Patient Privacy Laws (HIPAA), Social Media and the Law

Many of you have heard of the patient privacy law, called HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Acountability Act). It’s been around since 1996 and it’s something that we personal injury lawyers face every day in our practice. While it is a far reaching act, the way that you are most familiar with it is the aspect of the law that attempts to ensure your privacy as a health care patient, sometimes to absurd lengths. It is why at a pharmacy they sometimes separate the “drop Read More +

Closed Head Trauma – A Bruise to the Brain

A few years ago a personal injury client of mine experienced typical aches and pains after a car wreck, but noticed that when she went back to graduate school after taking some time off to recuperate, she just couldn’t function. “Sue” was able to go about her daily activities just fine, but noticed that anything necessitating concentrated thought was difficult. She had a hard time balancing her checkbook, cooking became a chore because she couldn’t remember her family’s recipes and she found herself “spacing out” from time Read More +

It Was an Uneventful Friday in New Port Richey, Until …

This sounds like something I made up as a personal injury attorney, but I swear it happened very recently. A friend of mine, “Joe”*, was driving around New Port Richey on a Friday afternoon and he called me from his cell phone.  We were chatting for a short time when his phone went dead. Oh well, I guess his cell battery died, I thought, and I went about my business here at the office. About two hours later Joe called me back. His first words Read More +

A Bad, Bad Day In and Out of Court: A War Story….

All of my blog posts to date have been informative, I hope. If you’re a client with a personal injury claim or just someone reading my blog, I’ve written about the various aspects of making an injury claim. This entry is a personal one about an incident that happened to me at the beginning of my legal career and one that still seems surreal. So, here goes. I wasn’t out of law school long and my new Florida Bar License still had a nice shine Read More +

So, What Exactly Is “Loss of Consortium” Anyway?

When you are in an accident, or hurt yourself in some way as a result of the negligence of another, you aren’t the only one hurt. Who picks up the slack at home when you can’t tend to house or yard work? Who recognizes your pain, plumps your pillows and helps you put on your socks while you recuperate from neck or back pain? Who assists you with your other chores because you just don’t have the range of motion to pick up grocery bags or even Read More +

The Importance of Umbrella Insurance? One Word – Motorcycles!

Okay, this is a subject that won’t appeal to many – but it should. It’s not just about insurance, it’s about protecting yourself, your family and your assets. Let’s say you’re traveling down the road at a reasonable rate of speed. You check your rear view mirror, then your side view mirror, and seeing no obstructions, you make a lane change. THUMP!! What was that sound?? You check your side view mirror again to see that a motorcyclist was in your blind spot and you’ve Read More +