PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
If you are physically or sexually assaulted by another person, you can bring a personal injury claim (civil action) against them to recover payment for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and any other financial loss that you sustained as a result of the assault. A personal injury claim is separate from any criminal proceedings that may also be underway. The criminal court can find the other person guilty or not guilty and sentence them to prison; however, in the civil action, the judge or jury can order the other person to pay you money as compensation for your injuries and losses. You can bring a civil action even if the other person was found "not guilty" in the criminal court.

Many of the assault cases we have handled involve patrons of bars and clubs who are assaulted by "bouncers" or security personnel. In one such memorable case we represented a young man who was assaulted by two security employees who were employed by a bar in north Georgia. Our client was sprayed with Mace and then beaten. He immediately contacted the police who charged both bar employees with assault and battery. Even though a jury acquitted them on the criminal charges, we filed a civil suit against the bar and the two employees. After a trial a jury awarded a large sum to our client.

In another case our client, a long time patron of a large upscale department store in Atlanta, was followed to her car by store security personnel, in plain clothes. These employees accused her of shoplifting and demanded that she return to the store. They grabbed her and forced her back to the basement of the store where a female employee strip searched her. When it was determined that she had stolen nothing, she was told to leave the store. She called the police who arrested all of the security officers involved. Following a trial by jury she was awarded a seven figure verdict.

These assault cases take many forms. If you have been physically or sexually assaulted by someone, you should immediately seek legal advice

Expert Opinion in Serious Injury and Death Cases

In serious injury and death cases our attorneys consistently face challenges from the defense to the testimony of our highly qualified expert witnesses. These challenges are based upon the rule of evidence known as the Daubert standard.

The Daubert standard is a legal precedent set in 1993 by the United States Supreme Court regarding the admissibility of expert scientific testimony during legal proceedings. In Daubert, the Supreme Court ordered federal trial judges to become the “gatekeepers” of scientific evidence. Trial judges were instructed to evaluate expert witnesses to determine whether their testimony is both “relevant” and “reliable”.

A two-prong test of admissibility was established. The relevancy prong refers to whether or not the expert’s evidence fits the facts of the case. The relevancy requirement has always existed in the law.

The reliability prong was new. The Supreme Court explained that in order for expert testimony to be considered reliable, the expert must derive his or her conclusions from the scientific method. The court then offered general observations of whether proffered evidence was based on scientific method including such things as empirical testing, peer review, the potential error rate, and whether the theory or technique is generally accepted by a relevant scientific community.

In practice, this standard has been burdensome, and grossly unfair to claimants in courtrooms. Trial judges are simply in no better position than juries to serve as “gatekeepers” to scientific evidence. In fact, many of these judges bring their own biases to their determinations. One example given is that under this standard, if Christopher Columbus were required to appear in a courtroom during his lifetime using the Daubert standard, his opinion that the world is round would have been inadmissible.

As part of the so-called Governor’s tort reform of 2005, the Daubert standard was adopted by the state legislature for use in Georgia. However, bowing to pressure from the Prosecuting Attorney’s of the state, who realized how gross unfairness of the Daubert standard, the governor and legislature exempted criminal cases from the Daubert standard. However, catering to the demands of the insurance industry and large corporations, the legislature adopted the Daubert standard for civil cases.

Currently pending before the Georgia Supreme Court is a case in which the Daubert standard is being challenged on constitutional grounds. An argument is being made that it denies equal protection to adopt the standard in civil cases and not in criminal cases. It will be very interesting to see how the Georgia Supreme Court handles this challenge, especially in light of the fact that in recent years, large insurance companies and corporations have thrown millions of dollars into the judicial races in attempts to elect candidates who will follow their agenda.

Asbestos Attorney - Legal Advice on Cancer and Mesothelioma Settlement

It takes decades, somewhere between 20 to 30 years, before mesothelioma or any asbestos-related cancer develops. This is because it takes time before the asbestos fiber to really cause damage in the lungs, the abdominal cavity or any parts of the body where there is a large presence of asbestos fiber. Thus, people, usually men, who have worked in settings like shipyards, industrial plants and construction sites only find that they have cancer after ten or twenty years of waiting. Worst comes to worst, they do not even discover their sickness at all, until several days before they die.

Once you have contracted mesothelioma or any asbestos-related disease, it is best to seek professional advice on how to fairly compensate the damages, and injuries that you incur with regards to exposure. Normally, victims file for personal injury cases against the known person/s or company /ies who were instrumental in the exposure of the people involved.

For example, people who have worked in asbestos mines will almost always file a case against the company who owns the mines. However, this must be proven substantially and there should be strong evidences that leads to the name of the company or the body of people responsible for the injuries.

The investigation is quite tedious as the evidence goes back some decades ago and might even involve other people as witnesses. If there are strong claims and evidence then it is a great possibility of winning the case. But since the trial will be a very long and very expensive process, many parties opt for settlement. Thus, the majority of cases do not even reach the actual due process since they are already cut off at the very beginning of the trial with a mutually agreed settlement.

Of course, victims have their options in filing the case. They may choose to file it themselves with or without an attorney, file the case as a group or file an individual case through an attorney. The best option, obviously, is to file a mesothelioma or asbestos cancer case with a reputable attorney or as a group with the backing of an attorney. Lawyers, of course, are learned in the system of the law and they are the once who can bring to the court the victim's case.

Also, remember that the field of law is a complex system where only experts can maneuver. It is also subject to continuous change. For example, some companies are protected by the courts against individual asbestos or mesothelioma claims. It is only inevitable for one to find a lawyer who would work the victim's case.

And in the case of personal injury attorneys, they will file the case and go into the trial or settlement without the victim having to spend any out-of-pocket expenses. Personal injury attorneys, as some of you know, only get their stipend through a contingency basis.

If you want to know your best options, it is advisable to immediately raise your case with a reputable personal case injury attorney or firm who will maximize the possibility of rendering you a fair compensation, either through a complete trial or through settlement.

If you opt for trial, expect several months of constant court hearings where every hearing is a different story. If you think you can't handle this form of stress, it is best to talk with your attorney of the possibility of settlement.

If you choose to have a settlement however, you may have a lower chance of losing. Take note that some companies who have previous cases of asbestos-related claims are more experienced in winning (and sometimes) losing their trials. This is why it is best to know what are the possibilities of both losing and winning the case. The amount of settlement is often as much as those that might come out at the end of a full trial. But considering everything that is saved from not continuing the court trials, for example the expense on research, the settlement is substantially worth it. Besides, personal injury claims normally have high settlement rates.

Before you take your personal action, the best thing you could do initially is to research for a lawyer who really makes strong cases. This is because of the qualifications for the value of settlement includes the reputation of the lawyer. After which, decide how you want things to end, do you want a settlement or a full trial?