks. These can be as mundane as eating undercooked foods despite clear warnings against the practice, or as extraordinary as playing extreme sports without proper training or supervision. One hobby that is well-known for carrying dangers to even the most experienced is horseback…
Read MoreFederal Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Amazon for Selling Defective Eclipse Glasses
On August 21, 2017, people throughout the country put on special glasses and stared into the sky, watching the moon almost blot out the sun completely. It was a surreal experience for many; there were eclipse parties throughout the country, and tens of millions of these special glasses were sold. The retail behemoth Amazon sold…
Read MoreInsurance Company’s Substandard Repairs Blamed for Wreck
Insurance companies can and do delineate where you can get your vehicle repaired under their coverage. The intention of this type of limitation is, ideally, to assure that competent work is done, for a fair price. However, what if your insurance company forced you to have your car repaired by someone who clearly was no…
Read MoreDraft of Proposed Whistleblower Protection Act Serves Only Inadequacies
When the World Intellectual Property Organization published the latest draft of their new Whistleblower Protection Act earlier in 2017, it was hoped that the new guidelines would meet the best-practice standards set by the Government Accountability Project. Sadly, the draft fails these standards by a wide margin, leaving global intellectual property systems participants, like those…
Read MorePlattner Verderame Arizona Injury Lawyers Files Nuisance Lawsuit against Hickman Family Farms on Behalf of Tonopah Residents
Most days, the first thing you notice when you get out of your car in Tonopah is the smell, and it hits you like a tidal wave. The caustic ammonia, the pervasive, musty funk of manure and blood, and the overpowering stench of chickens. Four million of them, to be precise. These chickens live in…
Read MoreCongratulations, Frank Verderame, on Your Election to the Board of Directors of the Melvin M. Belli Society
All of us at Plattner Verderame, PC would like to offer a heart-felt “Congratulations!” to firm partner Frank Verderame, who has just been elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the prestigious Melvin M. Belli Society. Formed in 1981, the Belli Society’s “stated purpose [is] to promote the international exchange of ideas among…
Read MoreCan You Sue if You Have Been Injured as an Uber or Lyft Passenger in Arizona?
Ridesharing apps such as Lyft, Uber and others continue to grow in popularity in large cities because they offer a convenient, cost-effective alternative to traditional taxis. Whether you request a ride from your home or from the airport or train station, the vehicle that you are riding is the driver’s personal vehicle. Have you ever…
Read MoreArizona’s Elderly Are at Risk of Abuse and Neglect
Millions of elderly Americans live in nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and other care arrangements, where they are essentially hidden from public view and must rely on the facility’s staff for all their daily needs. While most nursing homes are clean and adequately staffed, and the residents are cared for properly, some…
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