The day has arrived when you drive your teen to the DMV to get his or her learner’s permit and then driver’s license. Scary. But the scariest thing for a parent is being asked to sign for your child’s driver’s license as a “sponsor.”
Wisconsin law requires that children under 18, with some exceptions, have an adult sponsor in order to get a learner’s permit and driver’s license. The sponsor is typically a parent. The sponsorship application for a child’s driver’s license requires that a parent agree to be jointly and severally liable for damages caused by the negligence or willful misconduct of the child. This means that if an accident were to occur, the parents would be held liable as if they caused the accident. Note too, one parent’s signature typically puts both parents on the hook even if they are divorced. As a result of Wisconsin’s “sponsorship statute” it is important to protect your family and your assets by purchasing your teen drivers as much car insurance as you buy for yourself.
A recent appellate court decision shows why adequate insurance is so important. In Progressive Northern Ins. Co. v. Jacobson, 2011 WI App 140, a minor child caused an accident killing his two passengers. He owned his car and carried his own car insurance, but it appears it was minimal. However, since Wisconsin requires a sponsor for a minor’s driver’s license, his mother was his sponsor. Due to the severity of the damages, the deceased passengers’ estates looked to the mother since she was equally liable under the sponsorship statute.
The mother sought coverage with her insurance company, Progressive Insurance. However Progressive sought to escape responsibility arguing that it had no duty to cover her son’s accident, even though she was her son’s sponsor. Progressive’s insurance policy, like most auto policies in Wisconsin, had a “relative” exclusion and the Court agreed with Progressive and found that the mother had no insurance coverage for her son’s accident. As a result of being liable for her son’s negligence, she could now be forced to use her own assets (money, home or other property) to pay a judgment.
As a result of the sponsorship statute, my typical recommendation for families is that all cars in a family’s household be insured with the same car insurance company and that each car has liability, uninsured (UM), and underinsured (UIM) limits of at least $250,000 per person. In addition, I strongly advise anyone with any assets, like a home, to purchase an umbrella insurance policy with UM and UIM coverage for $1 or $2 million.
Sometimes people ask why UM and UIM coverage is important. The answer is that such coverage protects you and your family from irresponsible drivers with little or no insurance or assets. Added coverage is not nearly as expensive as you might think, and if you are sponsoring one or more teen drivers, you are at risk and must protect yourself and your assets.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
27.2.12
Wisconsin Super Lawyers 2011
Super Lawyers tries to identify Wisconsin attorneys in the top 5% of all Wisconsin lawyers and Rising Stars under age 40. Super Lawyers also publishes a Top 50 list discussed below.
For 2011, there are only eight Wisconsin personal injury law firms represented in the Top 50 list:
- Cannon & Dunphy, Brookfield
- Domnitz & Skemp, Milwaukee
- End, Hierseman & Crain, Milwaukee
- Gingras, Cates & Lubke, Madison
- Habush Habush & Rottier, Multiple
- Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, Multiple
- Murphy & Prachthauser, Multiple
- Pasternak & Zirgibel, Brookfield
Hiring lawyers or law firms because they advertise a lot on television or Google, chase ambulances with letters or Wisconsin chiropractors or postings on the web or dabble in personal injury is simply a bad idea.
If you want a high quality “expert,” look for a personal injury lawyer who shares the traits that these firms do. This includes injury attorneys who are Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings and active members of The American Association for Justice and Wisconsin Association for Justice.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
22.11.11
(888) 232-1274 Milwaukee Family Chiropractic?
(888) 232-1274 is a phone number for what appears to be an outfit attempting to contact personal injury car accident victims. Callers from 888-232-1274 identify themselves as working on behalf of Milwaukee Family Chiropractic. These Milwaukee Family Chiropractic reps include: Mr. Presley, Yolanda, Tanya, and Shalanda. Individuals calling from this phone number contact people after Wisconsin motor vehicle accidents. In fact, they even call individuals as far away as Madison, Wisconsin.
