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May 28, 2021 Update:  The jury came back with a defense verdict for the 3M today.  It is a tough blow for lawyers like me hoped 3M earplug victims would win every single one of these trials. The evidence seems overwhelming.  But, certainly, there will be cases where the victims cannot prove 3M’s negligence caused their injuries.  I don’t believe this loss changes settlement amounts of the 3m earplug lawsuits.  

3M is currently facing over 220,000 individual lawsuits by former military veterans who claim that they suffered hearing damage because of defects in 3M’s earplugs. These cases have been consolidated into a class action MDL in the Northern District of Florida. In an MDL, similar cases are consolidated for purposes of discovery. Once discovery is completed, a few individual test cases are selected for “bellwether” trials.

The results of the bellwether trials are critically important because they usually dictate the terms of a global class settlement. So far, the bellwether trials in the 3M earplugs MDL have gone extremely well for the plaintiffs. Earlier this month the first bellwether trial took place in the Federal courthouse in Sarasota. The case involved the claims of 3 individual plaintiffs, all former military servicemen in their 40s. After a lengthy trial, the jury awarded $7.1 million in total damages with each plaintiff getting around $2.5 million.

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Distracted driving is a big thing these days thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and the millions of people in the U.S. who are hopelessly addicted to using them. As recently as 10 years ago, distracted driving was not really even a “thing.”

As of 2021, however, distracted driving claims an estimated 3,000 lives each year, and states across the U.S. have enacted targeted laws making it illegal. In this post, we will explain what impact a ticket for distracted driving could have on your auto insurance rates.

Does a Distracted Driving Ticket Affect Your Car Insurance?

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As the number of paraquat lawsuits continues to grow, a motion was filed last month asking the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to create a new Paraquat MDL class action for the consolidated handling of all future Paraquat cases in federal courts.

This motion is a very clear indication that the Paraquat lawsuits are building steam and could develop into a new large-scale mass tort.

Studies Link Paraquat Exposure to Parkinson’s Disease

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Our lawyers are getting an increased number of calls for Elmiron lawsuit in the last few weeks.  This class action is growing quickly.  I think these have the potential to be extremely big cases with large settlement payouts. If you have a claim, you want to call an attorney sooner rather than later to protect your rights.

Our firm is currently accepting new Elmiron vision loss lawsuits. Call us today for a free case evaluation at 800-552-8082.

Brief Elmiron History

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3M earplug hearing loss victims have been searching the Internet looking for what the $7.1 million earplug verdict means to their lawsuit. Our lawyers are reviewing these cases all over the country in every state.

At the end of this post, we will ask you to contact us to get your case started if you have not filed one already. First, let’s talk about this verdict and what it means to you.

The 3M Earplug Verdict on Friday

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In Giant of Maryland LLC v. Karen Webb, No. 413, Sept. Term 2019, was asked to decide whether Giant could be liable for an injury to a customer caused by a Pepsi delivery driver while stocking Pepsi products on the shelves. The Pepsi driver was not a Giant employee so the issue was whether Giant could still be liable for his negligent actions based on the level of control they had over him inside the store.

The COSA held that Giant did not have enough control to be liable for the actions of the Pepsi driver. Giant’s “general control” over the work of its product delivery drivers at the store was not enough. In order to be liable, Giant would need to have maintained control over the “operative details and methods” of the independent contractor’s work, including the “very thing from which the injury arose.”

Summary of Giant of Maryland v. Webb

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Spinal fusion surgery significantly increases the potential value of any back injury claim.  Our Maryland personal injury lawyers see a lot of back injuries and we have seen first-hand how spinal fusion surgery can double or triple the settlement value of these cases.

This post looks at lumbar spinal fusion settlements and verdicts in cases where the victim was required to undergo spinal fusion surgery.

About Back Injury Cases

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The purpose of this post is to help you better understand how epidural steroid injections impact the settlement compensation payouts in motor vehicle accident cases where the victim suffers a herniated or bulging disc.

A disc herniation is a type of disc injury that is frequently caused by car accidents.  The impact of a car accident often exerts significant force and pressure on the spine.  This pressure can cause a tear and rupture or bulge of the spinal discs, which act as pads or cushions for the spine.   Sometimes, the best treatment for this injury is epidural steroid injections.

Our firm has handled scores and scores of herniated disc injury cases.  Our first trial at Miller & Zois was a herniated disc verdict in 2003.  Our doors had been open for about a month. The defendant offered $25,000 to settle a no property damage herniated disc injury case where the most aggressive treatment was epidural steroid injections.

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You are injured, intentionally or unintentionally, by the actions of a minor.  The question is, can you file a lawsuit against that minor in Maryland?

The legal concept of “minority” is something that we all understand on a basic level. Children or “minors” (anyone under the age of 18) don’t have the same legal standing or capacity as adults. The underlying reason for this is simple: children don’t have the maturity and mental competence as an adult so we don’t hold them to the same level of accountability.

But what happens if you get seriously injured by the negligent or intentional actions of a minor? What if a 16-year-old driver runs a red light and puts you in a wheelchair for life? Can you sue a minor for negligence and get financial compensation? What if a 9th grader runs over a little old lady on his skateboard and breaks her hip? Does the little old lady have any legal recourse?

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This post will go over some basic legal concepts that you need to know about doctor-patient confidentiality.

Confidentiality between patients and physicians is a fundamental tenet of modern healthcare and medical practice. Knowing that your doctor will keep your personal information confidential is absolutely necessary for effective medical evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. Without this safeguard, patients would not feel free to disclose certain things to their doctors.

Most people are generally aware of the concept of doctor-patient confidentiality law. We sort of just expect our doctors to keep our personal information confidential and we understand that there are some ethical rules that require them to do that. But few people are very familiar with the legal underpinnings of doctor-patient confidentiality. Confidentiality is more than just an ethical ideal that physicians are supposed to adhere to for their patients.  Patients have an affirmative legal right to confidentiality. In fact, most states have statutory laws protecting patient confidentiality.

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