What is Litigation?
Litigation is the process of taking legal action and filing a lawsuit.
According to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute (LII), litigation is defined as “the process of resolving disputes by filing or answering a complaint through the public court system.” As such, a judge or jury examines the evidence and makes a legally binding decision. This process can include various stages such as filing pleadings, conducting discovery, engaging in pre-trial motions, going to trial, and potentially appealing the court’s decision.
Litigation is beneficial because it allows for a formal resolution of disputes based on laws and legal precedent. However, litigation can be time-consuming and costly, as well as prolonged periods of uncertainty. Understanding litigation is crucial for individuals, businesses, and legal professionals navigating legal disputes and seeking to protect their rights and interests within the judicial system. It involves a comprehensive understanding of legal procedures, strategic decision-making, and effective advocacy to achieve favorable outcomes in court.
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Munley Supports Ban on Cell Phones While Driving
Pennsylvania car accident attorney Caroline Munley today applauded a federal agency’s recommendation for the prohibition of cell phone use by drivers of all personal and commercial vehicles.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in December that all drivers be prohibited from using cell phones and other electronic devices behind the wheel.
The proposal grew from the NTSB’s investigation of a multi-vehicle collision in Missouri in 2010 that was caused by a pickup truck driver who was distracted by a text-messaging conversation. The wreck killed two and injured 38.
“We support the NTSB’s recommendation for a complete ban on cell phone use by drivers of all motor vehicles,” said Munley of the Pennsylvania personal injury firm of Munley, Munley & Cartwright, P.C., which represents victims of car crashes and truck accidents throughout the Northeast. […]
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California Family Settles Civil Suit in Vehicular Manslaughter Case
Family receives undisclosed amount of money in vehicular manslaughter case settlement
The Modesto Bee reports the family of a California man who died when he was maliciously struck by a car has been awarded an undisclosed amount of money in a civil lawsuit. The man’s family sought compensation for wrongful death, loss of financial support, and payment for his funeral expenses.
The lawsuit was brought after the criminal case concluded June 14, 2010, with a jury conviction for felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the 2008 attack. The deceased was found near his north Modesto house after he was hit by a car “with enough force to throw him onto the hood of his car, then off the roof,” according to testimony in the criminal case. Apparently, the attack was over loud music.
The defense attorney argued that the man acted in self-defense from a drunk and angry man who approached the other man’s vehicle and began climbing up the hood. […]
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Florida Families Settle Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Traffic Accident
The families of two teenagers who died in an accident in Stuart, FL in August 2009 have settled in a wrongful death lawsuit with a construction company that owned the front-end loader the teens’ vehicle struck. The amount Sheltra & Son Construction Co will pay was not released in the confidential settlement.
Three teenagers were riding in a Jeep Cherokee traveling on Southeast Cove Road around 2 a.m. when they came upon a road-widening project. A front-end loader was halfway into the eastbound lane of the road without any flagmen or signs to warn drivers to slow for the vehicle.
The Jeep slammed into the equipment killing all three teens. The Florida Highway Patrol found the 18-year-old driver had a blood-alcohol level of 0.251, more than three times the legal limit, at the time of the accident. The other teens were also impaired, according to the police. […]
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Car Accident Round-Up – Fatal Accidents Throughout East Coast
Car accidents include death of Ithaca College student
PA Accident Takes Life of College Student
The Scranton Times Tribune reports a 20-year-old driver died in a fiery wreck on I-81 Saturday. The accident occurred near mile-marker 211 in Susquehanna County, PA around 2:30 a.m. as the young man passed through the state on his way to Ithaca College. The car went off the right side of the highway then hit a rock embankment before coming to rest on the highway’s shoulder on the driver’s side of the car. The vehicle became engulfed in flames. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
NC Legislator Involved in Fatal Car Accident
One man is dead and a North Carolina state legislator is in critical condition after their two cars collided late Friday night in Winston-Salem, NC. Police report that the 70-year-old NC representative, […]
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New Jersey Town to Pay $10 Million to Family of Boy Who Drowned in Town Pool
The Village of Ridgewood, New Jersey has been ordered to pay $10 million to the family of a boy who drowned in the town-owned Graydon Pool in July 2008. A Hackensack Superior Court jury found the pool was negligently supervised at the time of the 13-year-old boy’s death.
