Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Blog for Consumers & Wisconsin Attorneys
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| Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyers Blog Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Blog for Consumers & Wisconsin Attorneys |
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009 Wisconsin Asbestos & Mesothelioma Blog has a post on a recent decision from the Court of Appeals in a Wisconsin mesothelioma car brakes case. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: asbestos, lawsuits, Wisconsin, wrongful death posted by Frank Pasternak | 3:55 PMFriday, May 08, 2009 With the legal minimum insurance in Wisconsin at $25,000, you could easily be seriously injured in a car accident through no fault of your own and later find out the other driver doesn't have enough car insurance to pay for your medical bills. Governor Doyle has proposed increasing the liability limits for auto insurance. Wisconsin has had the same minimum rates of liability coverage since 1982. Higher limits are necessary and even automobile insurers admit that higher liability limits will make it easier for health insurers and healthcare providers to be paid. Please take time to send a short email to your State Representative and State Senator just by clicking here to read the message and send it. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: car accidents, Consumers, insurance, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 9:11 AMMonday, April 06, 2009 Driving Auto Insurance Reform in Wisconsin discusses Governor Doyle's car insurance proposal. It makes excellent points about the fact that car accident victims are greatly effected by (1) health care costs skyrocketing 250%-300% and (2) the cost of cars increasing since 1982, the last time Wisconsin addressed its minimum car insurance limits. I've heard Milwaukee area talk-show pundits complain about the bill, but I'm sure the two most popular - Sykes and Belling - both have limits that exceed those proposed by Gov. Doyle - $100,000 per individual, $300,000 per incident. Call your state legislator and senator and tell them to support reforming car insurance in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: car accidents, insurance, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 6:58 PMSunday, April 05, 2009 A single-vehicle car accident in Marinette County claimed two lives Friday evening in Lake, Wisconsin. According to the County Sheriff, the car veered off the road entering a ditch and striking a tree. Law enforcement believes the driver was driving too fast for conditions. If you or a loved one are involved in a serious accident causing injury or death, contact me. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: car accidents, Wisconsin, wrongful death posted by Frank Pasternak | 6:12 PMWednesday, April 01, 2009 In Defense "Independent" Medical Examinations and Medical Defense Doctors, I blogged on IME doctors in Wisconsin and an outfit brokering Wisconsin IME docs. Today's New York Times' Exams of Injured Workers Fuel Mutual Mistrust peaked my curiousity and so this time, instead of picking on the same firm as the last two posts, I'm blogging on Medical Systems, Inc. and Medical Impressions, two "IME" brokers here in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Medical Systems, Inc. website is medicalsystemsusa.com. They hold themselves out as a resource to insurance claims adjusters and corporate defense lawyers. They publish online dates doctors are available for IMEs for the next 3 months, and as can be seen, some Wisconsin doctors have little time to see real patients. Perhaps physicians can make a lot of money doing IMEs for insurance companies and corporate defense lawyers. As of the date of this blog, the current list of Wisconsin physicians being brokered by Medical Systems, Inc. included: Dr. Steven Anderson Dr. Hany Afran Dr. James Agre Dr. Aftab Ansari Dr. Mark Aschliman Dr. Paul Barkhaus Dr. David Bartlett Dr. James Barnett Dr. Stephen Barron Dr. Gita Baruah Dr. Barry Bast Dr. Benjamin Begley Dr. James Berman Dr. Henry Bernstein Dr. David Blake Dr. Crain Bliwas Dr. Robert Braco Dr. Arlene Braker Dr. Russell Brethauer Dr. Fredrik Broekhuizen Leo Bronston (Chiro) Dr. Dennis Brown Dr. Steven Brown Dr. Joseph Burgarino Dr. Robert Buss Dr. Paul Caillier Dr. Paul Cederberg Dr. Gorden Clark Dr. Steven Cohen Dr. Edward Coleman Dr. Gary Conger Dr. Thomas Connor Dr. Curtis Crimmins Dr. Steven Dankle Dr. Omar Darr Dr. Walter Davison Dr. Jack Deckard Dr. John DeGiovanni Dr. Steven Donatello Dr. David Dorman Dr. Thomas Drake Dr. Roy Dunlap Kevin Dunn (Chiro) Dr. William Dzwierzynski Dr. Dennis Elmergreen Dr. Donald Feinsilver Dr. Anthony Ferguson Dr. Marvin Fetter Dr. Bradley Fideler Dr. Richard Fleck Dr. Robert Friedrich Dr. Kimball Fuiks Danny Futch (Chiro) Dr. Eric Gaenslen Dr. Balaraju Gandhavadi Dr. James Gmeiner Dr. Daniel Goeckner Dr. David Goodman Dr. Steven Grindel Dr. Brad Grunert Dr. Gary Guten Dr. Ahmad Haffar Dr. Jerome Hagens Dr. Thomas Hammeke Dr. Jerome Hanson Dr. Gerald Harris Dr. David Haskell Dr. Patrick Healy Dr. Eric Heiligenstein Dr. Bruce Herman Dr. Sidney Herszenson Tony Hielle (Chiro) Dr. Robert Hirschmann Dr. Sang Hong Dr. Jacques Hussussian Mark Jacquette (Chiro) Dr. Subbanna Jayprakash Dr. Richard Karr Dr. Sean Keane Dr. William Kelley Dr. Thomas Kidder Dennis King (Chiro) Dr. Steven Klein Dr. Jennifer Klopfstein Dr. Steven Koenig Dr. Harvey Kohn Dr. John Krebsbach Dr. James Langenkamp Dr. Calvin Langmade Dr. Mark Lanser Dr. Allan Levin Dr. Scott Levin Dr. Stuart Levy Dr. Jonathan Lewis Dr. Michael Lischak Dr. Boyd Lumsden Dr. Thomas Lyons Dr. Daniel Maryland Dr. Hani Matloub Dr. Robert McCabe Dr. Peter Medved Dr. Mark Meier Jay Meverden (Chiro) Dr. Jeffrey Minikel Dr. Aroor Moorthy Dr. Craig Moe Dr. James Mullen Dr. David Nash Robert Newman (Chiro) Dr. Christopher Noonan Dr. Michael Nordstrom Dr. Marc Novom Gregory Nystrom (Chiro) Dr. Ellen O'Brien Dan Olson (Chiro) Dr. Reid Olson Dr. Michael Orth Dr. David Osmon Daniel Page (Chiro) Dr. Douglas Palmer Dr. Steven Pals Dr. Thomas Pietrocarlo Dr. Neal Pollack Dr. Kenneth Robbins Dr. Stephen Robbins Dr. Rajit Saluja Dr. Marvin Sattler Dr. Steven Schnoll Dr. Donald Schuster Dr. James Sehloff Dr. James Self Robert Servias (Chiro) Dr. Andrew Seter Frederick Sheppard (Chiro) Dr. Mysore Shivaram Dr. John Siegert Dr. Jane Sliwinski Dr. Kwang Soo Dr. Morris Soriano Dr. Michael Spierer Dr. Ron Stark Dr. Richard Steliga Dr. Robert Stern Dr. James Stiehl Dr. Cass Terry Dr. David Toivonen Dr. Sridhar Vasudevan Dr. Patrick Walsh Dr. Kevin Weidman Dr. James White Dr. Mark Wikenheiser Dr. Terrence Wilkins Dr. John Williams Dr. Alison Wilmeth Dr. William Wirostko Randall Wojciehoski (D.O.) Dr. Walter Wong Dr. Jeffrey Zigun Dr. Diane Zwicke Medical Impressions website is medicalimpressions.com. They don't publish online dates doctors are available for IMEs. However, they do have the current list of Wisconsin doctors being brokered by Medical Impressions: Allergy Steven Cohen, M.D. Milwaukee Gary Steven, M.D. Milwaukee Anesthesiology Steven Donatello, M.D. Milwaukee Cardiology Syhas Shelgikar, M.D. Milwaukee Melish A. Thompson, M.D. Milwaukee Diane Zwicke, M.D. Milwaukee Chiropractic Kelly Andrews, D.C. Madison Greg Bernard, D.C. Hudson Kevin Dunn, D.C. Milwaukee, Madison, Fond du Lac Gary Fischer, D.C. Onalaska Daniel Futch, D.C. Madison Dane Laughlin, D.C. Superior Craig Martin, D.C. Appleton Jay Meverden, D.C. Wausau Robert Newman, D.C. Milwaukee, Madison Gregory Nystrom, D.C. Appleton, Green Bay, Wausau Daniel Olson, D.C. Madison Robert Servais, D.C. Green Bay Michael Utschig, D.C. Madison Gregory Whitcomb, D.C. Milwaukee Dentistry Jeff Jones, D.D.S. Rice Lake Michael Kowalski, D.D.S. Waukesha Steven Schnoll, D.D.S. Milwaukee Dermatology James Barnett, M.D. Milwaukee Sidney Herszenson, M.D. Milwaukee Donald Schuster, M.D. Madison Ear, Nose & Throat Steven Dankle, M.D. Milwaukee Roy Dunlap, M.D. Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids David Friedland, M.D. Milwaukee Peter Medved, M.D. Milwaukee Michael Nordstrom, M.D. Milwaukee Frederic Schmidt, M.D. Green Bay General Surgery Steward Gifford, M.D. Green Bay William Kelley, M.D. Milwaukee Michael Rainiero, M.D. Janesville Richard Steliga, M.D. Milwaukee Brent Wogahn, M.D. Rice Lake Hand Surgery Jon Cherney, M.D. Appleton Curtis Crimmins, M.D. Milwaukee Andreas Doermann, M.D. Milwaukee William Dzwierzynski, M.D. Milwaukee Steven Grindel, M.D. Milwaukee Boyd Lumsden, M.D. Appleton Hani Matloub, M.D. Milwaukee John Schneider, M.D. Milwaukee John Siegert, M.D. Milwaukee David Toivonen, M.D. Appleton James White, M.D. Milwaukee Terrence Wilkins, M.D. Milwaukee Hematology David Blake, M.D. Milwaukee Infectious Disease David Wagner, M.D. Milwaukee Internal Medicine David Blake, M.D. Milwaukee James Levin, M.D. Madison Reid Olson, M.D. Madison Randal Wojciehoski, D.O. Stevens Point, Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Duluth, Wausau, Green Bay, Appleton, Madison Neurology Paul Barkhaus, M.D. Milwaukee Conrad Nievera, M.D. Milwaukee Mark Novom, M.D. Milwaukee L. Cass Terry, M.D. Milwaukee NeuroPsychology Paul Caillier, Ph.D. Eau Claire NeuroSurgery Jack Deckard, M.D. Milwaukee Steven Delheimer, M.D. Waukesha Yash Pannu, M.D. Milwaukee Marc Soriano, M.D. Madison Occupational Medicine Donald Bodeau, M.D. Eau Claire Michael Borkowski, M.D. Milwaukee, Green Bay Gina Buono, M.D. Milwaukee Robert Braco, M.D. Beloit Scott Dresden, M.D. Burlington David Drury, M.D. Milwaukee, Appleton Andrew Floren, M.D. Eau Claire Brian Harrison, M.D. Appleton Stephen Lindahl, M.D. Janesville John Williams, M.D. Wausau Occupational Therapy Eric Blankenheim, O.T. Appleton Julie Peeters, O.T. Appleton Opthalmology Walter Gager, M.D. Milwaukee James Wise, M.D. Madison Orthopedic Surgery Aftab Ansari, M.D. Green Bay, Milwaukee Mark Aschliman, M.D. Milwaukee Stephen Barron, M.D. Eau Claire, Wausau, Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Madison, LaCrosse David Bartlett, M.D. Madison Paul Cederberg, M.D. Eau Claire, Wausau, Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Madison, LaCrosse Gorden Clark, M.D. Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau, Appleton, Green Bay, Eau Claire, Tomah Roger Daley, M.D. Milwaukee Omar Darr, M.D. Milwaukee Eric Gaenslen, M.D. Milwaukee James Gmeiner, M.D. Appleton Gary Guten, M.D. Milwaukee Jerome Hagens, M.D. Appleton Jacques Hussussian, M.D. Milwaukee, Fond du Lac Roger Johnson, M.D. Milwaukee Richard Karr, M.D. Milwaukee Sean Keane, M.D. Milwaukee Navjot Kohli, M.D. Milwaukee, Madison, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Wausau, Eau Claire James Langenkamp, M.D. Milwaukee Robert McCabe, M.D. Milwaukee Donald Middleton, M.D. Milwaukee Jeffrey Minikel, M.D. Milwaukee Craig Moe, M.D. Milwaukee Christopher Noonan, M.D. Milwaukee Michael Orth, M.D. Madison, Green Bay, Wausau, Eau Claire, Milwaukee Douglas Palmer, M.D. Madison Raj Rao, M.D. Milwaukee Stephen Robbins, M.D. Milwaukee James Rydlewicz, M.D. Milwaukee Rajit Saluja, M.D. Milwaukee James Self, M.D. Madison James Stiehl, M.D. Milwaukee Mark Wikenheiser, M.D. St. Croix Falls Physiatry Dennis Brown, M.D. Milwaukee Steven Kirkhorn, M.D. Marshfield, Wausau Jerome Lerner, M.D. Milwaukee John Revord, M.D. Appleton Sridhar Vasudevan, M.D. Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau, Eau Claire, Green Bay Physical Medicine John Revord, M.D. Appleton Randall Schultz, M.D. Appleton Richard Staehler, M.D. Appleton Robert Zoeller, M.D. Oconomowoc Podiatry Keith Beck, D.P.M. Milwaukee Magali Fournier, D.P.M Wausau Ian Furnes, D.P.M. Fond du Lac, Chilton Randal Wojciehoski, D.O. Milwaukee, Stevens Point, Eau Claire, Duluth, Wausau, Green Bay, Appleton Psychiatry David Black, M.D. Milwaukee Donald Feinsilver, M.D. Milwaukee Brad Grunert, Ph.D. Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Wausau Kenneth Robbins, M.D. Madison Michael Spierer, M.D. Madison Psychiatry (Neuro) Paul Caillier, M.D. Eau Claire Psychology Calvin Langmade, M.D. Milwaukee Pulmonology Steven Brown, M.D. Milwaukee Stuart Levy, M.D. Milwaukee Reid Olson, M.D. Madison James Sehloff, M.D. Madison Linus Santo Tomas, M.D. Milwaukee Radiology Albert Alter, M.D. Madison Rheumatology David Blake, M.D. Milwaukee Urology Elliott Silbar, M.D. Milwaukee Aside from noting how often some Wisconsin doctors appear on Medical Systems, Inc.'s calendar, it's interesting to see how much travelling some physicians are willing to do - as indicated by Medical Impressions "city" designation - just to get IME business from insurance claims adjusters and corporate defense lawyers. Check out Randall Wojciehoski, he appears quite often on the Medical Systems calendars and on Medical Impressions page he'll travel 400 miles going from Duluth, MN to Milwaukee, WI. Randall Wojciehoski also appeared on my Defense "Independent" Medical Examinations and Medical Defense Doctors blogs. Curiously, he also has more areas of expertise than most of the listed Wisconsin IME doctors. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: insurance, lawyers, medical examinations, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 10:57 AMThursday, March 26, 2009 In How many lawyers do you need? I discussed hiring attorneys and lawyer advertising. Now, I'm going to rip a specific form of lawyer advertising, which is the former client or an actor holding a check and saying something like: all I did was call personal injury attorney ____ and I got $____. Those commercials and similar ones make me sick. They make those of us who represent real victims who were badly injured and who respect the legal profession and our civil justice system look like leeches, which may be a fair description for lawyers running those ads, but not for real Wisconsin personal injury lawyers. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: advertising, Best Attorney, lawsuits, lawyers, Milwaukee, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 7:56 PMThursday, March 12, 2009 In a loss for child molesters or those attempting to molest children (and advertising that on the Internet), the Wisconsin Court of Appeals handed down State v John David Ohlinger, 2008AP135. Ohlinger's horrific personal legal history can be see (partially) on Wisconsin's Circuit Court Access. In any event, the Ohlinger decisions upholds Wisconsin law, which allows police to listen to any phone conversation as long as one party consents to the police listening. If the person consenting to the police listening happens to also be a police officer (rather than a private citizen), that doesn't matter as long as they are a party to the phone call. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 2:46 PMMonday, March 02, 2009 Saw an outstanding Wisconsin employment discrimination lawyer today and one topic was a personal injury attorney who boasts about the size of his law firm. The discrimination attorney (who's firm has about 10 employees or so) said overhead would concern him there and I've always had issues with unusually large personal injury firms. One concern I've had in Milwaukee is that personal injury lawyers use paid advertising excessively adding to overhead and causing some injury firms to need thousands of clients. At a certain point, partners in these firms lose the ability to see to it that paralegals and lawyers give top level service even if named partners are great lawyers. The next thing that may happen is that associate lawyers feel a need to bring in money and then because they have hundreds of clients at a time, these injury atttorneys settle cases cheaply, which may turn a law firm into a personal injury mill. I don't know the perfect way how to hire a Wisconsin personal injury lawyer, but I gave direction in Wisconsin personal injury Super Lawyers too. Let me add, that unlike Milwaukee's corporate law firms (e.g. Michael Best, Reinhart, Whyte) where companies need lots of "specialists" (e.g. real estate, regulation, intellectual property, tax, etc.), personal injury clients don't. Rarely, if ever, will an injured party need more than two lawyers at any one injury law firm, so you really shouldn't care "how big" a firm is or "how many" lawyers such a firm has, only whether the one or two attorneys you hire are the ones you're willing to live with for your personal injury case. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: advertising, lawyers, Milwaukee, Super Lawyers, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 3:23 PMTuesday, February 24, 2009 Wisconsin's insurance corporations are so afraid of losing profits over Governor Doyle's Car Insurance Proposal that the companies are attempting to make employees email and phone all members of the Wisconsin State Assembly and Wisconsin State Senate. If you want to get fair car insurance coverage, then call the Legislative Hotline at (608) 266-9960 or (800) 362-9472 and tell your State Representative and State Senator to make sure that the TRUTH IN AUTO INSURANCE PROVISIONS are included in the budget. I haven't done any new research but I blogged about American Family's $564,400,000.00 (Five-Hundred-Sixty-Four-Million-Four-Hundred-Thousand-Dollars) profits and AIG's Greenberg's $4,400,000,000.00 (Four-Billion-Four-Hundred-Million-Dollars). Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer posted by Frank Pasternak | 12:15 PM Monday, February 23, 2009 In 1995, insurance companies in the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance conned state legislators and the governor into believing that if they changed the law Wisconsin citizens would pay less in car insurance rates. Well, the bill became law and car insurance rates never went up. Oh, does that sound to good to be true? Exactly. What really happened was that Wisconsin citizens LOST many rights they had under their insurance policies and of course, car insurance rates WENT UP. Here are WIA's members: A I G Allied Insurance Allstate Insurance American Family Insurance Ameriprise Auto & Home Ins Auto Club Insurance Assn Badger Mutual Insurance Capitol Indemnity Corp C N A Church Mutual Insurance CUNA Mutual Insurance Group Farmers Insurance 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Co General Reinsurance Corp Kemper Auto & Home Germantown Mutual Insurance Homestead Mutual Insurance Co Integrity Mutual Insurance Ixonia Mutual Insurance Co Jewelers Mutual Insurance League of Wisc Municipalities Mutual Liberty Mutual Group Manitowoc Mutual Insurance Maple Valley Mutual Insurance McMillan/Warner Mutual Ins Mount Morris Mutual Nationwide Indemnity Old Republic Surety Co Partners Mutual Insurance Co ProAssurance Progressive Northern Insurance Cos QBE Regional/General Casualty Racine County Mutual Insurance Co Rural Mutual Insurance Co SECURA Insurance Sentry Insurance S F M Sheboygan Falls Insurance Society Insurance State Auto Insurance Cos State Farm Insurance Sugar Creek Mutual Insurance Co Travelers United Wisconsin Insurance Co Waukesha Cty Mutual Insurance WEA Property & Casualty Co West Bend Mutual Insurance Western National Mutual Ins Co Wilson Mutual Insurance Wisconsin American Mutual Insurance Co Wisconsin Assn of Mutual Insurance Cos Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Co Wisconsin Mutual Insurance Co Wisconsin Reinsurance Corp Recall Insurance Company Tricks and my recent Car Insurance post. The Governor's bill, which is in the budget, reverses the insurance companies' 1995 nonsense giving back Wisconsin citizens the rights that were taken away and raises car insurance limits from the 25-year-old $25,000 minimum to $100,000. Who's looking out for you? It's not Wisconsin’s property and casualty insurers. Here, it is absolutely Governor Doyle! Contact your legislator and let him or her know that you SUPPORT Governor Doyle's Truth in Auto Insurance Law. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: AIG, Allstate, American Family, car accidents, Consumers, insurance, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, Sentry, State Farm, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 5:22 PMFriday, February 20, 2009 Blunt v. Medtronic, 2009 WI 16, is another bad example of how the U.S. Supreme Court has screwed up products liability law for consumers. Blunt is likely consistent with the litany of horrific decisions from federal courts, but the result is simply unfair to consumers. Bottom line, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that this personal injury case was preempted because the FDA approved a defective product that Medtronic effectively recalled. Yeah, that's great, let's assume that the FDA always gets it right and bar consumers from suing for injuries received from an "approved" product even after the manufacturer has essentially admitted the product was bad. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: Consumers, corporate america, lawsuits, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 11:27 PMWednesday, February 18, 2009 In the past I talked about Wisconsin personal injury attorneys sending letters to recent car accident victims, similar Wisconsin law firm's letters, and accident lawyers who post about recent accidents. In the newest twist, NY injury attorney Eric Turkewitz talks about the ethics of personal injury lawyers creating Flight 3407 related websites and buying related Google Adwords in Flight 3407 (Buffalo Crash) Web Site Established By Law Firm (Contravening Ethics Rules?) and DC Firm Jumps Into Cyber-Solicitation Fray, Chasing Buffalo Air Crash Clients. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: advertising, airplane crashes, lawsuits, lawyers posted by Frank Pasternak | 11:05 PMThursday, February 12, 2009 According to this report from the Governors Highway Safety Association, Wisconsin car accident deaths were down 20% in 2008 from the year prior. This article from the Wall Street Journal explains that nationally car accident deathss were down about 10% in 2008. Interestingly, the WSJ article sets forth various speculative reasons for the decrease, including the fact that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety uses "the power of shame to push car makers to beef up their designs for crash-worthiness." What about the power of product liability lawsuits holding car manufacturers responsible for failing to incorporate reasonable crashworthy designs? Not that I'd expect the WSJ to ever give personal injury lawyers any credit for positive change. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: car accidents, Consumers, corporate america, lawsuits, Wisconsin, wrongful death posted by Frank Pasternak | 9:40 PMWednesday, February 11, 2009 Forbes caught my attention today with Most Dangerous Vehicles Of 2009. The vehicles listed were the Chevy Aveo, Chevy Colorado, Chevy Trailblazer, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Dodge Nitro, Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, GMC Envoy, Hummer H3, Hyundai Accent, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Wrangler, Kia Rio, Mazda B Series, Nissan Frontier, and Suzuki Equator. Wisconsin Car Accident Lawyer Labels: car accidents, Consumers posted by Frank Pasternak | 11:37 AMWednesday, February 04, 2009 President Obama wants to limit certain CEO's pay to $500,000 so I'm wondering now how Wall Street likes caps now. Wall Street CEOs like ex-AIG man Hank Greenberg and the Wall Street rag are always asking for tort reform and love CAPS on personal injury damages! Wisconsin has caps in nearly all wrongful death, medical malpractice, and municipality cases. Citizens here usually aren't aware how the caps effect them - until they or someone close to them is injured or killed. For example, the cap on all damages in many personal injury cases against Wisconsin municipalities is $50,000. How fair is that? It's not; it's total garbage. Wall Street now is on the receiving end of caps. An arbitrary number chosen by politicians limiting their right to compensation. I think it's wrong too, but I wonder if Wall Street recognizes how unfair caps are - in personal injury cases. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: corporate america, tort reform posted by Frank Pasternak | 10:09 AMWednesday, January 28, 2009 Wisconsin's Supreme Court issued Noffke v. Bakke yesterday and it's been discussed in the news, Wall Street Journal's Blog, and by legal professors, Legal Profession Blog and Sports Law Blog. The Blogosphere discussion seems to focus on cheerleading as a contact sport, which I'm sure law scholars can debate ad infinitum. Simple lawyers like me though wonder, why didn't a jury get to decide whether this fellow cheerleader and school district acted reasonably? I ask that rhetorically because I know the reason is because a prior Wisconsin legislature and governor decided to give IMMUNITY. Noffke v. Bakke shows two types of immunity statutes in Wisconsin - governmental immunity (school districts, cities, villages, etc.) and recreational immunity (certain sports, activities, etc.). In my opinion, immunity laws are a horrible form of tort reform, which occurs too often in Wisconsin personal injury law. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: Consumers, lawsuits, lawyers, tort reform, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 1:29 PMThursday, January 22, 2009 In a prior post, I explained how federal agencies can and have been used to strip Americans of legal rights. In Revival of Justice: What Obama's DoJ appointees should do first, Yale Law School's Judith Resnik sets forth some ideas for the new administration to revive true justice. The highlights from my perspective are:
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: Consumers, corporate america, lawsuits, lawyers, tort reform posted by Frank Pasternak | 7:27 AMThursday, January 15, 2009 UnitedHealth Care through an outfit called Ingenix allegedly engaged in some insurance company behaviors I've mentioned. So it settled the lawsuit relating to that paying $350,000,000.00 to resolve class action lawsuits and $50,000,000.00 to the NY AG. I found one interesting aspect of such lawsuits to be the hypocrisy of doctors bringing the cases since they are typically the ones seeking to limit your rights in medical malpractice litigation. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: Consumers, doctors, insurance, lawsuits, tort reform posted by Frank Pasternak | 4:02 PMSunday, January 04, 2009 Almost missed posting on this well done piece. Unbeknowst to many Americans, sometimes an administrator at some federal agency can strip them of their rights. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: corporate america, tort reform posted by Frank Pasternak | 1:00 PMWednesday, December 17, 2008 Today's news had a scary story about how the bad economy is causing drivers to let their car insurance lapse. On my firm's web site, we talk about Wisconsin Car Insurance & Umbrella FAQs. In light of today's news, I can't impress on you enough the urgent need to have Uninsured Motorist Coverage (“UM”) as well as Underinsured Motorist Coverage (“UIM”) in case you are in a Wisconsin car accident (or car accident elsewhere for that matter). I've seen some horrible car accident injuries and the worst accidents are very frequently caused by someone who has minimal car insurance limits of say $25,000 or $50,000. Often my clients think their agent gave them "full coverage," but that's far from true. UM and UIM car insurance protects you! Buy it for yourself to protect you from Wisconsin drivers who have no car insurance or little car insurance. I tell friends to carry UM and UIM car insurance limits of at least $250,000. With the increased cost of medical car and horrible changes in Wisconsin law (lobbied for by companies like American Family, State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, Sentry, etc.), limits of $100,000 are not enough. In fact, if your family income is more than $100,000, it certainly makes sense to have an umbrella insurance policy with UM and UIM coverage for $1,000,000 or $2,000,000. Why so much? If your family is driving to Grandma's for Christmas and an uninsured driver crosses the center line and hits you head on, which I've seen, you can easily have insurance claims that amount to $1,000,000 or $2,000,000. And if such a horrific car accident should happen, don't trust the good hands of your insurer to pay your family fairly because as Allstate Claims Manual shows those represented by personal injury lawyers settle claims for about 3 times more than those who do not have reputable personal injury lawyers. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: AIG, Allstate, American Family, car accidents, insurance, lawyers, Nationwide, Progressive, Sentry, State Farm, USAA, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 8:56 PMTuesday, December 16, 2008 Wisconsin has a severe problem with drunk driving and to reduce that problem, Wisconsin is considering interlocking systems. Clearly, this is a good idea to prevent Wisconsin car accidents and wrongful deaths. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: car accidents, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 3:38 PMTuesday, December 02, 2008 U.S. PIRG is a federation of state Public Interest Research Groups that stands up for our health and well-being addressing issues involving product safety, prescription drugs and other consumer issues. It recently published two papers that are quite informational for those shopping for toys during Christmas: Toy Shopping Guide and Trouble In Toyland: The 23rd Annual Survey of Toy Safety. The basic theme is "buyer beware" as dangerous toys are still sold in stores across the country. Toys sent more than 80,000 children under 5 to emergency rooms in 2007 for serious injuries causing 18 deaths. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: Consumers posted by Frank Pasternak | 7:50 PMSunday, November 30, 2008 Wisconsin car accidents make up the majority of my law firm's personal injury practice and car accidents on Bluemound and Mayfair roads in Brookfield, Milwaukee, and Wauwatosa are frequently a part of that practice. So when I saw the article Avoiding a holiday crash on Mayfair Road, it caught my attention. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: car accidents, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 8:53 AMSaturday, November 22, 2008 Super Lawyers published its list of the best lawyers in Wisconsin, which you may find in the December, 2008 Milwaukee Magazine. The list tries to identify the top 5% of all Wisconsin lawyers and its Rising Stars list tries to identify the top 2.5% of Wisconsin attorneys under age 40. Fortunately, this Wisconsin personal injury attorney and my partner Jeff Zirgibel are listed again as Super Lawyers. I previously wrote on how to hire a personal injury lawyer and consider a Super Lawyers designation another tool for finding a personal injury attorney. With respect to the Super Lawyers list, keep in mind that many lawyers making the list make it for a reason other than their plaintiff's personal injury practice and may not do such litigation exclusively. All are Wisconsin lawyers but many practice in other areas and the list below includes attorneys practicing plaintiff’s personal injury law and possibly in one or more of the following areas: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate, Business/Corporate, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation Defense, Civil Rights/First Amendment, Criminal Defense, DUI/DWI, Employee Benefits/ERISA, Employment & Labor, Estate Planning & Probate, Family Law, General Litigation, Government/Cities/Municipalities, Immigration, Personal Injury Defense, Social Security Disability, and Workers' Compensation. Thus, conduct your investigation to find out if the lawyer you find is actually a good criminal lawyer (voted a Super Lawyer due to that) or whether they are truly a Wisconsin personal injury lawyer. Finally, keep in mind, that some lawyers listed are there because they are under 40 years old, Rising Stars. Since more than two lawyers nearly never handle a particular personal injury case or trial, I thought it was important first to identify the Wisconsin law firms having two or more Super Lawyers listing plaintiff’s personal injury as