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- From Robert’s Desk
- Lee Gregory
- Good Things For Free
- Nursing Home Injuries
- Workers’ Comp Alert
- Office News
- Recent Settlements
From Robert’s Desk: Insurance Companies Play Hardball
A recent report from CNN revealed a shocking trend among leading insurance companies. According to the article, companies such as Allstate and State Farm make it their policy to discourage victims of minor accidents from seeking a fair settlement.
Their strategy is to “deny, delay, defend.” This means they deny claims, delay settlement of a claim, and defend against the claim in court. For victims of car accidents, this means an uphill battle of time-consuming court procedures and expensive costs.
The insurance companies hope that accident victims—often poor, elderly, or disabled—will simply give up. The hardball tactics are designed to “wear them out” and “wear them down” through long legal battles and costs.
Some lawyers refuse to take Allstate and State Farm cases.
Allstate and State Farm have made their cases so difficult that some lawyers and law firms have stopped taking cases that involve these and other powerful insurance companies. That’s part of the insurance companies’ strategy. We want you to know that Hill•Boren will continue to represent persons injured in car crashes involving ALL automobile insurance companies.
Beware of “fast money.”
Insurance companies know which attorneys take quick money by accepting early settlement offers and never go to court. These “quick money” lawyers are offered lower settlements by insurance companies. At Hill•Boren we work to get the best settlements for our clients. We don’t focus only on quick settlements. We’re not afraid to go to court and the insurance companies know it and respect our attorneys.
When insurance companies play hardball, lawyers at Hill•Boren go to bat for our clients — and stay in the game until we have received a fair settlement for you.
In Memoriam: Joyce Lee Thacker Gregory
The attorneys and staff at Hill•Boren were saddened by the death of Lee Gregory, who passed away on April 10, 2007. Lee worked for the Hill•Boren Law Firm from April of 1979 until April of 2005, when she retired due to serious health problems. For over twenty years Lee served as a Legal Assistant for Ricky Boren. Lee was an outstanding employee who gave her all for the firm and for the clients she assisted.
Ricky Boren shared, “She adopted everyone’s problems as her own and truly loved other people.”
Lee was a member of First Baptist Church in Jackson and a talented soloist. We will all miss her and hope that we take from her memory lessons about how we should all live our lives.
Nursing Home Injuries—What You Need to Know
Douglas Nursing Home in Milan, TN has been cited for violations and ordered not to take any new patients by the Tennessee Department of Health. A complaint led to an investigation which was conducted April 17-24, 2007.
The investigation found failure to monitor resident medication, failure to complete lab work, neglect of residents, failure to follow doctor’s orders, failure to prevent weight loss, and other serious violations. The Department of Health can stop admissions to a nursing home when the safety and welfare of patients is at stake.
If you have a family member who has been injured as a result of nursing home neglect or mistakes, Hill•Boren has the experience to help you. We have been representing families of families whose loved ones have suffered due to nursing home injuries for almost 10 years. In that time we have successfully settled lawsuits totaling millions of dollars for cases involving bed sores, malnutrition, infections, and injuries from falls.
Hill•Boren attorney Tamara Hill is also a Registered Nurse who has served as director of nursing at a nursing home. She knows what a nursing home is supposed to do – and she knows the law that protects nursing home residents and their families.
We will consult with you free of charge if you want an expert opinion about suspected neglect, medical mistakes, or injuries that should have been prevented. Our law firm is passionate about protecting the right of nursing home residents and we are here if you need help.
Watch Out for “Maximum Settlement” Workers’ Comp Claims
By: Jeff Boyd
We want to alert our clients to a practice we’ve recently started seeing. We’ve had two clients who came to us who were told by insurance companies that they were being offered a maximum settlement for their workers’ compensation claims. In both cases, what the insurance company said was the maximum settlement value was untrue.
It’s important to get legal advice to make sure the information you are given is correct. At Hill•Boren we offer a free evaluation of your case and can let you know whether the amount the insurance company has offered is fair. Keep in mind the following points when you are involved in an accident or a work related injury:
- Do report an injury as soon as it happens.
- Do ask for a second opinion.
- Don’t accept the first offer. Hill•Boren can advise you about whether the offer is fair.