During the incident, there were more than nine lifeguards at the pool and none of them saw the child struggling to stay afloat. One of the boy’s friends tried to save him, but his efforts were unsuccessful. He alerted the boy’s mother who then alerted the pool manager and lifeguards.
The lawsuit alleged the manager had the lifeguards search the nearby area for the boy, as opposed to looking in the water. It took 40 minutes for the lifeguards to find the boy in the pool, at which time he had already died.
About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]
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New York Man Awarded $1.5 Million After Debilitating Auto Accident
A man who suffered “a permanent, significant physical limitation” as the result of a serious automobile accident on Route 104 in Ontario, New York, has been awarded over $1.5 million by a Monroe County Supreme Court jury.
The man was stopped at a stop light in 2009 when he was hit from behind by another vehicle. He was diagnosed with acute lumbar spine injuries. The defendant’s insurance company, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., offered to settle the case for $5,000 and refused mediation or arbitration to settle the case, forcing the case into trial.
InsuranceNewsNet.com reports the man was awarded $1.25 million in past, present and future pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, along with $321,250 in past and future medical expenses.
About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]
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LA County Hospital Likely to Pay $2.8 Million in Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Los Angeles County officials will likely agree to a $2.8 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by a woman whose child suffered birth injuries at the County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in March 2008.
In a lawsuit filed by the then 18-year-old, the woman claims the medical staff failed to perform an emergency cesarean section when she was showing signs of distress during labor. Her son was later diagnosed with neurological injuries from fetal distress, according to an article in the Contra Costa Times.
The hospital will also waive the nearly $20,000 hospital bill and will cover the $16,000 lien placed against the woman’s home. In addition, the hospital was required to implement safety measures to prevent future incidents similar to this one.
About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]
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Car Accident Round-Up – Car Plunges into Lake Killing Three
Three pronounced dead after divers pull them out of submerged car
Three Men Drown in Florida When Car Plunges into Lake
Local10.com reports three men drowned after their car ran off the road and plunged into a Pompano Beach, FL lake. The early Saturday morning car accident occurred when the car was traveling south on Andrews Avenue off Sample Road. Apparently, the car ran off the road, hit a guard rail then veered into the lake. Rescue divers pulled the men from the water, and they were then rushed to the hospital where all three were pronounced dead. Police are continuing to investigate, and autopsies will be performed on all the men.
Fatal Dayton, Ohio Accident Kills Two
Two young adults lost their lives in a violent crash early Saturday morning when a car smashed into their Ford Neon while they were stopped at a light in Dayton, […]
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Car Accident Round-Up – Teenagers Die in Early Morning FL Accident
Car spins out of control, strikes light post and splits in two killing two teenagers in fatal accident
Two Teens Dead, One Critical After Miami Accident
The Miami-Herald reports a 2:30 a.m. Saturday accident in Miami, FL left two teenagers dead and another critically injured when the car in which they were traveling struck a light post on the highway causing the vehicle to split in half. The accident, on the Dolphin Expressway near Northwest 17th Avenue, occurred when the car swerved and crossed the inside lane and shoulder, spun and struck the concrete wall and a light post. The two pieces of the car blocked both the westbound and eastbound lanes of the highway. The 17-year-old driver and an 18-year-old passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The second passenger, 18-years-old, was found seat belted into the rear section of the car. She was taken to Ryder Trauma Center. […]
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Florida Supreme Court Upholds $10.3 Million Medical Malpractice Award
The widow of a man who suffered a heart attack and died when his Palms West Hospital doctor failed to give him the anti-clotting drug Retavase will receive the $10.3 million previously awarded, according to a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court this week. The award amount was being disputed due to the $1 million medical malpractice cap put in place in Florida months after the man’s death.
The court referred to a decision rendered in July when it determined the award cap could not be applied retroactively. The man died in 2003, however, the lawsuit was not filed until 2005. The defense argued the time of lawsuit should be used and thus, the cap limits should apply.
