Source: http://www.thehamiltonfirm.com/resources/
Timestamp: 2015-10-04 16:55:20
Document Index: 263916117

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 51', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 9', '§ 24', '§ 9', '§ 44', '§ 29']

Posted on September 21, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	Chattanooga is home to Volkswagen’s only North American manufacturing plant. The recent revelations of manipulation of the emission control software on their diesel automobiles are shocking.
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Posted on August 31, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	Georgia’s modified comparative negligence system was radically altered by the tort reform legislation enacted in 2005. The legislation was rammed through the General Assembly so fast there was none of the usual vetting by the judiciary committees and the resulting laws, effective February 16, 2005, were poorly drafted and procedurally confusing. Until 2005, apportionment of damages was permitted in Georgia only in those cases against “more than one person” where “the plaintiff is himself to some degree responsible for the injury or damages,” O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33.
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Posted on July 24, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	Tennessee’s one year statute of limitations for personal injury claims often forces plaintiffs to file suit before they even know the full extent of their injuries. On the other hand, there are probably many meritorious cases that cannot be filed because the statute of limitations expires before the injury victims even think about filing a lawsuit. Occasionally, plaintiffs cannot access critical evidence due a pending criminal investigation. The Tennessee legislature has finally granted some relief in the latter situation by extending the statute of limitations from one to two years if:
Tagged personal injury, statute of limitations, Tennessee	|
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Posted on July 16, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	The Georgia State Board of Workers Compensation has eliminated a requirement that the employer’s posted panel of physicians for work injuries include only “non-associated” physicians, effective July 1, 2015, by amending Rule 201(a)(1). This change does not help injured workers, further limiting choices, and giving the employer even more control. The practical implications are obvious. If the injured worker is not satisfied with the selected doctor from such a panel, what are his or her options? Too bad, you have to go see selected doctor’s partner or associate!
Posted in Georgia Workers' Compensation	|
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Posted on July 7, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	On June 25, 2015, a horrible crash on I-75 involving a tractor trailer killed six people, including two children. The tractor trailer plowed into nine vehicles that were stopped due to road construction. A more complete account of the tragic wreck, including the names of the victims, can be found in the Chattanooga Times Free Press:
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Posted on June 23, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	Ms. Bowden was an uninsured patient treated at a hospital in Columbus following a car wreck. The hospital billed her $21,410 for emergency treatment for a broken leg, and subsequent physical therapy, and then filed a lien for that amount against anything she might recover in a lawsuit arising from the wreck under Georgia’s hospital lien statutes, O.C.G.A. §§ 44-14-470 et seq. Unfortunately there was only $25,000 in available liability coverage, which was paid into court. In the ensuing dispute over the money, the patient argued that the hospital’s charges were excessive. The amount of the hospital’s lien is expressly limited by statute to “the reasonable charges for hospital . . . care and treatment of an injured person,” O.C.G.A. § 44-14-470(b). The patient sought discovery of pricing agreements between the hospital and insurers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield and concerning the hospital’s indigent care program. The Medical Center objected and she filed a motion to compel discovery, which the trial court granted subject to the entry of a protective order to ensure confidentiality.
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Posted on April 7, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	The expert affidavit law, O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1, which was originally enacted in 1987, supposedly to reduce litigation by weeding out frivolous lawsuits, is still spawning litigation nearly 30 years later. What if the plaintiff’s expert is deemed not competent to testify in a medical malpractice case under the stringent requirements of O.C.G.A. § 24-7-702(c)(2) because he had not been in active practice for at least three of the preceding five years, although he was a Board certified neurosurgeon? The Supreme Court faced this question in Gala v. Fisher, 2015 Ga. LEXIS 198 (3/27/15), and held that in a professional malpractice action, when a plaintiff files a complaint accompanied by an affidavit from a person not competent to testify as an expert in the action, O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1(e) permits the plaintiff to cure that defect by filing an amended complaint with the affidavit of a second, competent expert, within 30 days of service of the motion alleging that the affidavit is defective.
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Posted on April 3, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	MCG Health filed a $36,177.68 lien against the plaintiff’s cause of action in MCG Health v. Kight, 2015 Ga. LEXIS (3/2/15) pursuant to the Georgia Hospital Lien law, OCGA § 44-14-470 et seq for the “reasonable charges” of hospital care furnished to the plaintiff. However, at that time, the Hospital had been compensated by insurance payments from Blue Cross Blue Shield for the bulk of its discounted charges. However, the hospital was still owed $261.10 in unpaid discounted payments due from Blue Cross, and another $186.48 in unpaid deductibles or co-pays due from the plaintiff. After lien was filed, the plaintiff continued to receive care, and, eventually owed the Hospital a total of $863.10 in deductibles or co-pays. The Hospital has modified its lien to reflect that amount. The plaintiff attacked the validity of the lien arguing that there was no debt owing at the time it was filed, and sought an award of attorney’s fees. The Court of Appeals reversed the trial court and the Supreme Court affirmed:
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Posted on March 30, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	In Haynes v. Formac Stables, Inc., (Tenn. 2015), the plaintiff brought suit against his employer after he was allegedly terminated as the result of complaining of illegal conduct on the part of the owner/employer. The trial court dismissed the plaintiff’s retaliatory discharge claims because he failed to report the illegal activity to anyone other than the person who allegedly engaged in the activity; namely, the owner/employer. The Court of appeals affirmed the dismissal. The Tennessee Supreme Court held that an employee must report an employer’s wrongdoing to someone other than the wrongdoer to qualify as a “whistleblower.” In a situation where the wrongdoer is a manager, owner, or highest ranking officer within the company, the employee would need to report the employer’s wrongdoing to an outside entity. As a result, the judgment dismissing the claim was affirmed.
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Posted on March 13, 2015 by injury&disabilitylawyers	On Monday, March 9, 2015, Judge Neal Thomas issued a 24 page opinion in Clark v. Cain, 12C1147, Hamilton County Circuit Court, finding that Tennessee’s caps on non-economic damages (T.C.A. § 29-39-101) are unconstitutional. The decision affects only the pending case, but if it goes up on appeal, it will have statewide impact. In 2011, the Tennessee legislature passed a law limiting damages for pain and suffering in personal injury and wrongful death cases to $750,000, or $1,000,000 in cases of catastrophic injury. However, Article I, Sec. 6 of the Tennessee Constitution provides:
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Next Archives	September 2015
Categories	Apportionment of Damages (1)
Georgia Workers' Compensation (2)
State Tort Claims (1)
Tennessee Workers' Compensation (11)
Disability Blog by Patrick CruiseDisability Denials on the RiseCompliance with Medical Treatment: SSR 96-7pMigraines can equal a listingModerate Limitations in the Domain of Social FunctioningUse of the Hands in a Disability ClaimiAppealsObesityDefinition of “Light” workExamining versus non-examining medical opinionsRecent Data Troubling	Details
Hubert E.Hamilton