Civil Litigation
Category RSS FeedHow do you handle fees and expenses in a personal injury or wrongful death case?
Many prospective clients in serious personal injury and wrongful death claims ask questions about legal fees and litigation expenses in handling their cases. As an Atlanta personal injury trial attorney handling serious injury and death cases across Georgia, and as an individual who remembers very well what it is like to be flat broke and … Continue Reading
Legislation passes US House to rein in worst problems with Medicare reimbursment bureaucracy
In the past few years, half the work and hassle in representing individuals in personal injury claims is the endless hassle with medical lien claims.
Medicare, which asserts claims under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act, is often the hardest to deal with because the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) bureaucracy is infamously slow and … Continue Reading
Hearsay rule change in new Georgia Evidence Code
Most bright middle school students probably have a working knowledge of the concept of hearsay, simply as gossip. “He said she said” does not mean the statement is true.
Hearsay as a legal rather than merely social concept is part of the law of evidence. The Georgia rule on hearsay will change on January 1st, when … Continue Reading
GA Court of Appeals cracks open door to evidence of amount of settlements for prior accidents
Georgia law on the trial of personal injury cases has for most of my career provided for exclusion of evidence of settlements of claims arising from prior injuries. Now the Court of Appeals has cracked open the door to evidence that in the past has been excluded.
In the case of Goforth v. Wigley, 178 Ga. … Continue Reading
Key Georgia legislator tells tort reform advocates to go slowly and work toward consensus
Georgia State Capitol 1904
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce held a forum on tort reform last week. According to today’s Daily Report, Rep. Rich Golick, chair of the House Non-Civil Judiciary Committee who is a corporate attorney for Allstate Insurance Company in his “day job,” told the attendees:
“Go talk to the plaintiffs bar. … See if … Continue Reading
Does Georgia really need more than five “loser pays” rules?
Do advocates of more “loser pays” rules offer a solution in search of a problem?
Are people unaware of the “loser pays” sanctions that are already part of Georgia law?
As discussed in previous posts, Georgia already has five statutory “loser pays” rules, four of which passed in tort reform legislation during the time I have been … Continue Reading
Georgia “loser pays” rule # 5 – bad faith, stubborn litigiousness, undue trouble and expense
Brig. Gen. Thomas R. R. Cobb, father of Georgia’s first “loser pays” statute”
The oldest of the five “loser pays” rules in existing Georgia law has been in effect for nearly 150 years, having first appeared in the Code of 1863.
That Code was largely the work product of Thomas R. R. Cobb, son-in-law of Chief Justice … Continue Reading
Georgia’s “loser pays” rule # 4 – tort claim for abusive litigation
Before rushing into legislation to create yet another “loser pays” rule in Georgia law, it is useful to examine the five forms of “loser pays” rules we already have. I wrote earlier about OCGA 9-11-68 (offer of judgment / offer of settlement rule and frivolous claims and defenses rule) and OCGA 9-11-14 (no justiciable … Continue Reading
Georgia “loser pays” tort reform rule #2 – frivolous claim or defense
“Loser pays” is a popular theme among advocates of “tort reform,” many of whom may not understand what the popular political calls for “loser pays” or “tort reform” really mean in any detail. Perhaps some people who say they are for it do not understand that Georgia already has five “loser pays” rules that have … Continue Reading
“Loser pays” tort reform? Georgia already has offer of judgment rule
We hear talk of another round of “tort reform” legislation including a “loser pays” rule. But some of the folks talking about it may not realize that Georgia already has five different “loser pays” rules.
One of the five forms of “loser pays” rules in Georgia is in O.C.G.A. § 9-11-68. Passed as part of the … Continue Reading
