Source: http://www.thehamiltonfirm.com/en/category/uncategorized/page/2/
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 06:42:10+00:00

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Although the circumstances were unusual, the Tennessee Supreme has clarified that under Tennessee law a wrongful death claim did not belong to the decedent, but passed to decedent’s husband upon her death, Linda Beard v. James William Branson and Trinity Hospital, L.L.C. The husband had filed a pro se wrongful death malpractice lawsuit shortly before the one-year statute of limitations lapsed. After expiration of the limitations period, he retained an attorney and filed an amended complaint. The decedent was also survived by two daughters. The defendants filed motions for summary judgment arguing that the husband’s initial pro se complaint was filed in a representative capacity on behalf of the decedent and the other statutory beneficiaries and that it was, therefore, void ab initio. They contended that the amended complaint could not relate back to the date of the initial complaint, and the lawsuit was therefore time-barred. The trial court denied the summary judgment motions and held a jury trial where the jury found both defendants liable and awarded damages. The Court of Appeals had reversed and held that the claim belonged to the decedent and therefore the husband could not file a lawsuit without a lawyer.
This all started back in 2004, when Ruth Hartley was admitted to Trinity Hospital in Erin, Tennessee for elective colon surgery. She developed complications from the surgery and died. It is a sad commentary on our judicial system that this case has gone on for 13 years. A unanimous Supreme Court held that under the plain language of Tennessee’s wrongful death statutes, the decedent’s right of action “pass[es] to” the surviving spouse upon the decedent’s death, and the surviving spouse asserts the right of action for the benefit of himself and other beneficiaries. Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-5-106, reversing the Court of Appeals, but sending the case back to the intermediate appellate court for consideration of other issues.
Typically, many laws passed by the Georgia legislature take effect July 1st. This year, the only substantive change affecting some civil lawsuits is a minor change to the venue provisions of the State Tort Claims Act. Senate Bill 126 amended the Code section relating to venue for tort actions against the State by adding certain specifications. Currently, under O.C.G.A. § 50-21-28, tort actions against the state must be brought in the state or superior court of the county where the loss occurred; SB 126 requires that tort actions against the state be brought in the state or superior court of the county where the tort that gave rise to the loss occurred. The bill also codified longstanding case law indicating that wrongful death actions against the state may be brought in the county where the tort giving rise to the loss occurred or the county where the decedent died. This bill resulted from the State’s concern that a 2015 case interpreted the “where the loss occurred” to allow plaintiffs to file tort claims act cases in any county where they experienced symptoms from the injuries sustained in the incident giving rise to the tort claim or in any county where they incurred medical bills for the injury. The new provisions only affect causes of action filed on or after July 1, 2017.
For over two years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been considering requiring trucking companies to carry more liability insurance to protect the public. Unfortunately, under the Trump administration, FMCSA has just withdrawn its November 28, 2014 advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) concerning financial responsibility for motor carriers, freight forwarders, and brokers. FMCSA is authorized to establish minimum levels of financial responsibility for motor carriers at or above the minimum levels set by Congress. In the ANPRM, FMCSA sought public comment on whether to exercise its discretion to increase the minimum levels of financial responsibility, and, if so, to what levels. Currently motor carriers, i.e. trucking companies, only have to carry $750,000 of liability insurance. The agency was considering increasing the minimum limits to as much as $5,000,000. FMCSA now claims that after reviewing all public comments to the ANPRM, it has determined that it has insufficient data or information to support moving forward with a rulemaking proposal, at this time. That means they have bowed to political and lobbying pressure from the trucking industry and backed down, leaving the motoring public at risk from financially irresponsible operators who cause catastrophic wrecks.
The Georgia Supreme Court has held that an arbitration clause signed by the decedent (or by a person having power-of-attorney for the decedent) in a nursing home case is enforceable and requires the decedent’s wrongful-death beneficiaries to arbitrate their claims, United Health Services v. Norton, S16G1143 (3/6/17). The Court of Appeals had held otherwise, 336 Ga. App. 51, 55 (Ga. App. 2016) and got reversed. The Supreme Court reasoned that a wrongful death action is a derivative claim and is subject to any defenses that would have been good against the decedent.
Arbitration clauses, governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, are common in the admissions paperwork at nursing homes, often signed without question by the patient or the person holding a power of attorney for the patient.
Patients and family are typically not thinking of bringing wrongful death lawsuits against the nursing they are trusting to provide care, but the nursing homes are, and the Supreme Court has now held that the clause was binding on the deceased’s family members. Arbitration is an expensive and burdensome process that can now supersede the constitutional right to trial by jury.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Power of Attorney, my Agent does not have the authority to waive my right to a jury trial or my right to assert in any forum any claim I may have or a claim that may relate to me, such as a claim for personal injury or wrongful death. My Agent has no authority to enter into any agreement under which I am required to enter arbitration or any other proceeding, binding or otherwise.
Mid-South Super Lawyers, a publication of Thomson Reuters, has once again recognized Patrick Cruise and Hu Hamilton as Super Lawyers in the plaintiff’s personal injury practice in Tennessee. Only eight attorneys in the Chattanooga area have earned such recognition, and The Hamilton Firm LLC is proud to have two of them serving our clients, as our firm strives to reach the highest levels of advocacy and professionalism in the pursuit of justice for our clients. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Hu Hamilton is also named as a Georgia Super Lawyer for plaintiff’s personal injury.
In Dedmon v. Steelman, 2016 Tenn. App. LEXIS 386 (6/2/16), the Court of Appeals rejected any assertion that the Tennessee Supreme Court meant for its holding in West v. Shelby County Healthcare Corporation, standing alone, to control all determinations of reasonableness with regard to medical expenses under Tennessee law, while allowing the defendant to offer proof contradicting the reasonableness of the medical expenses submitted by the plaintiff. The defendant had moved to exclude the plaintiff’s evidence that her incurred medical expenses, totaling $52,482.87, were reasonable and necessary. This was done in the usual fashion with expert testimony from a treating physician. The trial court granted the motion.
The Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America has designated Hubert Hamilton to serve on its National Advisory Board. Advisory Board members provide guidance and counsel in the methods of learning, litigation and legislation to help achieve APITLA’s mission of “Putting the Brakes on Unsafe Trucking Companies,” by working to eliminate unsafe and illegal conduct by truck drivers and trucking companies. Hamilton is one of only three attorneys from Tennessee serving on the National Advisory Board.

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