Expert Advocacy

San Diego Bus Accident Lawyers

With the increased cost of gas, millions of people decide to ride the bus every day. It is a cheap and efficient way to get to and from work or school. Many people fail to realize that a bus can get into accidents on the road. People suffer from injuries they get from riding on a bus more often than you think.

We are experienced San Diego bus accident attorneys. We know the proper steps to ensure you get the compensation you need after your accident. For more information about bus accidents and how we can help, please call our office for a free consultation.…

Pfizer Recalls 1 Million Birth Control Packs after Manufacturing Mix-Up

Drug Manufacturer Pfizer, Inc. issued a recall on February 1 of approximately 1 million birth control pills due to a manufacturing problem that led to pills in some of the packets being placed out of order. According to CBS News, the affected packets are Lo/Ovral-28 and the product’s generic equivalents, called norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol.

The company’s birth control packet contains 28 pills, with seven of the pills being placebos. The pills are ordered in a specific arrangement so as to mix in placebos with pills containing the active birth control ingredient. If three placebos are taken in a row, the protection of the pills will be negated. As the error in manufacturing the packets affected the order of the pills, consumers may be subjected to multiple placebos in a row, wearing off the birth control’s effects without their knowledge.

While approximately 1 million are included in the drug recall, Pfizer believes that only around 30 packets contain the flaw.

Affected packets are pink with either the drug’s brand name or generic name printed on them, as well as the name Akrimax; however, Pfizer’s logo does not appear on them. The recalled line has expiration dates ranging from July 31, 2013 through March 31, 2014.

We understand how even a small defect in a product that requires precise use, such as birth control, can cause major complications for consumers. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries or losses due to a dangerous or defective product, one of our San Diego defective product attorneys can aid you in seeking compensation from the at-fault company. Call us today for a complimentary consultation on your case by our experienced law team.…

US Government Recalls Childrens’ Playsets Used in San Diego

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Playland International of Carrollton, Georgia, announced a voluntary recall of Arch Swing Sets commonly used in San Diego County playgrounds.

The reason for the recall is that the metal around the welds on the top of the set frame can fail and cause the top bar to fall injuring children and bystanders.

The Arch Swing Sets were sold between September 2001 through May 2006 and are constructed of 3.5 inch metal frames that come in a variety of colors. Illustrative pictures are here:

If you are concerned that you, a neighbor, or a public park are using the Arch Swing Set after the recall, please let them know about it right away. If you want any more information or you have been injured by a defective Arch Swing Set, please contact the experienced defective product attorneys.…

Santee Roadway Sign Encourages Drivers Not to Drink and Drive

A new sign reading “Please Don’t Drink and Drive” greets drivers on state Route 125 in Santee, the legacy of a fatal drunk driving crash in 2009 that claimed one life and sent another driver to the hospital with serious injuries. The sign was paid for by the deceased driver’s family, who wanted a way to warn other drivers against causing these preventable car crashes and to remember their loved one.

The sign honors the victim of the 2009 crash, who lost her life when an intoxicated teen driver crashed into her vehicle. The teenager survived the accident, but suffered brain damage including memory loss and blindness in one eye. Now at the age of 21, the driver has joined the fight to eliminate drunk driving and encourage others to drive safe and sober.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs (DUI) in San Diego can carry both criminal penalties and civil ones. The families of a motorist, pedestrian, or other person killed in a drunk driving crash may be able to seek compensation in the form of a car accident wrongful death claim against the impaired driver who caused the crash. While financial compensation can’t restore a lost loved one to life, it can make planning for the future easier for those left behind.

If someone you love has lost their life in a drunk driving or other car accident, please don’t hesitate to contact our experienced car accident wrongful death attorneys in San Diego to learn more about your legal rights and options. Call us today for a free and confidential case evaluation.…

Contingency Fees Preferred by Clients, Study Finds

The Manhattan Institute is a conservative think tank that pushes a tort-reform agenda as it attacks plaintiffs’ attorneys for numerous evils, both real and perceived. One of the primary gripes tort-reformers have against plaintiffs’ attorneys is that the contingency fee agreements used so prevalently in litigation–a legal fee agreement where the client pays a percentage of any recovery to the attorney for his services–unjustly exploit clients who cannot afford hourly attorneys’ fees and thereby unjustly enrich attorneys at their expense.

So, it’s ironic that The Manhattan Institute’s PointofLaw website recently published a story describing the findings of a legal fees study performed by Israeli behavioral economists Eyal Zamir and Ilana Ritov. The study, titled, “Neither Saints nor Devils: A Behavioral Analysis of Attorneys’ Contingent Fees” found that–contrary to the beliefs of tort-reformers–the vast majority of litigation clients prefer contingency fee agreements to the traditional billable hour fee agreement.

The study reaches a number of conclusions, but the key conclusion is that clients are risk-averse. They prefer a fee arrangement where the attorney shares the risk of litigation with them, even if that means the client ends up paying more in attorneys fees for that service. The attractiveness of the contingency fee agreement is that if the client wins, he will recover monetary damages, and, if he does not win, he does not owe any money in attorneys fees (“heads I win, tails let’s call it even).

