All Topics

• Huge Salaries Paid to Medical Malpractice Insurance Company Execs

  Brent Adams | December 04, 2007 9:03 AM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  When listening to the false propaganda generated by insurance companies concerning the alleged "medical malpractice crisis", you should consider the huge salaries paid to the four top executives of Medical Mutual Insurance Company of North Carolina. These four executives collected over $2 million paid for their services in 2006. When you hear numbers like that, you need to ask yourself the...

• Post-claim underwriting:An Unfair Insurance Practice

  Brent Adams | December 03, 2007 2:18 PM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  Some health insurance companies regularly engage in an unfair practice of post-claim underwriting. Underwriting, is a practice of conducting an investigation in order to determine if an insurance company is willing to incur the risk of issuing an insurance policy. With respect to health insurance, underwriting includes such activities as obtaining and reading the insurance applicant's...

• A big Verdict: But it will not pay the bills

  Brent Adams | December 02, 2007 6:26 AM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  What do you think about when you hear that a jury has a returned a verdict for $10.4 million dollars? A runaway jury? The lawsuit lottery? Rapacious lawyers? All of the above? A stunning verdict recently returned in Forsyth County, North Carolina demonstrates that what some people might call a runaway verdict, is actually very modest when compared to the tremendous losses suffered by the...

• Children Under Age 18 Applying for SSI

  Vance Jennings | November 30, 2007 4:57 PM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  Q: Is the claims process different for a child under 18 applying for SSI?A: Yes. First, a child must have an impairment or combination of impairments resulting in severe functional limitations. Generally, there are three steps: (1) Is there substantial gainful activity? If the answer is yes, the claim is denied. (2) Does the claimant have severe impairment(s) that cause more than a...

• Jetmax International Recalls Children's Wooden Storage After Child's Death

  Jenny Albano | November 17, 2007 2:27 AM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  Jetmax International Ltd., in conjunction with the CPSC, is recalling about 36,000 boy's and girl's storage racks with canvas totes after the death of an eight-month old boy.The infant was asphyxiated after the storage rack fell on top of him; the top rail of the shelf fell onto the boy's neck. The company has not received any other reports of incidents. Jetmax International decided to recall...

• Modest Increase Approved for Workers' Compensation Rates in NC

  Sheila Chavis | October 29, 2007 9:44 AM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  Despite a requested increase of 5.9%, it has recently been announced that NC Workers' Comp rates will only increase by 1.6%. This is a relatively minor increase, compared to a 7.3% increase in 2006 and a 9.3% increase in 2005.Business owners, through their lobbyists, have emphasized that one of their major cost concerns is the expense of workers' compensation insurance. The N.C. Rate Bureau,...

• Broken Femur and Wrist Leads to $575,000 Settlement

  Brent Adams | October 26, 2007 4:42 PM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  A 69-year-old victim of a North Carolina vehicle collision receives $575,000 in settlement of her claim arising out of her collision with a Bob Cat tractor.In the early morning hours before light the victim was driving her vehicle on NC 214 in Columbus Country near Wrightsville, NC. She noticed headlights in front of her, which appeared to be on the opposite shoulder of the road. The vehicle...

• Ford Must Pay $6 Million for Defective Ford Aerostar Van

  Brent Adams | October 10, 2007 10:18 AM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  Julian Felipe was 17-years-old when a Ford Aerostar van, in which he was riding as a passenger, rolled over after a tire blew out. During the roll over, the roof caved in and broke Julian's neck and paralyzed him. Felipe's lawyers presented evidence at trial that Ford knew there was propensity for vans and trucks to roll over especially after a tire blow out and that the company failed to...

• A "Forgotten Appeal Right" For State Employees?

  Michael Byrne | October 05, 2007 5:13 PM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  As most state employees know, a written warning is the lowest level of formal discipline imposed under North Carolina personnel policy. Many agencies also have less formal forms of written discipline, such as "supervisor's complaints" (DMV), "TAPS" entries (DOC), and "documented counseling" (DHHS and others). Written warnings carry only internal appeal rights, or none at all. The "lesser"...

• Jeep Recall

  Christina Medlin | October 05, 2007 10:34 AM | 0 CommentsRaleigh, NC

  One Saturday while out shopping, my brakes simply stopped working. Most of the time when a person's brakes fail, the brake pedal will go completely to the floor, with no resistance. However, when my brakes failed to work it was as if something was preventing me from pressing the brake. I stomped on the brake, but nothing happened. The pedal did not move. I immediately pulled the emergency...