Archive for the ‘Personal Injury’ Category

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Bloom Legal Video Blog Vol. 6: What to do After a Car Accident (Personal Injury)

July 15th, 2011 | Posted in Local Issues, Personal Injury, Traffic by bloom | No Comments »

Welcome back to the Bloom Legal Video Blog!

For our sixth installment Attorney Seth Bloom, of Bloom Legal explains how to respond after a car or auto accident with injury.

Basic precautions include ensuring that an accurate police report is taken, witness contact information is acquired, driver insurance and contact information is exchanged and that no mistakes are made which might aggravate injuries.

If you have been involved in an accident with injury and think that you may have a claim, contact Bloom Legal today at 504-599-9997 for a free case evaluation.

HBO to Air ‘Hot Coffee’ Consumer Rights Docu Tonight

June 27th, 2011 | Posted in Celebrity Justice, Legislation, National Issues, Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

HBO will be airing a documentary tonight called Hot Coffee which has particular relevance to the field of Personal Injury law.

Photo Courtesy of hotcoffeethemovie.com

Hot Coffee producer-director Susan Saladoff also served as a civil lawyer for 25 years, representing individuals in all sorts of tort issues. The documentary is intended to raise awareness for what actually happens in the civil litigation and personal injury process and whether or not the courts are actually full of frivolous lawsuits.

Every year Americans discuss the issue of tort reform but it is often neglected how greatly this affects our civil liberties as well as the fact that the reality surrounding the civil litigation system is often greatly misunderstood.

The film’s namesake case, the high profile civil suit against McDonald’s filed on behalf of plaintiff Stella Liebick, is one of 4 examples used to illustrate and address misperceptions of the civil litigation field. Many people are unaware, for example, than Ms. Liebick tragically permanently lost all reproductive capacity from the notorious accident and that she also originally sued only to seek compensation for her medical expenses.

Tort reform is a contentious issue in modern America and Hot Coffe attempts to reconcile some of the many misperceptions surrounding the central issues of civil liberties, plaintiff’s rights, and personal injury lawsuits.

For more on Hot Coffee, visit the official movie page.

If you are interested in personal injury representation in the state of Louisiana, visit bloomlegal.com for more information.

Ronal Serpas Issues Proposed Reforms for Corrupt NOPD Detail Program

May 16th, 2011 | Posted in Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

Following the recent exposure in the news media of corrupt practices within the NOPD of paying off-duty police officers detail wages for monitoring the city’s traffic camera program, Police Superintendent, Ronal Serpas, has issued proposed reforms to end the practice.

Photo Courtesy of Nola.com

The traffic camera program was originally administered by the city’s Department of Public Works but that practice was found to violate the city charter and provided no actual legal recourse to individuals receiving tickets. (Violations were screened by an administrative panel functioning within the Department of Public Works).

When the program was transferred over to the administration of the NOPD slightly more than one year ago, rather than employing on-duty police officers to oversee the program as official police business, the administration structured the program to pay off-duty officers additional wages at the city’s expense for monitoring the traffic citations.

After the investigation through which the city inspector general originally revealed this practice, 8th District Police Commander, Edwin Hosli (a close friend of Serpas), was placed on suspension along with Department of Public Works Director, Robert Mendoza.

Serpas’ proposed reforms for the administration of the program include:
Eliminating direct payments to detail officers from employers.
Setting detail pay uniformly based on rank
Mandating a 6 hour rest period between NOPD shifts and detail shifts
Capping weekly work hours for officers at 76 hours (including detail, overtime, and regular shifts)

For the full list of Superintendent Serpas’ reforms, visit NOLA.com

Man Sues a Las Vegas Prostitute for a Refund

January 23rd, 2011 | Posted in Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

The day after 22 year old Hubert Blackman hired an escort from Las Vegas Exclusive Personals to perform for him, he decided that he was not satisfied with the services rendered. He then made the sensible choice to sue the company for a refund and payment for the “tragic event.”