After googling, I found this site. Anonymous web users report individuals stating they were called the day after a traffic accident and received multiple calls from same number, 888-232-1274. Others report receiving ambiguous messages stating they were "calling in regards to your accident." Most everyone reports that callers leave no company name. Often, people called were not even injured. Some opine that Milwaukee Family Chiropractic is working on behalf of unethical personal injury lawyers. I say unethical because in Wisconsin it is unethical for personal injury attorneys or reps to cold call accident victims. I hope that this is not the situation, but based on the information below it appears they may be working with at least one Wisconsin lawyer.
I googled "Milwaukee Family Chiropractic" because one report I received regarding its involvement was from a known source and I found this site. Interestingly, comments there give sordid details about this outfit and have serious allegations including the involvement of a personal injury attorney.
If you get a call from (888) 232-1274, ignore it and don't respond. In fact, if you get any cold calls from doctors, lawyers, chiropractors, clinics, or anyone else, other than your own car insurer, do not talk to them or respond. If you're seriously hurt after a car accident, get a referral from a lawyer you trust for reputable lawyers who focus on personal injury cases.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
After googling, I found this site. Anonymous web users report individuals stating they were called the day after a traffic accident and received multiple calls from same number, 888-232-1274. Others report receiving ambiguous messages stating they were "calling in regards to your accident." Most everyone reports that callers leave no company name. Often, people called were not even injured. Some opine that Milwaukee Family Chiropractic is working on behalf of unethical personal injury lawyers. I say unethical because in Wisconsin it is unethical for personal injury attorneys or reps to cold call accident victims. I hope that this is not the situation, but based on the information below it appears they may be working with at least one Wisconsin lawyer.
I googled "Milwaukee Family Chiropractic" because one report I received regarding its involvement was from a known source and I found this site. Interestingly, comments there give sordid details about this outfit and have serious allegations including the involvement of a personal injury attorney.
If you get a call from (888) 232-1274, ignore it and don't respond. In fact, if you get any cold calls from doctors, lawyers, chiropractors, clinics, or anyone else, other than your own car insurer, do not talk to them or respond. If you're seriously hurt after a car accident, get a referral from a lawyer you trust for reputable lawyers who focus on personal injury cases.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
19.10.11
Wisconsin Drug & Medical Device Immunity Proposal is Misplaced
Below is an article I recently wrote for the Wisconsin Association for Justice:
Wisconsin State Senator Rich Zipperer of Pewaukee has recently proposed a bill under the pretense of attempting to create Wisconsin jobs. The proposed law would bar claims for injury or death by Wisconsin citizens injured by dangerous drugs or medical devices simply because the drug or device had been FDA approved. Not only is it impossible to imagine how such a law would create a single Wisconsin job, but the simple truth is that such a law is horrible for Wisconsinites.
The article conclusively shows how irresponsibly individuals at drug
and medical device companies can act and that such negligence can occur both before
and after obtaining an FDA rubber stamp.
Too frequently, product warnings turn out to be wrong, design flaws
discovered, and problems and side effects revealed. Yet, often those responsible for these
dangers ignore or attempt to hide such dangers.
In such instances, the manufacturers or sellers must be held
accountable.
Senator Zipperer’s proposed law does nothing to create
Wisconsin jobs, only harms Wisconsin consumers, and wrongly assumes that
manufacturers and sellers of dangerous drugs and medical devices will act
responsibly.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
Wisconsin State Senator Rich Zipperer of Pewaukee has recently proposed a bill under the pretense of attempting to create Wisconsin jobs. The proposed law would bar claims for injury or death by Wisconsin citizens injured by dangerous drugs or medical devices simply because the drug or device had been FDA approved. Not only is it impossible to imagine how such a law would create a single Wisconsin job, but the simple truth is that such a law is horrible for Wisconsinites.
First of all, under the proposed law, it doesn’t matter
whether or not the manufacturer or seller of the dangerous drug or medical
device is based in Wisconsin. This is
critical to the claim that the proposed law would help create Wisconsin
jobs. Under the bill, the manufacturer
or seller could be based in any state in the nation or country in the
world. Thus, the law won’t encourage any
manufacturers or sellers of drugs or medical devices to move from Illinois or
China to Wisconsin. In fact, the only
other state in the nation to have a similar law is Michigan, which granted drug
manufacturers such immunity in 1996, and it has one of the highest jobless
rates in the country.
