Birmingham Injury Law Blog

Category: Current Affairs

You’d Better Read This Before You Let Your Child Swim in Area Lakes

We've seen numerous startling social media photos and posts from Alabama parents whose children have been breaking out in sores and infections after swimming in some area lakes. The painful, open sores are caused by staph infections, and have been popping up from children who have been swimming in Lewis Smith Lake and Lake Logan Martin. Local news reports here and here describe the potential risks and symptoms. You can also check water quality reports at the Logan Martin Lake Protection As...

Firehouse Shelter Serves Vital Need in Birmingham

One of our absolute favorite charities is The Firehouse Shelter located in downtown Birmingham. Shortly after we bought the building which has been our home now for more than 30 years, The Firehouse Shelter opened as a men’s homeless shelter with the primary goal to meet the food, shelter, and clothing needs of homeless men in this metropolitan area. The original mission has been greatly expanded. A community garden has been planted in the Smithfield neighborhood where volunteers plant see...

When it Comes to Lawsuits, Fear the Facebook

A daughter cost her father $80,000 when she posted on her Facebook profile that he received a settlement from his former employer. The settlement came with a confidentiality agreement preventing the father and his wife from telling anyone of the settlement. They told their daughter and then she blasted it to her 1,200 Facebook friends, some of whom still worked for the employer. Did the parents violate the agreement? According to the courts, yes. The lesson, besides not violating a conf...

If You Drive an Older Jeep Cherokee Beware of Gas Tank Vulnerability

Recently, a Georgia jury awarded $150 million to the family of a four-year-old boy killed when a Jeep Cherokee caught fire after a crash. This was in Decatur County near Atlanta and they found that Chrysler acted with reckless disregard in selling the 1999 Jeep with a gas tank mounted behind the rear axle, thus making the vehicle more prone to fire on impact. The child was riding with his aunt when the vehicle was hit from behind by a pick-up truck in March 2012. The tank thereafter leaked...

ASP Closing Shows Lack of Leadership and Compassion

It is no secret that Alabama consistently lags behind other states when it comes to assisting its citizens who are in need. Perhaps the best example of this attitude has recently arisen when it was disclosed that Alabama Psychiatric Services (APS), one of the oldest and largest mental health providers in the state will close its doors on February 13, 2015, leaving tens of thousands of patients without access to mental health care. Alabama, even before  the APS announcement, ranked 49th of 50 ...

What You Wear Can And Will Be Used Against You

People in the United States are embracing wearable technology: phones, bracelets, watches, shoes, even clothes. These items will gather all manner of data about you - data that if precedents continue, may be used against you in a court of law. You're used to some of this technology already. Your cell phone sits in your pocket or purse and gathers and stores millions upon millions of bits of data about you: Where you are, where you've been, what you buy, who you are talking to, who you're t...

January Begins the Divorce Season

For many people January is a time of resolutions and new beginnings. For some married couples, the desire to get a fresh start provides the catalyst for considering a divorce. According to the legal industry website FindLaw.com, the number of searches for divorce-related information peaks in January and is accompanied by a spike in the number of divorce filings. The number of filings increases steadily until it peaks in March for the year. "The year I got divorced was the worst year of my li...

A Christmas Memory and a Lifetime of Performances

“…there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe...

WAL-MART Reaches New Lows in Treatment of Innocent Victims

For years we have discussed how mega-retailer WAL-MART mistreats its own employees, and fights almost every injured customer's claims all the way to trial, no matter how obviously the company was at fault. WAL-MART has law firms on retainer in nearly every city and hamlet in the country. Truth be told, they really "lawyer up." I guess it should have come to no surprise that now WAL-MART has taken the position in Court filings that comedian and actor Tracy Morgan's injuries were "caused, in...

The Captain and The Bear

Those of you who know me personally know I'm a New York Yankees fan, as evidenced by the two-story hint we've placed in downtown Birmingham. Despite my love of Rickwood Field, if you cornered me and asked I would admit to not being a baseball fan, per se. A Yankees fan, yes. Therefore it will come as no surprise that I thought you might enjoy a few thoughts and experiences I've had regarding "The Captain," Derek Jeter, who played in his last game only a handful of days ago. We have watched...

Archives