Is Now the Right Time to Settle Your Truck Crash Claim?
If you have been injured in a truck crash, and you are still receiving medical treatment and have not been able to return to work, you might be feeling anxious about settling your claim. The trucking company’s insurance company might be approaching you with what seems like a valid offer to settle, but you might…
Read MoreWhat Causes Chemical Birth Defects?
Birth injuries are often a result of preventable medical negligence that occurs during labor or delivery. Birth defects, however, develop during pregnancy, and may not be evident until the child is born. Many times, a birth defect is just an unfortunate anomaly that could not have been prevented; it was genetic, or related to an…
Read MoreMonsanto Keeps Losing at Trial, but Roundup Might Not Go Away
In May, a California jury heard a case about a couple, Alva and Alberta Pilliod, who had used Roundup for decades and both developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. That same jury awarded the couple more than $2 billion in damages. In July, that award was slashed to $86.7 million. It was the third time that a jury…
Read MoreHow a Section 1983 Claim Can Protect Your Civil Rights in Cases of Excessive Force and Police Brutality
Section 1983 is part of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (42 U.S.C. § 1983), which gives victims a cause of action for filing a lawsuit for civil rights violations such as police misconduct and excessive force., Congress passed the Civil Rights Act to guard against the racial injustice and violence taking place after the…
Read MoreCars Have Been Designed to Keep Male Bodies Safe While Largely Ignoring Female Bodies in Crash Tests
From a road safety perspective, apparently, it is a man’s world. In an excerpt of a piece published in The Guardian, the author writes about how women are put at risk on the roads because cars are designed around a male body. From the vehicle’s safety features to how the seats are constructed and installed,…
Read MoreCongratulations Julieta Hernandez on Being Selected as the 2019 Civil Justice Scholarship Winner!
Plattner Verderame Arizona Injury Lawyers is proud to announce that Julieta Hernandez, a student at UCLA School of Law, has been selected as the 2019 recipient of our annual Civil Justice Scholarship! Ms. Hernandez is expected to graduate in 2022. The Plattner Verderame Civil Justice Scholarship awards $2500 to a student who is interested in…
Read MorePlattner Verderame, PC Partners Recognized by Best Lawyers in America
Plattner Verderame, PC is proud to announce that our founding partners, Richard Plattner and Frank Verderame, have both been named to Best Lawyers in America® for 2020. Both partners are Arizona State Bar Board Certified Specialists in Injury and Wrongful Death, and both have been recognized for their work in plaintiffs’ personal injury litigation. The…
Read MoreWhat Parents Need to Know about Teen Drivers and Car Insurance
Parents want their kids to be happy and productive. Today’s parents appreciate that when they were young, they wanted to get their licenses to drive as soon as they could. In Arizona, having a car means greater freedom for the teen and parents. But with a car comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes purchasing insurance.…
Read MoreWhy Backing Up a Truck is So Hazardous
Tractor-trailers, flatbeds, semis, and other commercial or large trucks are hard enough to control when the driver is going forward. Truck drivers who back their trucks up into traffic are virtually asking for an accident to happen. There are several reasons why backing up trucks are so dangerous: Unusual dimensions. The length of the trucks…
Read MoreWe Need to Talk about Safety Inspections
Over the last month, the news headlines have been dominated by Boeing: the software that failed, the regulations that were loosened, and the number of people who have died on 737 MAX crashes because of systemic failures to keep planes safe. It’s an important story, because it highlights just how much damage self-regulation with an…
Read MoreSharing the Roads Safely with Big Trucks in Arizona
Summer is approaching, and for those of us living in Arizona, that often means it’s time for family road trips. While the trips are fun, they also require sharing the road with large trucks. Even in the best of circumstances, that can be dangerous. People often think that sleepy, drunk, and otherwise distracted truck drivers…
Read MoreHow Many More Vape Pens Have to Explode before They’re Banned?