Secondly, the only consumers affected by the law are
Wisconsin citizens. Wisconsinites injured
or killed by a dangerous drug or medical device lose their legal rights under
the proposed law. These are legal rights
that citizens of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and other states retain. What does this mean? Well, if such a drug or device kills a Wisconsin
family member, the Wisconsinites get no day in court and no justice. However, if such a dangerous drug or device
kills a family member from Minnesota or elsewhere, those citizens get their day
in court. It is hard to imagine how such
a law benefits Wisconsin.
Finally, and most importantly, the FDA’s rubber stamp does
not mean that dangerous drugs and medical devices will not get to market. It also does not mean that manufacturers or
sellers of such products will act responsibly both before and after obtaining FDA
approval. Where manufacturers and
sellers of such products do not act responsibly before or after obtaining FDA
approval, they must be held legally responsible to those injured or killed.
An outstanding article from the American Association for
Justice entitled “They
Knew and Failed to…: True stories of corpations that knew their products were
dangerous, sometimes deadly” recounts true stories behind numerous FDA
approved dangerous drugs and medical devices.
Some products mentioned in the article include:
·
Guidant Heart Defibrillators
·
Medtronic Sprint Fidelis
·
Bjork-Shiley Heart Valve
·
A.H. Robbins Dalkon Shield IUD
·
G.D. Searle Copper-7 IUD
·
Playtex Super-absorbent Tampons
·
Renu Contact Lens Solution
·
Johnson & Johnson’s Propulsid
·
Bayer’s Trasylol
·
GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia
·
Eli Lilly’s Zyprexa
·
AstraZeneca’s Seroquel
·
Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho Evra
·
SSRIs – Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft
·
Chiron’s Flu Vaccine
Wisconsin personal injury attorney Frank Pasternak is managing partner of Pasternak & Zirgibel S.C. in Brookfield, Wisconsin. He is on the Board of Directors for the
Wisconsin Association for Justice and a Charter Member of the American
Association for Justice President’s Club.
He is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell and listed on the “Top 50” Wisconsin “Super Lawyers”
list published in Milwaukee Magazine. His practice focuses on personal injury
and wrongful death cases particularly cases involving serious accidents and
liability for asbestos caused mesothelioma.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
7.9.11
Would the Tylenol tampering lawsuits have survived Wisconsin’s new product liability laws?
In 1991, the Chicago law firm I was working at, Corboy & Demetrio, settled a highly publicized product liability case. The law firm represented the families of three individuals who died in 1982 after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol. The Tylenol tampering deaths caused a nationwide poisoning scare and eventually led to tamper-resistant packaging on all over-the-counter medicines.
Twenty years later, in 2011, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed product liability law changes that he claimed businesses needed to create jobs here. Despite the fact that the Chamber of Commerce ranked Wisconsin in the top half of states to do business in 2010, Walker felt the new law was necessary. Unfortunately, the simple truth is that the new law harms Wisconsin consumers by giving manufacturers and sellers of dangerous products large legal loopholes for skirting responsibility to those they injure.
Essentially, the new law gives corporations a variety of new defenses and makes defendant-oriented changes to prior Wisconsin product liability law. The changes and defenses make it easier for manufacturers to sell dangerous and defective products and not be held responsible for the injuries or deaths such products cause. I would like to use the Tylenol tampering lawsuits to demonstrate the effect of the new law.
One of the most egregious examples of the new law’s anti-consumer bias is a dismissal of all sellers and distributors of products if the manufacturer defends the case. Thus, any company that sold or distributed the cyanide-laced Tylenol would be off the hook under the new law because the manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, appeared. This is despite the allegation that the Tylenol was tampered with after it left Johnson & Johnson. So, despite the fact that companies profited from selling or distributing the cyanide-laced Tylenol, they would not be held accountable under the new law.
Additionally, a distributor or seller cannot be held accountable if the distributor or seller receives the product in a sealed container and had no opportunity to inspect it. Thus, any company that sold or distributed the cyanide-laced Tylenol in a sealed container would be off the hook under the new law.