at least part of the firm’s practice: Aiken & Scoptur SC, Milwaukee Anderson, O'Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, Stevens Point Atterbury & Kammer, S.C., Middleton Axley Brynelson, LLP, Madison Bye, Goff, Rohde & Skow Ltd., River Falls Cannon & Dunphy SC, Brookfield DeWitt Ross & Stevens SC, Madison End, Hierseman & Crain LLC, Milwaukee Gass Weber Mullins LLC, Milwaukee Gingras, Cates & Luebke, S.C., Madison Habush Habush & Rottier SC, Various Hale, Skemp, Hanson, Skemp & Sleik, La Crosse Herrling Clark Law Firm Ltd, Appleton Jacquart & Lowe SC, Milwaukee Lawton & Cates, SC, Madison Meier, Wickhem, Lyons & Schulz SC, Janesville Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee Peterson, Berk & Cross SC, Appleton Pasternak & Zirgibel, SC, Brookfield Previant, Goldberg, Uelmen, Gratz, Miller & Brueggeman SC, Milwaukee Schoone, Leuck, Kelley, Pitts & Knurr, S.C., Racine Warshafsky, Rotter, Tarnoff & Bloch, SC, Milwaukee The following Wisconsin law firms have one Super Lawyer and at least one Rising Star (under 40) listing plaintiff’s personal injury as at least part of the firm’s practice: Curtis Law Office, Oshkosh Domnitz & Skemp, S.C., Milwaukee Fitzpatrick, Blackey & Associates LLC, La Crosse Fox & Fox SC, Monona Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, Milwaukee Laufenberg & Hoefle SC, Milwaukee Liebmann, Conway, Olejniczak & Jerry SC, Green Bay Menn Law Firm, Ltd., Appleton Pitman, Kyle & Sicula SC, Milwaukee Truth be told, you could do ALOT worse than researching and interviewing some of the above 30 law firms to help with your personal injury case. Of course, I'd like you to interview these Wisconsin personal injury attorneys. Finally, here is a list of all the 2008 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars (under 40) listing plaintiff’s personal injury as at least part of their practice: Victor M. Arellano Lee R. Atterbury Charles W. Averbeck Bruce R. Bachhuber John A. Becker Brian P. Beisenstein Joseph J. Beisenstein Robert E. Bellin, Jr. Keith A. Belzer Avram D. Berk Thomas W. Bertz Gerald J. Bloch Steven T. Botzau Larry B. Brueggeman George Burnett C.M. Bye John C. Cabaniss Steven M. Cain Kelly L. Centofanti William M. Cannon Kent I. Carnell John L. Cates Craig A. Christensen John D. Claypool Keith R. Clifford Patrick J. Coffey Terence R. Collins Byron B. Conway Shawn R. Crain Robert D. Crivello Rodney L. Cubbie George W. Curtis, Jr. Jane Cuthbert Christine Davies D'Angelo Bruce M. Davey Michael R. Davis M. Angela Dentice Frank M. Doherty Merrick R. Domnitz Christopher A. Duesing Patrick O. Dunphy Brett A. Eckstein Gregory J. Egan J. Michael End Eric A. Farnsworth Laurence J. Fehring David J. Fitzpatrick Tom Fitzpatrick Thomas J. Flanagan Pamela Wiza Flores Alex Flynn Michael R. Fox Peter J. Fox Paul V. Gagliardi James W. Gardner Eugene A. Gasiorkiewicz J. Ric Gass Michael W. Gill Robert J. Gingras Steven B. Goff Russell T. Golla Jonathan P. Groth D. Michael Guerin Robert L. Habush Charles E. Hanson Victor C. Harding Michael F. Hart Webster A. Hart C. Michael Hausman Michael M. Hayes Jerome A. Hierseman Ann S. Jacobs Paul R. Jacquart James R. Jansen Thomas J. Janssen Robert L. Jaskulski Michael J. Jassak James A. Johnson Alexander S. Kammer David B. Karp Robert J. Kasieta Kenan J. Kersten Timothy S. Knurr Jason Knutson Kevin J. Kukor Dean P. Laing Lynn R. Laufenberg Michael L. Laufenberg Thadd J. Llaurado Kevin Lonergan David P. Lowe Michael J. Luebke Theodore V. Lyons, Jr. Craig Mastantuono Robert A. Mich, Jr. Leah M. Michaelson-Link Mark J. Mingo Thomas J. Misfeldt Gerald W. Mowris Thomas K. Mullins Jason R. Oldenburg James A. Olson Robert A. Parsons Frank T. Pasternak Mark A. Pennow Ricardo Perez John C. Peterson Jeffrey A. Pitman James A. Pitts Kenneth C. Pletcher Don C. Prachthauser Ken Quincey Jacob R. Reis Jason S. Richard Michael Riley F. William Russo J. Drew Ryberg Werner Erich Scherr Charles D. Schmidt Raymond E. Schrank, II Jacob L. Schrinsky Paul J. Scoptur Michael S. Siddall Anthony J. Skemp Ardell W. Skow Marie A. Stanton Christopher J. Stawski Phillip M. Steans Susan R. Steingass Charles F. Stierman Jamie Stock-Retzloff Heath P. Straka Christopher L. Strohbehn Brenda K. Sunby David E. Sunby Michael I. Tarnoff Ralph J. Tease, Jr. Willard P. Techmeier Frank R. Terschan Mark L. Thomsen Timothy S. Trecek Jay A. Urban Edward J. Vopal Benjamin S. Wagner William J. Waltenberger John Walsh Ted M. Warshafsky David H. Weber D.J. Weis Robert J. Welcenbach Daniel D. Whetter James D. Wickhem Geoffrey D. Wilber Gregory R. Wright Mark S. Young Jeffrey R. Zirgibel Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: advertising, Best Attorney, lawyers, Milwaukee Magazine, Rising Stars, Super Lawyers, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 8:13 PMWednesday, November 12, 2008  I've blogged on insurance companies discussing their ways, but a new report from the American Association for Justice formalizes and confirms some of what I've said. Check out Tricks of the Trade.Here's the executive summary (minus the footnotes) of behaviors: "The U.S. insurance industry has trillions of dollars in assets, enjoys average profits of over $30 billion a year, and pays its CEOs more than any other industry. But insurance companies still engage in dirty tricks and unethical behavior to boost their bottom line even further. The current economic turmoil affecting the insurance industry onWall Street has only made the outlook bleaker for consumers living on Main Street. Insurance companies are likely to demand huge rate hikes and refuse more claims than ever. Some of America’s most well-known insurance companies—the same ones that spend billions on advertising to earn your trust—have endeavored to deny claims, delay payments, confuse consumers with incomprehensible insurance-speak, and retroactively refuse anyone who may cost them money. This report describes some of the most egregious ways the insurance industry attempts to make money at the expense of consumers. These are some of the tricks of the trade: Denying Claims Some of the nation’s biggest insurance companies—Allstate, AIG, and State Farm among others—have denied valid claims in an attempt to boost their bottom lines. These companies have rewarded employees who successfully denied claims, replaced employees who would not, and when all else failed, engaged in outright fraud to avoid paying claims. Delaying Until Death Many insurance companies routinely delay claims, knowing full well that many policyholders will simply away in safes. Undoubtedly, the most shameful use of delay tactics has been by long-term care insurers, who often take advantage of their policyholders’ age and ill health. In the words of one regulator, "the bottom line is that insurance companies make money when they don’t pay claims…They’ll do anything to avoid paying, because if they wait long enough, they know the policyholders will die." Confusing Consumers Insurance contracts are some of the most dense and incomprehensible contracts a consumer is ever likely to see. More than half of all states have enacted "plain English" laws for consumer contracts, yet many Americans still do not fully understand the risks they are subject to. After Hurricane Katrina, insurance companies used obscure "anti-concurrent" clauses to get out of paying claims. Consumers who purchased hurricane insurance and thought they were covered suddenly found the coverage eliminated by an obscure clause they could not hope to understand. Discriminating by Credit Score Increasingly, insurance companies are using credit reports to dictate the premiums consumers pay, or whether they can even get insurance in the first place. The practice penalizes the poor, senior citizens with little credit, and those who have suffered financial crisis through no fault of their own. Insurance companies have denied fiscally responsible people who paid their bills in cash, but refused renewals because of a lack of credit history. Others have seen auto rate hikes near 600 percent despite clean driving records after falling on economic troubles. Abandoning the Sick Health insurers looking to cut costs have taken to canceling retroactively, or rescinding, the policies of people whose conditions have become expensive to treat. Some insurance companies have even offered bonuses to employees who meet "cancellation goals." Rescission targets patients in the midst of treatment when they are at their most vulnerable—even cancer patients in the midst of chemotherapy have been targeted. Canceling for a Call Many people are rightly reluctant to make small claims on their home insurance for fear their insurance company will raise their premiums. But few realize that insurance companies often refuse to renew a policy because the policyholder did as little as inquire about the possibility of making a claim. Many times an insurance company will count an inquiry over the phone as the same as a claim, and then they will do everything in their power to drop the policyholder." Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: AIG, Allstate, American Family, Consumers, insurance, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, Progressive, Sentry, State Farm, USAA posted by Frank Pasternak | 12:57 PMTuesday, November 11, 2008 A while back I blogged on defense medical examinations, which defense lawyers and insurance companies love to call "independent", and I referred to one company's schedule of medical examiners posting it's October-November 2006 schedule. Here are three recent schedules from the company's website for the lawyer looking for info: "October/November 2008 *** Appleton / Green Bay / Oshkosh / Neenah October 20, 2008 Thomas W. Schueppert, M.D. – Ortho. Foot & Ankle Surgeon October 27, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 29, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon October 29, 2008 Ellen O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 3, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 3, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist November 7, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab November 7, 2008 Randal Wojciehoski, D.O., DPM – Internal/ER Med./Podiatry November 10, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 10, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 11, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 12, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon November 17, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 18, 2008 William R. Klemme, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 18, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 20, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 25, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon December 5, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab Dec. 12 & 15, 2008 Michael R. Nordstrom, M.D. – Otolaryngology December 16, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for dates Gregory Nystrom, D.C. – Chiropractor Call for dates Brad K. Grunert, Ph.D. – Psychology Lakewood Call for dates William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Duluth, MN(Superior) October 24, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 3, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon November 18, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon December 1, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon Eau Claire October 22, 2008 Ellen O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 25, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 6, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 13, 2008 David A. Solfelt, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 13, 2008 Gilbert Westreich, M.D. – Neurology November 14, 2008 Daniel P. Lochmann, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 17, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 19, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon November 20, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon December 5, 2008 William T. Monacci, M.D. – Neurosurgeon December 9, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon Kenosha November 25, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon LaCrosse/Tomah October 24, 2008 Michael G. Wirth, D.C. - Chiropractor October 24, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon November 21, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon December 1, 2008 Paul L. Liebert, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon December 5, 2008 Daniel P. Lochmann, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon December 19, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon Madison October 20, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist October 27, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 29, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon October 29, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 29, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 3, 2008 David A. Solfelt, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 3, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 8, 2008 Thomas J. O’Brien, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Spine Specialist November 14, 2008 John S. Xenos, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 14, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab November 17, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Upper Extremity November 26, 2008 Morris M. Soriano, M.D. – Neurosurgeon December 5, 2008 John S. Xenos, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon December 8, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Upper Extremity Call for dates Michael R. Nordstrom, M.D. – Otolaryngology Call for dates David H. Bartlett, M.D. – Ortho Surgeon – Knees & Shoulders Call for dates James E. Self, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for dates Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon Call for dates Dan B. Futch, D.C. – Chiropractor Milwaukee October 27, 2008 Steven I. Grindel, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Upper Extremity October 27, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 28, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon November 4, 2008 Timothy S. O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 4, 2008 Randal Wojciehoski, D.O., DPM – Internal/ER Med./Podiatry November 6, 2008 Steven P. Friedel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 7, 2008 Thomas J. O’Brien, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Spine Specialist November 11, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine November 12, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 13, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon November 15, 2008 John S. Xenos, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 17, 2008 J. Christopher Noonan, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 24, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon December 6, 2008 John S. Xenos, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon December 17, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for dates J. Jay Goodman, M.D. – General/Vascular Surgeon Call for dates Gary N. Guten, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon – Knee Specialist Call for dates Mark R. Aschliman, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for dates Anthony A. Ferguson, M.D. – Ortho Surgeon - Foot/Ankle Call for dates Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist Call for dates Michael R. Nordstrom, M.D. – Otolaryngology Call for dates Steven Donatello, M.D. – Pain Management Plainfield November 18, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine Wausau/Stevens Point October 22, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon October 24, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab October 25, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 29, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist November 7, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 17, 2008 William R. Klemme, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 18, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 18, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine November 19, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon November 20, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon November 21, 2008 David A. Solfelt, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon December 5, 2008 Michael G. Wirth, D.C. - Chiropractor December 6, 2008 William T. Monacci, M.D. – Neurosurgeon December 12, 2008 Michael R. Nordstrom, M.D. - Otolaryngology December 15, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon" "September / October 2008 ***NORTHERN ILLINOIS IME’s ILLINOIS/Chicago Metro IME APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE September 17, 2008 Jeffrey T. Behr, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for dates Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for dates Paul D. Belich, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for dates Steven C. Delheimer, M.D. – Neurosurgeon Call for dates Norman Kohn, M.D. – Neurologist Call for dates Scott A. Kale, M.D. – Internal Medicine Appleton / Green Bay / Oshkosh / Neenah September 4, 2008 Steven P. Friedel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 8, 2008 Michael C. Reineck, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 9, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 10, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 12, 2008 Michael G. Wirth, D.C. – Chiropractor September 15, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist September 17, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon September 24, 2008 Ellen O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 25, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon September 27, 2008 Steven P. Friedel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 29, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 3, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 7, 2008 William R. Klemme, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 7, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 13, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 14, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 21, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 22, 2008 William T. Monacci, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 29, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon Lakewood Call for dates William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Duluth, MN(Superior) September 2, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon September 17, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 7, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon October 24, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Eau Claire September 2, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 8, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 10, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon September 15, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon September 19, 2008 Daniel P. Lochmann, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 23, 2008 John M. Williams, Sr., M.D. – Occupational Medicine September 27, 2008 Ellen O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 30, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 7, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 16, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon October 22, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 22, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon Kenosha September 23, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon LaCrosse/Tomah September 6, 2008 Ellen O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 24, 2008 Paul L. Liebert, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 26, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 24, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon October - call Daniel P. Lochmann, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Madison September 12, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 15, 2008 Michael C. Reineck, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 17, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 17, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon September 20, 2008 Thomas J. O’Brien, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Spine Specialist September 24, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist September 25, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon September 26, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine October 1, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 1, 2008 Morris M. Soriano, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 10, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab October 14, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 14, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine October 15, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 16, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 29, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon Call for Dates David H. Bartlett, M.D. – Ortho Surgeon – Knees & Shoulders Call for Dates James E. Self, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for Dates Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon Call for Dates Dan B. Futch, D.C. - Chiropractor Milwaukee September 11, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 18, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon September 19, 2008 Thomas J. O’Brien, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Spine Specialist September 22, 2008 Michael C. Reineck, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 24, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 24, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon September 30, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 2, 2008 Steven P. Friedel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 8, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 13, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 15, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 20, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine October 22, 2008 William T. Monacci, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 29, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for Dates J. Jay Goodman, M.D. – General/Vascular Surgeon Call for Dates Gary N. Guten, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon – Knee Specialist Call for Dates Mark R. Aschliman, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for Dates Anthony A. Ferguson, M.D. – Ortho Surgeon - Foot/Ankle Plainfield September 23, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine October 13, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine Wausau September 3, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon September 10, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon September 16, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon October 1, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 6, 2008 William R. Klemme, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 13, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 15, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon October 18, 2008 Steven P. Friedel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon October 21, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab October 22, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon October 23, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon October 29, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist" "May/June 2008 *** Appleton / Green Bay / Oshkosh / Neenah May 3, 2008 Steven P. Friedel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 7, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist May 14, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon May 15, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 15, 2008 William B. Kelley, M.D. – General Surgeon May 23, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab May 27, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 29, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon May 29, 2008 William R. Klemme, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 30, 2008 William T. Monacci, M.D. – Neurosurgeon June 2, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 6, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab June 7, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 9, 2008 Steven P. Friedel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 10, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 10, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 16, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 23, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 24, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon July 1, 2008 William R. Klemme, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon July 3, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Lakewood Call for dates William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Duluth, MN(Superior) May 5, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon May 16, 2008 Randal Wojciehoski, D.O., DPM – Internal/ER Medicine/Podiatry May 20, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 2, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon June 24, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Eau Claire May 5, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 8, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 9, 2008 Daniel P. Lochmann, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 10, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May21, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon May 22, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon May 28, 2008 Ellen O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 4, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 4, 2008 Randal Wojciehoski, D.O., DPM – Internal/ER Medicine/Podiatry June 7, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 9, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon June 12, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon June 18, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon June 20, 2008 Daniel P. Lochmann, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 30, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Kenosha – NEW LOCATION May 19, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon LaCrosse/Tomah May 21, 2008 Ellen O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 30, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 13, 2008 Daniel P. Lochmann, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 27, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon Madison May 5, 2008 David A. Solfelt, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 6, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 14, 2008 Morris M. Soriano, M.D. – Neurosurgeon May 14, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 16, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 19, 2008 David A. Solfelt, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 21, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon May 29, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon May 29, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine June 3, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 4, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist June 11, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 13, 2008 John S. Xenos, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 13, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab June 21, 2008 Thomas J. O’Brien, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Spine Specialist Call for Dates David H. Bartlett, M.D. – Ortho Surgeon – Knees & Shoulders Call for Dates James E. Self, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for Dates Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon Call for Dates Dan B. Futch, D.C. - Chiropractor Milwaukee May 12, 2008 Steven I. Grindel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 12, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 14, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 15, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon May 19, 2008 J. Christopher Noonan, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 19, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon May 20, 2008 William D. Moore, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 20, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 27, 2008 Timothy S. O’Brien, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 31, 2008 William T. Monacci, M.D. – Neurosurgeon June 6, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 7, 2008 Steven P. Friedel, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 9, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 9, 2008 Mark R. Aschliman, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 14, 2008 John S. Xenos, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 17, 2008 Thomas W. Grossman, Jr., M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 20, 2008 Thomas J. O’Brien, M.D. – Ortho. Surgeon/Spine Specialist July 7, 2008 J. Christopher Noonan, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for Dates J. Jay Goodman, M.D. – General/Vascular Surgeon Call for Dates Gary N. Guten, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon – Knee Specialist Call for Dates Mark R. Aschliman, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon Call for Dates Anthony A. Ferguson, M.D. – Ortho Surgeon - Foot/Ankle Plainfield June 26, 2008 James C. Foster, M.D., MPH – Occupational Medicine Wausau May 6, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 9, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 10, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 22, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon May 22, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon May 28, 2008 William R. Klemme, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon May 30, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab June 5, 2008 Stephen E. Barron, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 7, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon June 9, 2008 Thomas A. Lyons, M.D. – Neurosurgeon June 11, 2008 Michael A. Weiner, M.D. – Plastic/Hand Surgeon June 16, 2008 Marc J. Novom, M.D. – Neurologist June 19, 2008 Paul A. Cederberg, M.D. - Orthopedic Surgeon June 27, 2008 Sridhar V. Vasudevan, M.D. – Physical Medicine & Rehab June 30, 2008 William R. Klemme, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon July 1, 2008 Michael W. Orth, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon July 12, 2008 Kevin J. Kulwicki, M.D. – Orthopedic Surgeon" One last interesting thing is the company's Printable Request for Service Form - Liability/No-Fault/Personal Injury. If I were deposing one of these doctors, I'd certainly want to see a copy of the one completed by the insurance defense lawyer. Here's the "SPECIFIC ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED" questions the defense lawyer fills out by checking a box next to the applicable number(s) on the personal injury form: "1. Diagnosis: Please give your impression of the injury or condition claimed as a result of the accident in question. Have the correct diagnoses been made and are they supported by the objective findings? 2. Causation: Are the above-described diagnoses medically causally related to the accident or injury in question? 3. Other Conditions: Please note any pre-existing injuries or conditions. Are any of these affecting the claimant’s recovery from the injuries or conditions alleged as a result of the accident or injury in question? 4. Apportionment: If the accident in question is only partially contributing to the current condition, please indicate and apportion the current condition between this accident and other conditions or events. 5. Past Treatment: Has treatment to date been reasonable and necessary as it relates to the accident or injury in question? 6. Future Treatment: Is future medical treatment necessary as a result of the accident or injury in question? If yes, please specify the type, frequency, and duration of the suggested treatment(s) along with your prognosis. 