The award amount had also been upheld by the Fourth District Court of Appeal in 2009 saying, “It is therefore well settled that retrospective laws are generally unjust.” […]
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Missouri Family Awarded $7 Million in Fatal Tractor-Trailer Accident
The family of a tractor-trailer driver who died in a 2008 Arkansas truck accident has been awarded $7 million by a federal jury. The fatal crash between two tractor-trailers occurred when a truck owned by Dunaway Timber Co. crossed the center line hitting the other truck head-on.
The lawsuit alleged that Dunaway’s driver was fatigued after driving longer than the U.S. Department of Transportation rules allowed. The driver also was inexperienced and had a “horrible driving record,” according to the lawsuit. Both the driver and Dunaway Timber were found liable.
Maverick Transportation, which employed the deceased driver, sued Dunaway because of damage to their truck. They were awarded $93,000.
About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]
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Car Accident Round-Up – Three Dead, Four Injured in VA Head-On Collision
Jeep Cherokee crosses center line, causes head-on car accident
VA Accident Kills Three, Injures Four
According to the Roanoke Times, a Jeep Cherokee carrying four people crashed head-on into a Plymouth van carrying three people Saturday afternoon in Bedford, VA leaving three people dead and four injured. The Jeep was heading eastbound on Virginia 24 when it crossed the center line striking the westbound van. The driver and front passenger of the Jeep died; the other two passengers were air lifted to a nearby hospital. The front passenger of the van died; the driver and another passenger were taken to a local hospital.
Fatal Accident in FL on I-95
First Coast News reports an early morning accident on Wednesday closed down northbound lanes on I-95 near US 1 and SR 206 in St. Johns County, Florida. Although details are unclear, apparently a pickup truck flipped several times after crashing into another vehicle. […]
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Pennsylvania Hospital to Pay $2.2 Million in Birth Injury Lawsuit
UPMC Hamot and several of its doctors have settled a lawsuit filed in 2008 against a woman alleging a “botched” delivery resulted in cerebral palsy and other medical problems for her child. The childbirth was in 1998.
The woman went to the hospital in February 1998, after going into labor two months prematurely. The lawsuit claims the medical staff failed to respond appropriately to indications that the fetus was in distress. Neither the hospital nor the doctors admitted any wrongdoing.
The child will not be able to live independently and suffers from cognitive impairment, seizures and motor and language delay.
According to The Erie Times-News, the tax-free $2.2 million will be placed in a special-needs trust and paid out over time to cover the costs of the child’s medical care over her lifetime.
About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, […]
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Car Accident Round-Up – One Dead, Five Injured in Multi-Vehicle Crash in FL
Out-of-control vehicle spins into oncoming lane colliding with two other vehicles in fatal accident
FL Accident Kills One, Leaves Five Critically Injured
A multi-vehicle crash over the weekend in Frostproof, Florida left one person dead and five others critically injured. The Miami Herald reports that a vehicle on U.S. 27 northbound ran off the roadway, overcorrected and spun around sending it into the southbound lanes where it collided with two other vehicles. The driver of the out-of-control vehicle died; her two passengers were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Three occupants of the other vehicles were listed in critical condition. Police were continuing to investigate the accident.
Heart Attack Kills Driver of Rock Band Bus in Iowa
According to the Ames Tribune, the driver of the charter bus for the rock band Widespread Panic apparently suffered a heart attack while driving the bus on Interstate 35 last week south of Ames, […]
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Car Accident Round-Up – Five Die in Fiery Michigan Accident
Both cars catch fire in wrong way car crash killing all five involved
MI Accident Kills Five in Wrong-Way Collision
In a tragic, fiery crash in Detroit, MI early Sunday morning, five people died when a driver traveling the wrong-way on the M-10 crashed head-on into another vehicle. An SUV carrying four people and a passenger car, with just the driver in the car, slammed into each other causing both cars to erupt into flames killing the occupants of both vehicles. Police are unsure of the cause of the accident and do not know which car was traveling the wrong way. The northbound lanes of the highway were shut down for nearly six hours.
