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A Personal Injury Lawsuit—Part One

Filing the Complaint | The Discovery Process

A Personal Injury Lawsuit Part OneWhen you have been injured because of the carelessness or negligence of another person, one of the first things you want to do is contact an attorney and initiate a personal injury lawsuit. You may be unable to work and without any income to meet your financial obligations. Unfortunately, a personal injury lawsuit is a process, one that can take months or years to complete. This series of blogs helps you understand the process, so that you can work more effectively with your attorney, and can make good decisions about how you want to proceed.

Initiating Your Lawsuit

A personal injury lawsuit begins when you file a complaint with the appropriate court. You’ll need to file your complaint within the specific period of time—what is known as the “statute of limitations.” But you’ll want to file your lawsuit without unreasonable delay, but it’s also in your best interests to do so. Memories can fade and witnesses can disappear. The sooner you file your lawsuit, the sooner your attorney can start to gather and preserve all relevant evidence.

Once you’ve filed your complaint, and served all defendants with a copy, the defendants have a specific period of time to file an “answer,” either admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint. In most jurisdictions, that’s 30 days. If a defendant fails to file an answer in a timely manner, you can ask the court for a default judgment, which will typically be enforced absent significant extenuating circumstances.

The Discovery Period

If the defendant(s) all answer in a timely manner, the court will next schedule a first meeting, where the judge will learn a little bit about the case, and will most likely explore the possibility of settlement before trial. In some instances, the judge may actually require that you try mediation or some alternative method of dispute resolution, so that trial can potentially be avoided.

At that first meeting, the judge will typically establish the “discovery” schedule. Discovery is a legal term that refers to the gathering of evidence, which is typically done through:

  • Depositions-Oral examination of witnesses by attorneys for all parties, transcribed by court reporters
  • Requests for production of documents and physical evidence, so that all parties can examine
  • Interrogatories—Written questions to parties that must be answered in writing and delivered by a certain date. The court customarily establishes limits on the number of interrogatories

Depending on the complexity of the case, the court may establish a discovery period of a few months or even more than a year.

Contact Attorney David J. Karbasian

Contact our office online or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment. Your first consultation is without cost or obligation. The sooner you call, the sooner you can move forward with your claim. We can accommodate evening or weekend meeting requests and will come to your home or the hospital, if necessary.

We handle all personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

An Introduction to Personal Injury Litigation – The Standard of Care

an-introduction-to-personal-injury-litigation-the-standard-of-careWhen you’ve been hurt in an accident, one of the first things you’ll want to do is take an inventory of your losses and try to determine exactly what happened. If the accident was caused by the conduct of another person, you have a right to pursue reimbursement for past, present and future losses. Though you can always recover monetary compensation (also known as damages) for the intentional or reckless behavior of another person, most personal injury lawsuits are based on a legal theory of negligence.

In this three-part series, we’ll take a close look at what you must prove in court to succeed with a personal injury claim:

  • That the defendant failed to act as a reasonable person would (breach the duty of care)
  • That the failure to act reasonably caused an accident
  • That you suffered actual losses because of the accident

In this blog, we examine the standard of care in a negligence claim.

Breaching the Duty of Care

Under the law of negligence, as it has evolved over the last millennium, initially in England and then in the United States, all persons in society are under a duty to use a certain level of care in all daily activities, whether it’s driving a motor vehicle, operating machinery, maintaining property or designing/manufacturing a consumer product. That duty requires everyone to act “as a reasonable person” would. The failure to do so can make a person potentially liable for any physical injury, financial loss or property damage sustained by another person.

The law, however, has never been very specific about what qualifies as “reasonable.” Though some courts have construed “reasonable” to be what an “average person of ordinary prudence” would do, the reality is that the standard is determined by the jury on a case-by-case basis (though prior decisions are given consideration).