When Kailani Burton bought her 17-year-old son a vape pen, she did so with the best of intentions: she wanted her son to stop smoking. What she did not anticipate was that the pen would explode in her son’s mouth, forcing her to drive 200 miles from her home to the closest trauma center for…
Read MoreAt Least Four Different Types of Fireworks Have Been Recalled So Far
July 4th is almost here, and you know what that means: it’s time for the fireworks. Given how dry Arizona is, fireworks pose a different kind of risk for us. Today, we want to tell you which fireworks have been recalled for safety issues, and offer some tips to make sure your Independence Day celebration…
Read MoreDeaths and Injuries Due to Medical Devices Continue to Mount
The dangers of medical devices are becoming more apparent. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reported in February 2019, that the US Food and Drug Administration has agreed to release information, previously hidden from the public, about defective medical devices. For the past 20 years, the FDA has allowed manufacturers to provide quarterly reports…
Read MoreNew Bill Would Protect Veterans by Letting Them File Claims for Military Medical Malpractice
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-California) has introduced legislation to help members of the military file claims against the health system for medical malpractice. Currently, it is federal policy to bar medical malpractice claims by active veterans against their healthcare providers. The bill, called the Richard Stavskal Military Medical Bill, is named after Sgt. First Class Richard…
Read MoreUsing Handheld Devices while Driving Will Soon Be Illegal in Arizona
Using handheld devices while you are driving will soon be illegal in the state of Arizona. On April 22, 2019, Governor Ducey signed a bill into law that bans using handheld devices while driving. The new law goes into effect on January 1, 2021, though, police officers can give warnings to drivers starting now. If…
Read MoreWho Is Watching the Watchers?
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is a government organization that is tasked with protecting consumers by promoting the safety of products that hit the market. In order to protect the public from unsafe and defective products, the agency addresses unreasonable risks of injury, studying illnesses and injuries caused by products and creating…
Read MoreHashish IS Marijuana, per the Supreme Court of Arizona
Arizona’s history with medical marijuana hasn’t always been smooth, but as of 2010, it’s been legal. Under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA), qualifying patients could obtain a card that would allow them to purchase and have up to 2.5 ounces of “usable” marijuana, and to grow up to 12 plants. On May 28, the…
Read MoreGov. Ducey Signs Bill Giving Childhood Sexual Assault Victims More Time to File a Lawsuit
On May 27, Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill into law to help protect victims of childhood sexual abuse. The new law “gives abuse victims until their 30th birthday to sue, a decade longer than before. It also opens a one-time window for victims who’ve missed the cutoff, who now have until the end of…
Read MoreKids II and Fisher Price Recall Rocking Sleepers Linked to Infant Deaths
Kids II (also called Kids2) has recalled all of models of its infant rocking sleepers due to potential deadly hazards posed to infants. The recall affects close to 694,000 units, and comes on the heels of Fisher-Price recalling 4.7 million Rock ‘n Play sleepers, which have been linked to between 10 and 32 infant deaths…
Read MoreHouse Votes to Return Constitutional Rights to Americans
Yesterday, May 22nd, saw a massive victory for Americans. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on an amendment that will limit how big banks and financial institutions can use mandatory arbitration. The amendment was introduced by Rep. Al Green (D-TX), and reinstates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) 2017 rule governing forced arbitration. The amendment…
Read MoreMay is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
For many, the warm weather and open roads in and around Phoenix offer year-round joy for motorcycle riders and passengers. While riding a motorcycle may be a lot of fun and a cheap alternative to cars, there are many inherent dangers in riding a motorcycle. The odds of dying in a traffic accident, according to…
Read MoreCan I File a Car Accident Claim against a Deceased Driver?
In 2016, there were more than 34,000 fatalities due to car accidents nationwide, and 962 Arizonans died in car crashes that year, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In many of those accidents, the driver who was responsible for the accident died. Death does not absolve the driver from liability, but it does…
Read MoreBritax Drags Its Feet on Warnings for Dangerous BOB Stroller
Britax Child Safety, the leading manufacturer of child safety products, allegedly failed to meet is deadline to notify consumers and resellers of a dangerous defect in its BOB jogging stroller. According to The Washington Post, Britax reached an agreement with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to educate the public about a dangerous problem…
Read MoreHow the False Claims Act Helps Whistleblowers Disclose Medical Fraud
We have often talk about how the law protects those who blow the whistle on medical fraud, and how qui tam actions can help the government AND whistleblowers recover funds when physicians, hospitals, medical device makers, and others defraud the government. In 2018, whistleblowers helped the US government collect more than $2.1 billion in recoveries.…
Read More