Two Die in Multi-Vehicle FL Accident
NorthEscambia.com reports that a Friday morning accident on I-10 near Pensacola, FL took the lives of one adult and a child. […]
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Car Accident Round-Up – Motorcyclists Die in Florida Accident
Motorcyclist and passenger die after being hit from behind and thrown into traffic
FL Motorcyclist and Passenger Die in Multi-Vehicle Accident
Both the driver of a motorcycle and his passenger died when a Ford Explorer struck the cycle from behind on I-4 near mile marker 122 in DeLand, Florida early Sunday morning. The Sun-Sentinel reports both occupants were thrown from the motorcycle and were run over by approaching vehicles who could not avoid the wreckage. A third vehicle swerved and hit a tree leading to a fire. The driver of the Explorer fled the scene of the crash; however, police have identified a woman who is a person of interest.
Teenager Dies in KY Roll-Over Accident
A Monday afternoon car accident in Nelson County, KY, claimed the life of one teenager and sent two more to the hospital. The 17-year-old driver apparently lost control of her car as she was heading east on Old Bloomfield Road. […]
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New Jersey Man Receives $2 Million in Yamaha Snowmobile Accident
The Daily Record reports a Sparta man will receive $2 million from Yamaha following a snowmobile accident. The judge added $900,000 to the $1.1 million award from the jury.
In February of 2005, when the now 61-year-old man borrowed his friend’s 1995 Yamaha VX600V-R snowmobile, the engine started to hesitate. While he and another friend lifted the rear of the snowmobile, the owner revved the engine with the throttle in an effort to clear the spark plugs. The metal track broke and shot out of the rear of the snowmobile and ripped through the victim’s right leg.
Efforts to save the 75 percent severed leg were not successful, and the man’s leg was amputated above the knee a few days after the accident.
In the product liability trial, the jury awarded $1,107,000 for pain and suffering, economic losses, and medical expenses. The man’s attorney filed a motion for an “additur” with the judge which was granted and raised the award another $900,000. […]
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Graco Drop Side Cribs Recalled Due to Entrapment and Suffocation Hazards
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and LaJobi announced a voluntary recall of 217,000 Graco®-branded drop side cribs. The recall includes Graco drop side wood cribs sold throughout the United States from February 2007 through March 2010. Owners of these cribs should stop using any of the recalled products immediately.
When a product is not safe and fails to contain an adequate warning, and you or a family member suffers personal injury, or death, as a result of these defects, you may be entitled to legal relief. You should be able to trust that the product you are using is safe and that you have been given proper warning of any risks the product poses. At Munley, Munley & Cartwright we understand the complexity of product liability laws and the challenge of proving a case, and we can help you get the compensation you deserve.
The recall has been made due to the hazards posed to an infant or toddler in the crib if the drop side hardware breaks or fails resulting in the drop side detaching from the crib. […]
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Pennsylvania’s Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys Ranked Among America’s Best Law Firms
Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, a prominent Pennsylvania personal injury law firm with more than 40 years of experience, has won a coveted place on a list of the nation’s best law firms, published in September jointly by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers magazine. “To make this highly competitive list is an honor and a reward for years of intensive and quality work by our lawyers on behalf of our clients,” said Robert W. Munley, the founding partner of the firm.
The rankings are presented in tiers both nationally and by metropolitan area or by state, and they showcase 8,782 different law firms ranked in one or more of 81 major practice areas. Peer surveys combined with more than 3.1 million evaluations of individual lawyers in the most recent Best Lawyers survey of leading lawyers are used to develop the rankings.
“U.S. […]
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Businesses and Western Governors Press to Increase Truck Weight and Size Limit
Increase would cause drastic spike in truck accident fatalities
More than 150 companies, including Kraft, Coca Cola and MillerCoors, are lobbying Congress to increase the weight limit on trucks traveling interstate highways, The Wall Street Journal reported on August 16.
The companies would like to increase weight limits from 80,000 to 97,000 pounds, or almost 20%.
At the same time, a coalition of Western state governors is asking Congress to allow more doubles and triples – multiple tractor trailers hitched together, that can span up to 120 feet – on the federal highways in their states. Current law limits trucks on the interstate to no more than 53 feet in length.
When it comes to accidents, there is a strong correlation between the size of the truck and the severity of the accident. A study done by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute showed that a truck weighing 80,000 pounds is 50%-100% more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a truck weighing 50,000 to 65,000 pounds. […]
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