Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog

What to Consider When Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney

May 30, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Injury Lawyer Matt Arnold answers the question: “How much does your firm charge to represent me in a personal injury case?”

Hiring an attorney is not a one-size-fits-all situation. If you are considering filing a personal injury suit, hiring the right attorney is a crucial step that could make or break your case. You need an attorney you can trust and feel comfortable coming to with questions and concerns that arise during the lawsuit. The attorney you hire will ask you many questions regarding the circumstances that brought you to file suit. As important as it is for the attorney to obtain information from you, you also need to interview a potential attorney to find out if the or she is the right fit for you.

Massachusetts High Court Rules MIT is Not Responsible for Student’s Suicide

May 16, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “Are the laws or rules applying to a wrongful death claim different from a personal injury not involving death?”

A recent case decided by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court was watched by many in anticipation of a ruling. The Court’s ruling could impact universities all around the country. A wrongful death suit against a university and some of its staff would determine the liability a university faces in the event of suicide by one of their students.

Ruling In New York May Give Plaintiffs Leverage

May 2, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “How do worker comps payments work?”

We all know that in personal injury cases, settlement is a common end result. Though there are lots of reasons why this is the case, a big one is the degree of uncertainty on both sides. No one knows for sure how a jury may find, no matter how strong the case may appear in advance. The reality is that going to trial is inherently risky. Settling helps reduce that risk, ensuring you walk away with something, even if it is not what you may have hoped for.

State Fair Accident Sheds Light On Potentially Troubling Government Immunity

April 18, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”

People may be vaguely aware of the notion of immunity, that certain people are legally protected from being sued for their actions. Often this immunity surfaces in cases involving police officers who are generally shielded from personal liability as a result of performing their government sanctioned job. Though the liability does not extend to cover every situation, it is rather broad and can limit or totally eliminate the money that injured individuals can collect from an otherwise responsible party.

Schools May Be Liable For Harm Suffered By Students

March 28, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “Can I post about my injury on Social Media?”

For years, the rule across the country has been that colleges and universities are not legally responsible for criminal acts that occur on campus that lead to harm suffered by a student. The theory has been that colleges cannot prevent the illegal actions of third parties and have no special duty to protect the students on campus. This has shielded schools from a number of potentially expensive lawsuits over the years, with plaintiffs choosing not to waste time filing personal injury or wrongful death suits that were destined to be dismissed by courts.

Court Considers Obligation of Property Owners To Ensure Safety of Guests

March 14, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “Can I post about my injury on Social Media?”

It is not often that cases involving casual holiday parties and relatively minor injuries make their way to state supreme courts. However, that is exactly what has happened in Michigan where the Supreme Court has now heard arguments about what occurred during a 2013 office holiday party. Though the particulars are not of interest to the court, the case is being used as a vehicle to explore the legal obligations property owners owe to ensure the safety of invited guests.

Court Gives Injury Victim Second Chance To Make Her Case

March 7, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “May I choose my own doctor in a personal injury case?”

The sad reality is that one of the many hurdles personal injury victims often are forced to overcome is the skepticism by some concerning the severity of their injuries. The idea that those who have been involved in accidents that resulted in injuries are somehow faking the harm they have suffered or exaggerating it for effect exists among a certain segment of the population. In court, it is important for plaintiffs to attack this notion directly, using testimony and medical evidence to demonstrate that injuries really occurred and that the pain suffered by the victim is legitimate.

Court Says Personal Injury Plaintiff Must Reveal Social Media Content

February 21, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “Can I post about my injury on Social Media?”

For years now, personal injury attorneys have warned plaintiffs to be very careful about the kinds of information they choose to reveal online. Despite the calls for restraint, many find social media simply too irresistible and can inadvertently undermine their cases by saying or doing the wrong thing and then broadcasting it far and wide. Many mistakenly believe that by making posts private they protect themselves from disclosure. A recent personal injury case in New York proves that this is not always the case and should hopefully serve as a warning to others.

Appeals Court Says Insurance Company’s Bad Faith Could Prove Costly

February 14, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “The insurance company wants to send me to their own doctor for a second opinion. Do I have to go?”

Anyone who has ever been involved in a car accident likely understands how frustrating it can be dealing with an insurance company. The adjusters understand that their job is to settle any claim for as little money as possible. This is why so many injured individuals turn to personal injury attorneys for assistance, discovering that attempts to resolve their issue alone often go nowhere. A recent case in Florida demonstrates just how difficult insurance companies can be. Unlike many examples, this one has a slight silver lining, with the insurance company now facing serious potential liability due to its poor treatment of the injured victim.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Rejects Workers’ Comp Law Catering To Special Interests

February 7, 2018 | AS Personal Injury Lawyers

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: “What if my employer doesn’t have workers’ comp insurance or doesn’t file the claim?”

We routinely hear that special interest groups exert outsize influence on legislation. Whether at the local, state or federal level, those industries with money to spend and lobbyists to hire are able to profoundly influence laws that govern us all. Though we might hear about this as a general area of concern, it is not often that we have specific examples of this playing out. One recent case in Oklahoma that made it all the way to the state Supreme Court did just that, revealing the power of certain moneyed special interest groups and the importance of an active judiciary to keep that power in check.