Photo Courtesy of mediabistro.com

Blackman, a resident of New York City, had paid 155 dollars for a private dance in his hotel room and another 120 dollars for the escort to perform an unspecified sexual act. Everything transpired as Blackman had hoped until the woman left after only thirty minutes and not the agreed upon hour. The next morning Blackman called the service demanding a refund. After they refused, Blackman contacted the Las Vegas Police Department for assistance and successfully confessed to soliciting prostitution, not knowing that it is a crime in Vegas County.

Narrowly avoiding arrest did not deter the zealous john. After arriving home Blackman sued the company for a 275 dollar refund, 1.8 million dollars in “psycological” damages, and demanded the company be shut down. Having spent his legal funds in Vegas, he will be pleading the case sans lawyer, which is the smartest thing Blackman has done as the case will most surely be thrown out.

While prostitution is legal in some Nevada counties, it is illegal anywhere in Louisiana. If you or anyone you know needs legal assistance for charges related to prostitution, contact Bloom Legal at 599-9997 for a free consultation.

Guilty Verdicts Delivered in Henry Glover Case

December 10th, 2010 | Posted in Katrina, Local Issues, NOPD, Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten was very pleased with the court’s Thursday verdict calling it a victory for the honest officers who serve this city and an indictment of the men who, “thought they were above the law and weren’t.”

Photo of Henry Glover Courtesy of nola.com

Justice came slowly for the Glover family who waited for years as the truth slowly bubbled to the surface and a cover up began to take shape. A jury of five men and seven women found Officer David Warren guilty of manslaughter, Officer Gregory McRae guilty of obstruction of justice for burning Henry Glovers body, and Lieutenant Travis McCabe guilty of obstruction of justice for falsifying a report. However, Lieutenant Robert Italiano was declared innocent, not having known about the lies on the report he signed.

Officer Warren’s conviction carries with it the possibility of life in prison, but at this point that seems to be an unlikely outcome. The jury found the policeman guilty of manslaughter rather than murder which implies that he may receive a more lenient sentence. Regardless of the punishment, the three guilty verdicts help to heal some of the wounds of Katrina for the Glover family and for the city.

If you or someone you know are victims of police corruption or miscarriage of justice, contact Bloom Legal at 504-599-9997 to schedule a free consultation to discuss the details of your case.

Patients Accuse Nurse of Sexual Abuse

October 8th, 2010 | Posted in Local Issues, Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

Lloyd Lamy, a former nurse at Slidell Memorial Hospital, has been charged with sexual abuse by three different patients. The latest victim woke up to find Lamy fondling her breasts. Lamy told investigators he was simply adjusting her gown, but both of the other victims claim to have been abused in a similar manner.

Photo Courtesy of smhfdn.org

One victim was asked by Lamy for a kiss if he was able to successfully perform a medical procedure. Despite her refusal, Lamy kissed her when the procedure was complete. Later in the night Lamy returned to the room multiple times and, while the patient pretended to be asleep, slipped his hand beneath her gown to fondle her breasts. She later attempted to call her family, but the phone in her room was broken.

The hospital fired Lamy after the first incident came to light and has since approved a new set of policies for patient abuse. Under the new guidelines hospital staff will report any suspected or alleged abuse to the authorities regardless of the patient’s wishes to keep it private. After any case of sexual abuse, one should report to the police and seek legal counsel.

If you or someone you know has been abused or falsely accused of abuse, contact Bloom Legal at 504-599-9997 to discuss how we can help fight for you.

State Police Stage Mock Accident to Prove Dangers of Texting While Driving

October 7th, 2010 | Posted in Internet/Technology, Local Issues, Personal Injury, Traffic by bloom | No Comments »

This week, state police set up a mock accident in which one teen driver was texting while driving and ran into another.