Contact Attorney David J. Karbasian

Contact our office online or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment. Your first consultation is without cost or obligation. The sooner you call, the sooner you can move forward with your claim. We can accommodate evening or weekend meeting requests and will come to your home or the hospital, if necessary.

We handle all personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

An Introduction to Personal Injury Litigation – Causation

an-introduction-to-personal-injury-litigation-causationIn this series, we’re looking at what you must prove in court to successfully prosecute a personal injury claim based on a legal theory of negligence. In our first blog, we considered the standard of care in a personal injury claim. In our next blog, we’ll look at what constitutes “actual loss.” This blog examines the causal connection between the careless act of the defendant and any damages incurred.

Under the law as it has developed, you must prove two different types of causation to demonstrate negligence—actual, or but for, cause; and proximate cause.

Actual Cause

First, you must show that, had the defendant not breached the duty to act as a reasonable person, the accident would not have happened. In instances where there’s only a single cause, this is typically a simple process—either the defendant’s negligence caused the accident or it didn’t. But the matter can get pretty complicated when there are multiple defendants, or when the injured party contributes in some manner to the cause of the accident. Suppose you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, and it can be proven that, had the defendant not been speeding, he would have been able to stop in time to avoid hitting your car. If the defendant can show that you failed to stop at a traffic light or sign, there can be issues of actual cause.

Proximate Cause

Even if you can show actual cause, you cannot recover damages unless you can also demonstrate proximate cause. This requires that you prove that the damages you suffered were “reasonably foreseeable” based on the negligence of the defendant. It’s referred to as proximate cause because the injuries you suffer must be “proximate,” or close, to the wrongful conduct. You can’t be held responsible for any loss that can conceivably be tied to your negligence. For example, if you run a stop sign and hit another car, it’s reasonably foreseeable that there will be property damage, as well as personal injury to anyone in the car. However, if you cause the other car to careen into a building, which starts a fire, it may not be reasonably foreseeable that five buildings and their contents will be lost because you ran a stop sign.

Contact the Law Offices of David J. Karbasian, PC

Send us an e-mail today or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment.

We handle all personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

Evening and weekend meetings can be arranged upon request. We’ll come to your home or the hospital to meet with you, if necessary.

An Introduction to Personal Injury Litigation – Actual Loss

an-introduction-to-personal-injury-litigation-actual-lossThis blog is the last in a series examining what you must prove to successfully recover monetary compensation in a personal injury lawsuit based on negligence. In earlier blogs, we looked at the breach of the duty of care, as well as the required causal links in a negligence claim.

The Requirement of Actual Loss

Let’s assume you are waiting to make a right turn at a stop sign and take your foot off the brake for a second. The person behind you gives it a little too much gas and taps the back of your car before you pull out. You don’t feel any physical discomfort and never seek medical treatment. You look at your car, but can’t make out a scratch.

Do you have a claim for negligence? The other driver clearly breached the duty of care—a reasonable person would not pull forward until his or her pathway was clear. In addition, that breach of duty caused an accident—there was contact between the vehicles. But you won’t be able to pursue a personal injury claim, because you can’t show actual loss.

In negligence claims, there are generally two types of damages—compensatory and punitive damages. Punitive damages are intended, as the name suggests, to punish the defendant. They typically require egregious conduct by the defendant and are rarely granted. All other damages are compensatory—designed to reimburse or compensate you for past, present or future losses. Those losses can include expenses incurred, physical injury, or the diminution in value of property. If you can’t show any of those consequences, you can’t show actual damages.

Another instance where you won’t be able to show actual loss is if the loss is covered or paid for in some other manner. If you have insurance, workers’ compensation benefits or some other way that you have been reimbursed for the loss, you can’t recover again—you’ve already received compensation for the loss.

Contact Us Now

Don’t run the risk that evidence will be lost— contact us online or call our office today at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment. Your first consultation is free. We are available evenings and weekends upon request. We’ll also travel to your home or the hospital, if necessary.

