Welcome to SettlementBoard.com, an online resource where lawyers and their potential clients can learn about lawsuit settlements both past and present. Our blog contains divorce, personal injury, and workers compensation settlement information as well as profiles of the attorneys behind these headline cases. This month's batch of bloggers have selected the following high-dollar cases to highlight:
Divorce Settlement Will Determine Fate of L.A. Dodgers
There is a lot hanging in the balance of the divorce trial that is happening in Los Angeles between Frank and Jamie McCourt. It is not just homes, cars and alimony but in this case the ownership of the sports franchise the L.A. Dodgers will be determined by the outcome of the divorce proceedings.
McCourt claims he is the sole owner of the Dodgers but his soon to be ex-wife claims that the document granting McCourt ownership is invalid for two reasons. Her attorneys are arguing that that she did not have proper legal counsel regarding California community property law when signing a marital property agreement in 2004 when McCourt purchased the team and the couple moved from Massachusetts to LA. They are also contending that there is more than one version of the document and that the different versions contradict each other as to the ownership of the team.
In response, McCourt’s attorney Steve Susman has been quick to point that Jamie McCourt’s educational and professional background includes an MBA from MIT law degree, and experience practicing family law herself which he argues makes it difficult to believe she would not be able to understand a marital property agreement. Susman is also is attempting to prove that because of the risks involved Jamie did not want ownership of the team and herself proposed the agreement to establish her husband as sole owner. The Blog for the LA Times writes:
"Susman repeated that the agreement in question was her idea, that she insisted she did not want to own any part of the Dodgers so she would not risk losing a "nest egg" worth about $80 million should Frank McCourt fail to reverse the Dodgers' financial losses."
It will be interesting to see the way this settlement plays out as it involves not just the couple in question but in a way the entire city of L.A., as they wait to see who is the owner of their team. In the meant time legal experts from east coast to west and Los Angeles and Boston divorce lawyers are weighing in and all have their opinion as to who will get what.
Settlements & Verdicts of New York City Personal Injury lawyers
- Construction site accidents
- Medical and other professional malpractice
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Slip and fall
- Premises liability
- Wrongful death
- Lead poisoning
- Asbestos and mesothelioma
Below is just a sample of the numerous multi-million dollar awards that have been settled by the law firm.
- $5.5 million dollar settlement in a medical malpractice case against an obstetrician/gynecologist for injuries to an infant during childbirth.
- $3.7 million dollar structured settlement for injuries in a motor vehicle accident as follows: $2.5 million dollars for the husband, a severely injured driver of a car and $1.2 million dollars for is wife for the loss of services, society and consortium of her injured husband
- $3.5 million dollar settlement for a construction worker, an ironworker, who was injured on the job losing part of his leg.
- $3.1 million dollar structured settlement against a hospital and obstetrician/ gynecologist for the death of a woman during child birth.
- $3.1 million dollar settlement for an ornamental ironworker who suffered injuries when he fell off an unsafe ramp on a construction site.
- $3.1 million dollar settlement in a medical malpractice action for a 68 year old woman who suffered a stroke during surgery as a result of the negligence of an anesthesiologist.
- $3 million dollar settlement for a construction worker who, while performing his job, was struck by a New York City Sanitation truck suffering leg and back injuries.
- $2.62 million dollar settlement for a structural ironworker suffering leg and back injuries as a result of falling off a scaffold.
- $2.5 million dollar settlement for a young woman, a passenger in a motor vehicle which struck a horse on a road on an Indian reservation in Arizona.
- $2.5 million dollar settlement against the doctors and hospital for failing to diagnose and treat a pneumothorax (collapsed lung).
How to Select a Trademark
The selection of a trademark is much more than a simple legal decision. In fact, this choice is founded more in the strategy of your business and where you hope to be within your industry in the future.
When choosing a mark, you should keep in mind the categories that your mark might fall into. Trademark attorneys will help determine which category fits your mark.
Generic marks
Generic marks cannot be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These marks are so common that use of the mark will not provide you or your company with any distinction within the market. Examples of generic trademarks include automobile, computer, and telephone.
If you are looking for a patent or trademark lawyer in the United States, reach out to Lawrence E. Evans by contacting him online today.
Texas Banned Gay Divorce Officially – Murfreesboro Attorneys Speaks to the National Issue
The Texas Attorney General recently attempted and failed to block the divorce of a same-sex married couple in Texas on the grounds that Texas does not recognize same-sex marriage. Austin district judge Scott Jenkins upheld the divorce request, allowing the female couple a Texas divorce. Murfreesboro attorney feels that while the struggle with same-sex marriages has been going on for a decade, nothing new seems to evolve.
Currently states that have issued gay marriage licenses are the following:
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- California
- Iowa
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- District of Columbia
Maryland, Rhode Island and New York currently recognize gay marriages from other states.
For more information from how it is evolved over the following ten year, Murfreesboro attorney recommends the National Congress of State Legislators timeline on gay marriage and divorce historical and data.
Gay divorce
A possible precursor to legalizing gay marriage in TX...Judge Jenkins’ decision is likely to affect the legality of gay marriage in Texas, because even though Texas does not legally recognize marriage between same sex couples at the present time, his decision to allow the divorce in a Texas court effectively challenges current interpretations of Texas law. To legally grant the divorce of a gay or lesbian couple is tantamount to acknowledging the marriage.
Yesterday Texas banned Gay divorce officially. The state appeals court stated the gay couple who have legally married in another state can NOT divorced in the state of Texas.
A person does not and cannot seek a divorce without simultaneously asserting the existence and validity of a lawful marriage.
Texas Court: Gay Couples Can't Divorce
A National Issue
To understand this, consider a similar debate that occurred in Seattle in the 1800s. Seattle was a young city, full of adventure-seeking spouseless males. Naturally, prostitution became a thriving business. In fact, it became so successful an industry that many philanthropic activities were funded by the city’s wealthy madams. A debate arose that prostitution ought to be taxed because it did not seem fair that brothels could generate so much revenue without paying taxes. The dilemma—the only way to require the bustling brothels to pay taxes was to legally recognize and permit prostitution.
In the same manner, for modern-day Texas to grant gay divorces is, effectively, legally acknowledging gay marriage.
Exactly how this landmark decision will steer future decisions on the legality of same-sex marriage and divorce in our state is yet to be seen. But, it will inevitably cause some kind of change. For guidance and legal help on this issue contact the Murfreesboro law firm today.
William Burton, Attorney at Law
1231 Northwest Broad Street
Murfreesboro
TN
37129
(615) 893-8300