Photo Courtesy of DigitalTrends.com

In order to give a strong message to the people of Louisiana about the new law prohibiting texting while driving, firefighters cut out the young girl who received the brunt of the accident from the car of the texting teen and told her mother that she was no longer going to be able to perform simple tasks such as eating or brushing her teeth.

Officers took the other girl away in cuffs charging her with the negligent act of texting and driving. These officers were making it clear to those who viewed the mock accident in person, or on the news, that Louisiana is serious about its new law prohibiting texting and driving.

While we do not condone dangerous behavior while driving, we understand that accidents happen. If you or someone you know are issued a ticket for texting while driving or are in an accident with someone because they were texting, contact Bloom Legal today at 504-599-9997 to schedule a free consultation to discuss the details of your case.

Department of Agriculture to Investigate Tainted Egg Feed Mill

August 27th, 2010 | Posted in Legislation, National Issues, Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

An Iowa State Department of Agriculture inspector is scheduled to visit the Wright County feed mill which has been linked to the outbreak of salmonella in shell eggs prompting a massive recall in many states.

The feed mill had previously been unregulated by state agencies due to an exemption that exists for farmers who make their own feed for their livestock. It is reported, however, that feed mixed at the Wright County mill was fed to chickens at a New Hampshire farm; an allegation that, if substantiated, would disqualify Wright County from the exemption.

This news surfaces amid widespread discontent over federal and state regulation of food safety. Many Americans were previously unaware that the FDA does not even have the authority to issue mandatory recalls for food products and that many state agencies are comparably hindered in their enforcement abilities. It is for this reason that much attention has recently been brought to the Food Safety Legislation currently trying to make it through the Senate.

If you or a loved one have had experience with defective or recalled food or any other products, contact Bloom Legal today at 504-599-9997 to discuss how we can help build a case for you.

2-Day Free Health Clinic in New Orleans Next Week

August 25th, 2010 | Posted in Local Issues, Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

The National Association of Free Clinics will be hosting its second free clinic for New Orleans residents at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center next week.

Dates and hours of operation will be:

11am to 7pm – Tuesday Aug 31
2pm to 7pm – Wednesday Sep 1


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Medical care offered free of charge will include: general medical exams and basic lab tests (including HIV tests). The staff will also be providing information about where patients can receive follow-up care.

In order to receive care, it is important for residents to call 877-236-7617 to avoid waits and guarantee access. (Although walk-ups will be accepted)

Clinic organizers are still looking for volunteers from physicians, nurses, and medical technicians to non-medically trained individuals to help with set up.

For more information and volunteer registration forms visit: http://www.freeclinics.us/

If you or a loved one have been injured at the fault of another or have not been provided with access to medical treatment which you believe you are entitled to, contact Bloom Legal at 504-599-9997 to schedule a free consultation to discuss how we can help your case.

Implications of Social Media on Court Cases and Trials

August 6th, 2010 | Posted in Internet/Technology, Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

A recent article about a talk given by Virginia lawyer, Courtney Van Winkle, raised some interesting issues about how social media have come and will continue to influence matters in court and during trials.

Photo Courtesy of kozinets.net

In the realm of personal injury cases in particular, information relating to the event in question can often be traced through a defendant’s Facebook profile. In some instances, references to drinking or attending a party on the date of a traffic accident have been used as evidence to suggest that a party was negligent.

This poses an interesting question into how lawyers will come to advise their clients in the future when accepting cases. It may eventually become standard practice for attorneys to require their clients to delete their social media profiles before accepting their cases or at the very least to enable strict privacy settings.

As a general rule, individuals involved in pending trials and court cases should never disclose information that pertains to those trials and the events in question in any sort of public forum. The personal tone and apparent privacy of social media platforms like Facebook can make it easy to forget just how publicly accessible the content within can be.

For the full article on Courtney Van Winkle’s talk please visit this site.

If you are involved in a matter that could justify a personal injury case, contact Bloom Legal at 504-599-9997 to discuss your options and learn how we can help you today.

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