Another new defense for manufacturers of dangerous products is the presumption that their product is not defective if it complied with applicable state and federal regulations or specifications. So if the Food and Drug Administration had approved the non-tamper resistant bottles for Johnson & Johnson, any Wisconsin jury hearing the case would have to presume that the bottles were not defectively designed.
A further new defense can limit what a jury can know about actions take by the company after the cyanide-laced Tylenol was found. A Wisconsin jury may never learn that Johnson & Johnson put tamper-resistant lids on all of its Tylenol bottles. The only way evidence of the tamper-resistant lids is admitted is if the injured person showed the risk of harm posed by the product could have been reduced or avoided by the lids because it was a reasonable alternative design.
An additional defense provided under the new law is a 15-year time limit. This time limit provides manufacturers immunity from claims by those injured by a defective product that was manufactured 15 years or more before the injury. Thus, if one of those defective bottles of cyanide-laced Tylenol were still here in Wisconsin today, and someone ingested one and died, there would be no case. Not even Johnson & Johnson would be responsible. Note, however, there is one exception to this new law, which is claims for damages caused by a disease that doesn’t appear for several years, such as mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos.
Governor Scott Walker’s new product liability law is replete with reasons as to why the Tylenol tampering lawsuits would not have survived in Wisconsin. With the stroke of a pen, the Governor changed years of Wisconsin law and tragically harmed Wisconsin’s consumers.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
Twenty years later, in 2011, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed product liability law changes that he claimed businesses needed to create jobs here. Despite the fact that the Chamber of Commerce ranked Wisconsin in the top half of states to do business in 2010, Walker felt the new law was necessary. Unfortunately, the simple truth is that the new law harms Wisconsin consumers by giving manufacturers and sellers of dangerous products large legal loopholes for skirting responsibility to those they injure.
Essentially, the new law gives corporations a variety of new defenses and makes defendant-oriented changes to prior Wisconsin product liability law. The changes and defenses make it easier for manufacturers to sell dangerous and defective products and not be held responsible for the injuries or deaths such products cause. I would like to use the Tylenol tampering lawsuits to demonstrate the effect of the new law.
One of the most egregious examples of the new law’s anti-consumer bias is a dismissal of all sellers and distributors of products if the manufacturer defends the case. Thus, any company that sold or distributed the cyanide-laced Tylenol would be off the hook under the new law because the manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, appeared. This is despite the allegation that the Tylenol was tampered with after it left Johnson & Johnson. So, despite the fact that companies profited from selling or distributing the cyanide-laced Tylenol, they would not be held accountable under the new law.
Additionally, a distributor or seller cannot be held accountable if the distributor or seller receives the product in a sealed container and had no opportunity to inspect it. Thus, any company that sold or distributed the cyanide-laced Tylenol in a sealed container would be off the hook under the new law.
Another new defense for manufacturers of dangerous products is the presumption that their product is not defective if it complied with applicable state and federal regulations or specifications. So if the Food and Drug Administration had approved the non-tamper resistant bottles for Johnson & Johnson, any Wisconsin jury hearing the case would have to presume that the bottles were not defectively designed.
A further new defense can limit what a jury can know about actions take by the company after the cyanide-laced Tylenol was found. A Wisconsin jury may never learn that Johnson & Johnson put tamper-resistant lids on all of its Tylenol bottles. The only way evidence of the tamper-resistant lids is admitted is if the injured person showed the risk of harm posed by the product could have been reduced or avoided by the lids because it was a reasonable alternative design.
An additional defense provided under the new law is a 15-year time limit. This time limit provides manufacturers immunity from claims by those injured by a defective product that was manufactured 15 years or more before the injury. Thus, if one of those defective bottles of cyanide-laced Tylenol were still here in Wisconsin today, and someone ingested one and died, there would be no case. Not even Johnson & Johnson would be responsible. Note, however, there is one exception to this new law, which is claims for damages caused by a disease that doesn’t appear for several years, such as mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos.