We handle all product liability claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

Pursuing Medical Expenses after a Car Accident in New Jersey

Pursuing Medical Expenses after a Car Accident in New JerseyIn the aftermath of a motor vehicle accident, one of the first steps you typically take is to contact your insurance company to seek reimbursement or payment of medical expenses. In the state of New Jersey, the type of automobile insurance policy you have will determine how the reimbursement is handled.

In New Jersey, as in all other states, there’s a no-fault option for motor vehicle insurance. With a no-fault approach, when you have been hurt in a motor vehicle accident, you turn to your own insurance company to compensate you for your losses, rather than the at-fault party’s insurer. Your insurer will typically pay your losses and then seek reimbursement through a legal process known as subrogation.

Unlike most other states, though, New Jersey gives you a choice—you can opt for no-fault coverage or you can purchase a “traditional” policy of motor vehicle insurance. If you select the latter, you retain the right to sue the other party and the other party’s insurance company.

Furthermore, New Jersey’s insurance law also allows victims of “serious injury” to bring a lawsuit against the at-fault driver and his/her insurer, even if the victim has selected the no-fault option. The law defines serious injury to include “dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, displaced fractures or the loss of a fetus.”

Contact the Law Offices of David J. Karbasian, PC

Don’t risk the loss of evidence or the disappearance of a witness. The sooner you retain legal counsel, the better! Send us an e-mail today or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment.

We handle all personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

Evening and weekend meetings can be arranged upon request. We’ll come to your home or the hospital to meet with you, if necessary.

Common Types of Mortgage Fraud

Common Types of Mortgage FraudThough it may not be getting the publicity it got a few years ago, when there was a national crisis in the mortgage industry, mortgage fraud is still alive and well, and prospective homeowners need to pay close attention to ensure they don’t fall victim to unscrupulous operators. Here are some of the most common strategies currently being used to defraud you when you seek a mortgage.

Predatory Lending

If your mortgage lender is giving you the hard-sell or seems to be making the process too easy, beware. One of the key indicators that you might be victim to predatory lending?—the lender comes to you. If you get a phone call or a mailing telling you you’ve qualified and no credit checks are necessary, you may want to have an attorney get involved in the process. Either way, you’ll b protected.

Appraisal Fraud

Some mortgage companies have “special” relationships with certain property appraisers. What typically happens is that the appraiser overvalues the property and gets a fee (kickback) when the loan closes or is sold. As the homeowner, you may over-borrow and find yourself “under water(owing more than the fair market value of the home)” in a foreclosure proceeding. Appraisal fraud can happen with a new purchase or a refinancing.

Extensive Upfront Fees

With this approach, applicants must pay a “processing” fee when they submit their application. Their applications are routinely rejected. There are variants on this scam. The mortgage company may tell you that you’ve won a trip or other prize, but must pay the processing fee to claim your prize. After you pay the fee, you never hear from them again.

Contact Attorney David J. Karbasian

Contact our office online or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment. Your first consultation is without cost or obligation. The sooner you call, the sooner you can move forward with your claim. We can accommodate evening or weekend meeting requests and will come to your home or the hospital, if necessary.

We handle all personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

Watch Out for These Mortgage Foreclosure Scams

mortgage-foreclosure

So you’ve been experiencing financial difficulties and you’re at risk of having your mortgage foreclosed. There seem to be many individuals and entities out there willing to help you avoid foreclosure, but you need to beware—many of them are outright frauds and will only make your situation worse. Here are some scams to avoid.

The Old “Bait and Switch”

With this strategy, a lender will promise to refinance your mortgage at an attractive rate, perhaps lowering interest rates or extending the length of the mortgage. Then, when you show up at the closing (after you’ve incurred expenses for title searches, surveys and inspections), the lender tells you that the original deal is off and offers you a new package, with much less favorable terms. Often, because of the money you’ve already spent and your fear of losing your home, you take the bait, so to speak, and sign on for more than you can afford.

