When 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…
Read MoreHas a Fifth Grader Invented the Solution to Preventing Hot Car Deaths?
In the months of June, July and August, when Arizona reaches those famous triple-digit temperatures, many people worry about hot car deaths. When an 11-year-old Texas student, Bishop Curry, heard the news that his neighbor’s six-month-old infant died after being in a hot car, he decided to invent a device to prevent similar deaths from…
Read MoreArizona Qui Tam Attorneys Discuss Healthcare Fraud Enforcement
There are three important federal laws that apply to healthcare fraud and abuse: The False Claims Act, the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute are three federal laws which govern other forms of compensation for doctors. Healthcare providers must navigate the complicated laws and potential regulatory pitfalls to make sure that their business is operating…
Read MoreWrongful Death from Arizona Car Crashes
It is devastating to lose a loved one in a car crash. When you discover that the collision was the result of someone else’s negligent behavior, it can be even more difficult to process. Fortunately, our civil justice system provides a legal remedy for those who have been injured, or who have lost a loved…
Read MoreWhat Rights Are You Signing Away with an Arizona Skydiving Liability Waiver?
So you finally got up the nerve to try skydiving. You and your best friends have decided to just do it already, and now you’re experiencing feelings of excitement mixed with abject terror. Being the practical kind of person that you are (as opposed to the thrill-seeking, adventure loving type that your friends are), you…
Read MoreThe Surprising Impact of a Mild TBI Prognosis and Recovery
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a head injury caused by blunt trauma or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the brain’s normal functioning. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there were about 2.8 million TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. in 2013 (the most recent year…
Read MoreWhistleblowers Saved the U.S. Government More than $4 Billion in 2016
Whistleblowers have a vital role to play in helping the federal government identify fraud and corruption, which costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year. At the end of last year (2016), the U.S. Department of Justice announced that about $4.7 billion had been recovered through False Claims Act cases, $2.9 billion of which came from…
Read MoreCriteria for Filing a Wrongful Death Suit in Arizona
When you’ve lost a loved one, no amount of restitution or validation will make the pain and grief heal faster. Nothing will help you heal except for time. Over time, you will find a “new normal” and learn how to adjust to life with your loved one gone. Dealing with the loss is difficult enough,…
Read MoreDefective Products Under Investigation in 2017
We are all consumers, and we all buy products that we assume are safe to use as directed. It stands to reason that we should feel assured the things we purchase have been tested for safety and held to rigorous standards by the companies that manufacture them. Unfortunately, however, that’s not always the case. The…
Read MoreNew Study Links Traumatic Brain Injury and Growth Hormone Deficiency
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most insidious forms of medical issues. While the severity and effects of TBI can vary widely, in many cases families and caregivers are left to financially, medically, and emotionally shoulder the burden of lifelong care for a TBI-affected individual. If your loved one has suffered a traumatic…
Read MoreWhistleblower Exposes UnitedHealth’s Massive Medicare Fraud
News broke recently of a huge scandal in the healthcare world: Benjamin Poehling of UnitedHealth Group asserts that his former employer, and likely many other big name insurance companies, are gaming the Medicare Advantage system. Poehling contends that UnitedHealth Group was manipulating a system to incentivize patients to be diagnosed as sicker than they were.…
Read MoreCongratulations, Richard Plattner, on Your Lifetime Advocate and Lawyer of the Year Awards!
All of us at Plattner Verderame Arizona Injury Lawyers, are proud to extend our hearty congratulations to our firm’s co-founder, Richard S. Plattner, for being recognized as the 2017 Lawyer of the Year for the American Board of Trial Advocates, Phoenix Chapter. Attorney Plattner was also given the Lifetime Advocate for Civil Justice Award from…
Read MoreDangerous Games: Sports Most Likely to Cause Catastrophic Injuries
Whether played by children or adults, games and sporting activities are expected to offer a reasonable amount of safety from major bodily injury. Safety gear, such as helmets, or supervision from referees helps to maintain these standards. With all these protections in place, which sports remain dangerous, and which are safe? It turns out that…
Read MoreTony Stewart Wrongful Death Suit Moves to Civil Litigation
Tony Stewart’s long embroiled wrongful death suit has taken a new turn as the NASCAR driver’s lawyers have asked the judge to dismiss the claims. The accident in question took place August 9th, 2014 and took the life of fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr. at the Motorsports Park in Canandaigua, NY. It isn’t often that…
Read MoreArizona VA Wait-Time Scandal Revealed Thanks to Whistleblower
Wait-times in any medical situation can be more than simply frustrating; they can be life-threatening. Due the high number of veterans eligible for services in the Arizona VA system, a bonus was devised to incentivize faster appointment scheduling (14 days or under) and appearances. Although the vast majority of veterans receive services in less than…
Read MoreUber Self-Driving Car Crashes in Tempe
Plagued by recent criticisms, Uber had been pinning its economic hopes and dreams on their self-driving car systems in major cities. This plan came to a brief but crashing halt with the collision of a test car here in Arizona in late March 2016. A particularly graphic video of the accident, in which two other…
Read MoreHow to Protect Yourself From Government Ban on Lawsuits and Damages
Responsibility and accountability – even for the powerful – are rooted into the core of our legal system. This country’s founders knew that a democracy needs a court system that empowers people to protect themselves by holding the powerful to account. That’s why the Constitution guarantees each person the right to a trial by jury.…
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