7. Healing Period: Has the claimant reached an end of healing, maximum medical improvement, or pre-injury status as it relates to the accident or injury in question? If yes, please indicate the date it was reached. If no, please indicate when it can be anticipated. 8. Work Restrictions: Is the claimant capable of working? Please describe temporary or permanent work restrictions, if any, necessary as a result of the accident or injury in question. 9. Daily Living Activities: Is the claimant capable of performing activities of daily living? Please describe the limitations, if any, that exist as a result of the accident or injury in question. 10. Permanence of Injury: Has the accident or injury resulted in any permanent impairment? If yes, please provide your opinion as to the nature and extent of this impairment and rationale to support your opinion." Once a box is checked, what do you think the doctor writes in the "IME" report? Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: doctors, insurance, medical examinations posted by Frank Pasternak | 12:15 PMWednesday, August 13, 2008  I saw this from the American Association for Justice and it says what you need to know about Allstate and car accident insurers listed as the worst insurers, like Farmers, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. I might add Progressive, American Family and Sentry Insurance. Car accident insurance companies really want: ~ Premiums not claims ~ To deter valid lawsuits ~ The public to think lawsuits are bogus ~ You to feel guilty for making legitimate claims ~ You to say "I'm not the kind of person who files a lawsuit" ~ Jurors to think plaintiffs are dishonest ~ Your rights minimized and theirs preserved ~ Verdicts for damages to be less than fair ~ Caps on damages ~ And judges who won't hold them accountable. Labels: AIG, Allstate, American Family, car accidents, Consumers, insurance, lawsuits, lawyers, Nationwide, Progressive, Sentry, State Farm, tort reform, USAA, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 9:47 AMSunday, July 13, 2008 No surprise here that Allstate tops the list of the Worst Insurers for Consumers. Among others listed are Farmers, Liberty Mutual, and State Farm. The report described in the news article confirms much of what I've said about insurers. Buyer beware. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: Allstate, car accidents, insurance, Liberty Mutual, State Farm posted by Frank Pasternak | 7:44 PMFriday, May 30, 2008 Allstate cuts deal on excess charges in Texas, insureds come last and profits come first. Not a surprise. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer posted by Frank Pasternak | 1:25 PM Thursday, January 17, 2008 Allstate guarding profits scheme is the title of an article in the Miami Herald today. Seems pretty consistent with what I've said about insurance companies before. Some highlights: "Allstate is facing contempt charges in Missouri -- with a $25,000-a-day fine -- and now it can't sell new auto policies in Florida, in part, because it wants to protect a report written by a corporate consultant." "According to an attorney who has seen the report from consultant McKinsey & Co., it advises Allstate on how to improve profitability: pay less on claims and take a longer time to pay those claims." No Surprise. CNN exposed Allstate. Sentry Insurance sued an 81-year-old woman for failing to shovel snow. State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate and USAA have been accused of trying to take advantage of Katrina Hurricane victims. And American Family Insurance has extreme profits, denies claims, is pro-tort reform, and pays "when pigs fly.". Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: Allstate, American Family, CNN, insurance, lawsuits, Nationwide, Sentry, State Farm, tort reform, USAA, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 4:40 PMWednesday, January 16, 2008 An interesting comment on Wisconsin's business climate, comes from Illinois' Lake County Chamber of Commerce's "Flight of Business to Wisconsin." Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 9:02 AMWednesday, December 12, 2007 Kevin O'Keefe, formerly a Wisconsin personal injury attorney who moved west and out to the blogosophere, has an interesting post: Personal injury lawyer blogs going too far? What do you think? Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: advertising, car accidents, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 3:28 PMFriday, November 30, 2007 Below are some tips for smart Christmas shopping on the Internet, but let me begin by stating: if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Now the tips:
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: Consumers posted by Frank Pasternak | 10:41 AMSunday, October 14, 2007 A $16.8 million jury verdict to a Milwaukee man who was badly injured in a car crash was upheld on Friday by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. I know this may become fodder for those that stand against civil justice (because at the time, the man was 79-years-old, now 84, and the woman causing the crash was volunteering for a Milwaukee Archdiocese Church), but there are several items to keep in mind: 1) The defendant ran a red light; 2) The defendant was fully insured up to $40 million; 3) The victim's injuries included: ~ Amputation of one leg; ~ Quadriplegia, paralysis from the neck down; ~ Loss of bladder control; ~ Loss of bowel function; ~ Inability to feed himself; ~ Required 24-hour care; ~ Losing his part-time job as a barber; and ~ $558,366.06 in medical expenses incurred between the time of the crash and trial. 4) The victim was on Medicaid Title 19 and thus, his care was being paid for by taxpayers. As a result of the jury verdict, Medicaid Title 19 will be paid back for all the medical expenses it paid. 5) This insurance company could have SETTLED for $3 million back in 2004 and made a specific choice not to. So, doesn't this now make sense? Who should be held responsible for this crash the driver's insurer or taxpayers? Don't you think the car insurance company should have settled for $3 million? Think about the above and this man's horrific injuries before you buy into those that cry fowl regarding this Milwaukee jury verdict. For $16.8 million, WOULD YOU GIVE UP A LEG AND ALL BODILY FUNCTIONS FROM THE NECK DOWN? Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: car accidents, insurance, lawsuits, lawyers, Milwaukee posted by Frank Pasternak | 9:19 AMWednesday, August 29, 2007 I previously posted on Wisconsin Doctors ratings and now an outfit called Medical Justice Services, a company that seemingly helps doctors fight medical malpractice claims, has launched a program allegedly aimed a protecting against "online defamation." Perhaps, this outfit has forgotten that if true defamation takes place, doctors have a remedy, it's called the civil justice system. Apparently, the outfit now sells doctors a contract form that doctors can require patients to sign, which forces a patient to notify the doctor of a grievance before going online to post a complaint. What's next? Forcing a patient to notify the doctor of a grievance before complaining to a neighbor or talking to a lawyer. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: doctors, lawsuits, medical examinations, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 5:11 PMFriday, August 17, 2007 Ex-Insurance Company Commissioner, Herb Denenberg, writes in his August 01, 2007 column, his opinion that Allstate Insurance Company has plead guilty to a six-count indictment alleging it is the leading insurer when it comes to anti-consumer insurance practices. I wrote before on how CNN exposed Allstate and I've never been a fan of Allstate. I wrote too about how Sentry Insurance sued an 81-year-old woman for failing to shovel snow, State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate and USAA being accused of trying to take advantage of Katrina Hurricane victims, and about American Family Insurance. Personally, and this is strictly opinion, I think too that Progressive Insurance has become overly aggressive in fighting legitimate claims. Whatever the case, whether it's Allstate, American Family, Nationwide, Progressive, Sentry, USAA, or another insurance company, this is all consistent with my long held opinion about what insurance companies want: ~ Your premiums but not your claims ~ You not to file lawsuits against them that are valid ~ Voters to think they constantly fight bogus lawsuits ~ Everyone to hate lawyers so they never hire one to get justice ~ People to feel guilty for making legitimate claims ~ You to have guilt so you tell your attorney "I'm not the kind of person who files a lawsuit" ~ Jurors to think a person who files a lawsuit is a sham or dishonest ~ Juries minds made up before evidence is heard ~ Your legal rights minimized or removed ~ Their legal rights maximized and preserved ~ Wrongdoing on their part to go unchecked ~ People to feel juries give money away in a lottery jackpot justice system ~ Verdicts for damages to be far less then what is fair ~ Caps on damages to minimize how much justice a person can get ~ And judges who will avoid holding them accountable Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: Allstate, American Family, insurance, lawsuits, Nationwide, Progressive, Sentry, State Farm, tort reform, USAA posted by Frank Pasternak | 1:49 PMSaturday, August 11, 2007 Wisconsin Sex Offenders, Court & Corporate records were a prior topic, but here's a neat website for viewing maps of registered offenders, seeing their photos, addresses and convictions.  Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer posted by Frank Pasternak | 11:48 AM Wednesday, August 01, 2007 So after just posting on ratemds.com, I reviewed my other posts with the label "medical examinations." One was on Verity Medical, which has now removed the calendar of all the doctors whose opinions are bought by insurance companies and their defense lawyers. I did find something interesting on its refer a case page and that's a Printable Request for Service Form - Liability/No-Fault/Personal Injury. From that form, it appears that the insurer's adjuster or defense attorney can guide the expert physician towards what they would like said. Here are the "specific issues" bullet points: "1. Diagnosis: Please give your impression of the injury or condition claimed as a result of the accident in question. Have the correct diagnoses been made and are they supported by the objective findings? By the way, I don't mean to pick on Verity Medical, there are many companies like this in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: doctors, medical examinations, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 11:18 AMWisconsin Doctor Ratings at RateMDs.com can assist you in learning others' opinions about Wisconsin doctors. Keep in mind though that those are just random opinions. Wisconsin Medical Malpractice Attorney Labels: doctors, medical examinations, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 11:05 AMSaturday, July 28, 2007 I'm pleased to announce the following two appointments I recently received: City of Brookfield, Wisconsin Mayor Jeffrey Speaker with the approval of Brookfield Aldermen Ron Balzer, Scott A. Berg, Christopher Blackburn, Bill Carnell, Mike Franz, James A. Garvens, Gary D. Mahkorn, Jerry Mellone, Lisa Mellone, Mark Nelson, Rick Owen, Steven V. Ponto, Bob Reddin, and Daniel Sutton, have appointed me to to the City of Brookfield Police & Fire Commission where I will serve with William J. Murgas, Bernard J. Tesmer, Jay D. Rosencrantz, Edward Jurken, Jr., and Alderman Sutton. Also, the Brookfield Central Junior Lancers - Brookfield Youth Football Association Board recently elected me a board member where I will be serving with John Cain, Pat Hawkins, Mark Sorenson, Alan Thiede, Doug Lange and Tracey Pangman. Honestly, beyond having clients' recognition as "Best Attorney", I gain the most pleasure from trying to serve the Milwaukee and Brookfield communities. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: Best Attorney, charity, Milwaukee, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 11:35 AMWednesday, June 27, 2007 A Washington Post article on Fred Thompson's connection to asbestos interests has driven some to contact me as a result of my last two posts. Tort Deform.com blogs on this and so does Congresspedia on Fred Thompson. My assessment is that though this may be somewhat inconsistent with Thompson's true conservatism, it's not completely as asbestos in Wisconsin and elsewhere is more of a national issue, then say medical malpractice or car accidents. For example, many who were in our U.S. Navy suffer from asbestos related diseases like mesothelioma. This isn't to say that I'm not curious about this, but at the moment it doesn't dissuade me from an interest in Fred Thompson. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: asbestos, lawyers, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 1:48 PMSaturday, June 16, 2007 Thompson, Torts, and True Conservatism is another great article from the Center for a Just Society. See also its outstanding pieces on "Tort Reform": Tort Reform Part I: The Social Purpose of Tort Law Tort Reform Part II: Preserving the Right to Trial by Jury Tort Reform Part III: Who Decides? Tort Reform Part IV: Solutions Depend on Facts not Spin Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: lawsuits, lawyers, tort reform posted by Frank Pasternak | 11:02 AMThursday, May 31, 2007 Fred Thompson has basically said he's running for President and I'm pretty excited about that. Though I consider myself to be fairly conservative and I've supported certain Republicans in the past. e.g. Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, I generally fall on the Democratic side of the ticket due to my very strong belief that tort reform is wrong and those without the ability to pay lawyers hourly rates (upwards of $200+ per hour) ought to have the same access to the courts as those with the ability to pay. However, Fred Thompson is a man who generally understands that tort reform is wrong. Here's an article from the National Review ripping Fred Thompson on the issue and here's Fred Thompson's response. For the first time in the last 25+ years, I have a potential Presidential candidate who understands tort issues and recognizes many of the things I written about here before. This is good news. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: tort reform posted by Frank Pasternak | 1:15 PMMonday, May 14, 2007 The Wisconsin lawyers I know generally try to share the benefits of their practice with charitable groups. This year my firm is sponsoring the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts Golf Classic on June 18, 2007 and the Saint Francis Seminary Golf Benefit on July 30, 2007. I hope you are able to join us or at least give to these organizations. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: charity, lawyers, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 3:38 PMWednesday, April 04, 2007 In Brookfield, Wisconsin, on June 15, 2007, I will be moderating and speaking at Lorman's Litigation Skills for Legal Staff. The seminar is targeted to junior associates, paralegals and legal assistants who perform critical functions related to the maintenance and organization of the case, especially relating to discovery issues. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: lawsuits, lawyers, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 8:59 AMWednesday, February 07, 2007 Days ago I wrote how an insurer sued an 81-year-old for failing to shovel and showed other examples of what insurance companies want: ~ Premiums not claims ~ To deter valid lawsuits ~ People to hate lawyers so they never get one ~ You to feel guilt for making legitimate claims ~ You to think you're "not the kind of person who files a lawsuit" ~ Juries to think a person who files a suit is dishonest ~ Jurors minds made up before evidence is heard ~ Your rights minimized or removed ~ Their rights maximized and preserved ~ People to feel juries give away money ~ Verdicts for damages to be less then what is fair ~ Caps on damages to minimize your justice ~ Judges who will avoid holding them accountable Anderson Cooper's 360 Blog for 2/7/07 is "Insurance companies fight paying billions in claims." CNN investigated "how Allstate handled the claim of one woman, Roxanne Martinez. Her car was hit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her medical bills and lost wages added up to $25,000. Allstate offered $15,000 to settle." No surprise. Allstate's one of the worst! See my Personal Injury Attorney in Wisconsin FAQs and you'll see Allstate's Claims Manual has shown personal injury attorneys settle claims for 2.5-3.5 times more than those who do not have lawyers. The Blog goes on: "Martinez's case represents what 10 of the top 12 auto insurance companies are doing to save money. And if you are in a minor impact crash and get hurt, former insurance industry insiders say, insurance companies will most likely try doing the same thing to you: delay handling your claim, deny you were hurt and defend their decision in drawn-out court battles. It's the three Ds: delay, deny and defend." (emphasis added) "Roxanne Martinez didn't take it. She sued (with a lawyer I presume) and a jury awarded her $167,000 dollars." "Allstate is betting you won't wait, you won't sue and you'll take what you get and walk-away." Don't you take it, just get a good personal injury lawyer. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: Allstate, CNN, insurance, Wisconsin posted by Frank Pasternak | 7:11 PMFriday, February 02, 2007 Insurance companies never cease to amaze. Today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports on how Wisconsin insurance company Sentry Insurance is suing an 81-year-old Brookfield woman because Sentry Insurance had to pay worker's compensation to a delivery person injured after falling on ice on the elderly woman's driveway. I've explained about insurance companies paying doctors to dispute claims, denying Katrina victims claims, bullying people, and lying about a litigation explosion in Wisconsin, but Wisconsin-based Sentry Insurance, which in 2005 made $245,484,000.00, filed the case of Sentry Insurance vs. Anne Keipper, Waukesha County Case Number 2007CV000257, before the Honorable Judge Mark Gempeler, all because it had to pay a worker's compensation claim. Sentry Insurance is just another reminder of what insurance companies want. Insurers want to use the system for their benefit, but don't want you too get justice. Insurers hire their lawyers, but don't want you too lawyers. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: insurance, lawsuits, Milwaukee, Sentry posted by Frank Pasternak | 3:01 PMSunday, January 28, 2007 Paul Bucher shops his letter of the law is in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel discussing Attorney Bucher's "ambulance chasing" letters to those running for public office that essentially hold him out as an expert in Wisconsin election law, which I wouldn't doubt. I've commented before on how many Wisconsin personal injury lawyers send letters to car accident victims and on how a ban on such personal injury lawyers accident letters is proposed in New Jersey. This attorney advertising seems more tasteful than those soliciting the injured but I wonder what's next. Bucher's firm, like many other law firms, Gatzke & Ruppelt, practices in many areas of the law. What's next probate lawyers reading obituaries and sending solicitations to families of the deceased? I wonder too if WTMJ 620's blogger turned radio talk show host, Bucher's wife, Jessica McBride, will say anything about the article written by her fellow Journal Communication's co-employee. She recently wrote an article touting her husband's work as Waukesha County's main criminal prosecutor, Bucher never shied away from doing what he thought was right. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: advertising, Gatzke Ruppelt, lawyers, Paul Bucher posted by Frank Pasternak | 2:40 PMThursday, December 28, 2006 Milwaukee Magazine Super Lawyers honored me in this month's issue. It's great to get this Rising Star designation, which means Wisconsin lawyers voted me into the top 2.5% of Wisconsin attorneys under age 40. However, I can honestly say my greatest "award" to date is CNI Newspapers readers naming me "Best Attorney." Why? Well, it's great if lawyers know your very good at your job, but I'd rather my clients feel that way. Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Labels: Best Attorney, Milwaukee Magazine, Rising Stars, Super Lawyers posted by Frank Pasternak | 1:05 PMMonday, November 20, 2006 Falls causing injury or death to senior citizens are far too common according to this article from the Washington Times: Accidental falls a leading cause of death over 65. Having handled numerous slip, trip & fall cases involving senior citizens, I was unfortunately well aware of the risk. Many of these cases involved hip fractures that resulted in hospitalization and temporary or permanent nursing home stays as well as permanent disability. Others, sadly involved wrongful death. Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer Labels: falls, slips, wrongful death posted by Frank Pasternak | 12:21 PM |
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