Property Leasebacks

Under this scenario, a fraudster comes in and offers to pay your monthly mortgage payments and allow you to stay in your home. In exchange, all you have to do is deed your property over the fraudster and make monthly rental payments, which will include an amount supposedly allocated to buying back the property. Unfortunately, you have no guarantee that the party to whom you are making payments will actually use the rent to pay off the mortgage. Furthermore, if you couldn’t afford your previous mortgage payments, how do you expect to be able to pay an even higher monthly payment—the new payment will include the costs of your mortgage plus some interest income to the recipient.

Contact Us to Protect Your Rights

In the aftermath of a personal injury or consumer fraud, evidence can get lost and memories can fade. Don’t run the risk that you won’t be able to get full and fair compensation for your injuries. Contact our office online or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to arrange a meeting. Evening and weekend appointments can be set up by request. We’ll also come to your home or the hospital to meet with you, if necessary.

We handle all personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. There won’t be any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

New Jersey’s Dog Bite Law

dog-bite

If you have been attacked or bitten by a dog in New Jersey, you can file a lawsuit to recover compensation for injuries that you suffered. There are, however, specific conditions that must be met before you can receive damages.

First, you must show that you were either on public property at the time of the attack, or that you were lawfully on private property when you were hurt. Trespassers generally do not have a right to sue for dog bite injuries. The dog bite law specifically applies only to bites, and not to other types of injuries. For example, if a dog knocked you down and caused broken bones or other types of injuries, those losses would not be covered by the dog bite statute. You can, however, file a general negligence action for such injuries.

Like many other states, New Jersey imposes “strict liability” for dog bites. This means that, if you are bitten by a dog, you don’t have to show that the dog owner was negligent or that any negligence on the part of the owner caused your injuries. Instead, you need only show that:

  • The dog was owned or controlled by the defendant
  • The dog bit you
  • You suffered some type of injury or loss because of the bite

Defenses to a Dog Bite Claim

New Jersey law allows a dog’s owner to raise two different defenses, if applicable. First, if the injured person was illegally on the dog owner’s property, the defense of trespass may be appropriate. In addition, because New Jersey recognizes “comparative negligence” in personal injury lawsuits, a dog owner may have a defense if the injured person engaged in actions that provoked the dog.

Contact Us Now

Don’t run the risk that evidence will be lost— contact us online or call our office today at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment. Your first consultation is free. We are available evenings and weekends upon request. We’ll also travel to your home or the hospital, if necessary.

We handle all product liability claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

The Most Common Types of Construction Accidents

construction-accidents

It’s common knowledge that working on a residential or commercial construction project is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Statistics
indicate that one of every 25 construction workers in America will sustain a non-fatal injury this year. Though general contractors and owners are aware of the risks and have a duty to take steps to protect the safety of workers, the desire to maximize profits by cutting corners still pervades and has serious consequences. Here are the most common types of construction accidents.

Falls from Heights

Far and away the single greatest cause of injury on a construction site is falls from heights, including ladders and scaffolding, accounting for one of every three construction site injuries. Too often, contractors don’t supervise the erection of scaffolding or monitor employees to ensure that ladders or scaffolding are properly set up. In addition, it’s not unusual for job sites to lack safety barriers on upper levels.

Slips and Falls

The most common factor contributing to jobsite slips and falls is the accumulation of trash, refuse or debris on a site. This includes building materials, tools and other equipment.

Falling Items

Whether it’s a high-rise or a single family home, there are often tools, building materials or debris left on upper levels. When these items fall to the ground, they can cause serious injury to anyone below.

Dangerous or Defective Tools, Equipment or Machinery

Power tools that misfire or breakdown, or heavy equipment that’s not properly maintained can cause serious injury.

Contact Attorney David J. Karbasian

Contact our office online or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment. Your first consultation is without cost or obligation. The sooner you call, the sooner you can move forward with your claim. We can accommodate evening or weekend meeting requests and will come to your home or the hospital, if necessary.

We handle all personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.

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