Think about the utility and value of the contingency fee agreement the next time you hear some tort-reform argument, or, worse yet, a tort-reform initiative seeking to ban the contingency fee agreement.…

Judge to Review Verdict in San Juan Capistrano Bicycle Accident

This Friday, a judge will review a $8.3 million verdict against the City of San Juan Capistrano awarded to a 14-year-old boy, Trenten Miller, who lost his leg during a bicycle accident.

The judgment was to be finalized last month. However, San Juan Capistrano decided to file an objection to the jury findings and overturn the verdict. Superior Court Judge Thierry Colaw set a hearing to hear the City of San Juan Capistrano’s motion this Friday.

In December, an Orange County jury found that the City of San Juan Capistrano liable to Miller because the City created a dangerous condition at an intersection. Miller was the passenger on his friend Scott Agostini’s dirt bike. Overgrown vegetation in the median of the intersection made it difficult for Miller and Agostini to see oncoming traffic as they attempted to cross the intersection of San Juan Creek Road and Paseo Christina.

The jury ruled in favor of the bicyclists, ruling the City of San Juan Capistrano to pay Miller $7.1 million and $1.1 million to Agostini. The verdict was reached three years after the bicycle accident and after Miller unsuccessfully attempted to settle the suit in mediation. Prior to the jury’s verdict, the City of San Juan Capistrano’s only offer was $1 million, which Miller rejected.…

California Medical Board Allows Doctor to Keep License After Aiding Illegal Abortions

The California Medical Board permitted a doctor to keep his license after committing medical malpractice by aiding an unlicensed doctor perform illegal abortions. Dr. Mohammad Bararsani, who runs a cash-only abortion business at his Women’s Care Center on Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance, California, was also charged with seven other cases of negligence and incompetence. Associates of Dr. Barasani have committed medical malpractice by performing abortions in San Diego without a medical license.

The charges against Dr. Bararsani arise from his actions to help Edgar Ruiz perform illegal abortions.

This is not the first time Dr. Barasani has worked with people performing illegal abortions. Bararsani, a 1964 graduate of Tehran University School of Medicine, has worked with Edgar Ruiz, a doctor licensed in Nicaragua. He has also worked with Bertha Bugarin who is awaiting sentencing for posing as a doctor and performing illegal abortions in both Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

For whatever reason, the California Medical Board decided to allow Dr. Barasani to keep his medical license after performing some minor probation tasks. For his probation, he must complete an education course, a medical records class, and is prohibited from supervising physician’s assistants.

Although the topic of abortions is usually a lightning rod topic, it is important to remember that it is a medical procedure. It is also a medical procedure that presents risks of infertility, infection, and even death. Quite honestly, it is amazing that the California Medical Board did not do more to protect Californians—and San Diegans—from his practice of using unlicensed doctors to perform abortions on low-income women.…

San Diego Consumers Have New Tool to Fight Car Title Fraud

The US Department of Justice launched an online database available to all government agencies and to consumers to help detect automobile title fraud, theft, and other crimes involving cars.

The new database, called The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS, editor: Great acronym, guys!), launched on January 30, 2009 and is available to consumers through several fee-for-service websites. Consumers can use the system to verify and exchange title and brand data as well as look up vehicle histories, including odometer data.

The launch of NMVTIS occurred only after three public interest groups–Public Citizen, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS, editor: Much better acronym.), and Consumer Action, sued the federal government seeking an order from the Court to force the government to implement NMVTIS as Congress had instructed 16 years ago.

While the database is not complete right now–less than two-thirds of all cars are listed–it is a step in the right direction to help prevent consumer fraud.

If you experience fraud in the purchase of a car, or if you buy a new vehicle that does not work properly, call our lawyers to learn about your rights.…

San Diego Trolley Accident Injures Two Passengers

Two light rail passengers were injured in a San Diego trolley accident as their trolley slammed into a postal vehicle at Park Boulevard and G Street in East Village in San Diego. This auto vs. train accident took place around 11:30 a.m. on February 3, 2010.

Though no one lost their life, two passengers, a 40-year old man who uses wheelchairs and a woman in her 40s, were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital and Kaiser Hospital, respectively. The man was treated for major trauma and the woman sustained minor injuries. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Trolley accidents in Downtown San Diego are not unknown. Light rail drivers are known to enter intersections on the tail end of the yellow light, thereby causing traffic snarls and blocking intersections.…

San Diego Assault and Battery Takes Life of 22-Year Old Man

An argument over a taxicab resulted in the death of a 22-year old man named LaDonte Collins, on February 2, 2010, in the 7000 block of El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego. This unfortunate San Diego assault and battery took place in the early morning hours around 4:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Ace Budget Motel.

The fatal assault appears to have been resulted from a quarrel between the victim and another man who both wanted to hire a taxi that had just arrived to pick up a fare outside the College Area motel. The quarrel heated up and ended with the other man, whose name was not immediately available, stabbing Collins and severely wounding him. Collins was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead an hour later. The suspect was later turned over to the homicide detectives.

Incidents like these tend to leave us shocked and angry. How unjust and inhuman is it to take away a life in a fit of rage?! Our office wishes to convey our sincere prayers and condolences to the family and friends of LaDonte Collins in such difficult times.…