- Don’t be hasty when you are offered “quick money.” It is in your interest to take the time to find out whether the amount you’re being offered is a fair amount for your injury.
- Do call Hill•Boren. We will give you a free consultation on the fairness of any settlement offer.
Good Things Lawyers Do For Free
Consumer Justice Lawyers protect the rights of working people and often take on big companies and special interests. Hill•Boren is proud of the work we do and the work our fellow attorneys do on behalf of the public. Here are some examples of what lawyers have done for the public good:
- Fought the tobacco industry’s attempt to create new constitutional limits on punitive damages.
- Won a class action settlement for credit cardholders nationwide requiring Chevy Chase Bank to fix customers’ credit reports and pay $16.2 million after breaking its promise “never” to charge more than 24% interest.
- Fought payday lenders in North Carolina and Florida for luring consumers into illegal loan agreements with quick cash and charging them interest rates up to 1,300%.
Victoria Pike Receives Paralegal Utilization Award
Congratulations to Attorney Victoria Pike, who received the 2007 Ernie H. Gray Paralegal Utilization Award. She received the honor April 27 at the 2007 Law Day Celebration sponsored by the Madison County Bar Association. The award is given to attorneys who encourage the paralegal profession through their guidance and example of excellence.
Hill•Boren Paralegals Amanda Melton, Marie Townes, and Teresa Winberry nominated their boss for this honor. In their nomination essay, they wrote, "Victoria puts her heart and soul into helping her social security clients. She is a wonderful leader and teacher and sets a great example for us."
Hill•Boren Paralegals Amanda Melton, Marie Townes, and Teresa Winberry nominated their boss for this honor. In their nomination essay, they wrote, "Victoria puts her heart and soul into helping her social security clients. She is a wonderful leader and teacher and sets a great example for us."
Hill•Boren Lawyers Participate in High School “Mock Trial”
Students from the Memphis area had the opportunity to participate in the 2007 Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition. The competition is designed to provide students with a realistic, firsthand perspective of the legal process.
Hill•Boren’s Shannon Toon is President of the Memphis Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. Mr. Toon coordi-nated the activities at this year’s event. He said, “The Mock Trial Competition is a very rewarding experience not only to the students participating in the competition but also to the legal community.”
Shannon explains, “The competition gives high school students hands-on experience in the practice of law and the legal system. In addition to the insight gained from the competition, several students received scholarships to college for participating in the mock trial.”
The Mock Trial Competition is run by volunteers from the legal community working together. Attorneys donate their time to judge the competition, judges permit the use of their courtrooms, and the Shelby County Police Department provides security.
Westminster Academy won the 2007 competition, followed by St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Memphis University School, and Craigmont High School.
Recent Settlements
Attorney Robert Hill, with the assistance of paralegal Lynn Richardson, recently settled a breast implant case that has been tied up in the Dow Corning bankruptcy for over 13 years. Finally, the settlement was approved and the client, who had waited patiently, got her money.
Attorney Ricky Boren represented a professor who experienced respiratory problems. A toxicology study reported mold infestation in the building in which she taught. The case was subsequently settled for 60% permanent physical impairment to the body as a whole.
Attorney Ricky Boren represented a shoe store owner in Parsons, TN who experienced a heart attack after watching her building burn from a negligently caused fire. The fire broke out just fifteen minutes after the electric utility company tried to reinstall multi-phase service. The case was settled prior to trial for $140,000.
Greg Petrinjak represented a woman who was fired from her factory job due to carpal tunnel syndrome. The company denied medical treatment for her wrist, claiming the injury was not work related. The case has been recently settled for $47,000 plus payment of medical bills.
Ricky Boren represented a homeowner who, after two days in his new home, was involved in an accident due to a sub-contractor’s negligence. As a result of his accident, he suffered a significant closed head injury and had extensive medical treatment. This case was settled at the mediation for the payment of $500,000.
ALERT: Workers who have received settlements for carpel tunnel syndrome injuries may have received less than what is now allowed by the new worker’s compensation law. The new law allows reopening of cases under three conditions: the employee is no longer with the company where the injury occurred, the employee has stayed with the same employer but makes less money, or the original injury was subject to a “cap”—a limit on how much the worker may receive. James Krenis recently reopened two cases and won additional amounts of approxi-mately $18,000 and $30,000.