Governor Scott Walker’s new product liability law is replete with reasons as to why the Tylenol tampering lawsuits would not have survived in Wisconsin. With the stroke of a pen, the Governor changed years of Wisconsin law and tragically harmed Wisconsin’s consumers.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
14.1.11
Wisconsin Car Insurance Law Proposal
Oshkosh newspaper has a solid editorial: Go slow on rolling back insurance law. It has a great quote:
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
"Ask anyone who has had significant injuries from a car crash and they'll tell you that a $50,000 limit on personal injury, much less $25,000, doesn't come close to covering the cost of hospital treatment, recovery and rehabilitation. Rolling back the insurance requirement merely furthers the harm done to those already injured in an accident."A hand full of legislators want to go back to the car insurance levels in Wisconsin that were enacted in 1982. What? The also want to revisit the law which give greater protection to those severely injured or killed by drivers who fail to carry insurance (uninsured) and drivers who carry the lowest legal limits (underinsured). When Wisconsin 4th Cheapest State for Car Insurance, it makes no sense at all to do this. Unfortunately, legislators hope to punish trial lawyers with this law, but the fact is changing these laws hurts Wisconsin families.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
10.1.11
Wisconsin Product Liability Law Proposal
Despite the fact that the Chamber of Commerce ranks Wisconsin in the top half of states to do business in, Governor Scott Walker has recently proposed several changes to Wisconsin tort law, including product liability law changes, claiming these will create jobs. None of the proposed changes will do that and one of these proposed changes will immunize sellers of dangerous and defective products that cause injury or death. No seller of a dangerous or defective product should ever be given what is essentially a blanket immunity.
For a very sad example of how products can kill people, read Asbestos & Insulation Contractors at my Wisconsin Asbestos & Mesothelioma blog.
Wisconsin Injury Attorney
For a very sad example of how products can kill people, read Asbestos & Insulation Contractors at my Wisconsin Asbestos & Mesothelioma blog.
Wisconsin Injury Attorney
15.12.10
Wisconsin personal injury Super Lawyers 2010
Wisconsin personal injury attorneys Pasternak & Zirgibel are again honored in Milwaukee Magazine via Law & Politics in its annual Super Lawyers issue (December 2010). I am again honored as one of the Top 50 Wisconsin Super Lawyers and Jeff Zirgibel is again honored as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer. Super Lawyers attempts to identify Wisconsin lawyers in the top 5% of all Wisconsin attorneys and the Rising Stars list tries to identify the top 2.5% of Wisconsin attorneys under age 40. Super Lawyers also publishes a Top 50 list discussed below.
This Wisconsin personal injury lawyer is once again honored to be chosen to be among the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Wisconsin. Only 7 plaintiffs personal injury law firms are represented in that Top 50:
Cannon & Dunphy, Brookfield
Domnitz & Skemp, Milwaukee
End, Hierseman & Crain, Milwaukee
Habush Habush & Rottier, Various
Laufenberg Law Group, Milwaukee
Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee
Pasternak & Zirgibel, Brookfield
Accident victims in Wisconsin (car accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, premises liability, etc.) would be off to a great start in interviewing these law firms to get help with a personal injury case. These Milwaukee personal injury law firms have been recognized by their peers as outstanding in their field. Simply going to a lawyer or law firm that advertises a lot, chases ambulances with letters, or dabbles in personal injury but really practices in other areas of the law is irresponsible. Additionally, though all different, the Wisconsin lawyers at these firms share several common professional traits. Such traits include being Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, and being active members of The American Association for Justice and Wisconsin Association for Justice.
Congratulations to all who made Super Lawyers! It surely is an honor to be listed given that there are about 14,000 lawyers in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Injury Lawyer
This Wisconsin personal injury lawyer is once again honored to be chosen to be among the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Wisconsin. Only 7 plaintiffs personal injury law firms are represented in that Top 50:
Cannon & Dunphy, Brookfield
Domnitz & Skemp, Milwaukee
End, Hierseman & Crain, Milwaukee
Habush Habush & Rottier, Various
Laufenberg Law Group, Milwaukee
Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee
Pasternak & Zirgibel, Brookfield
Accident victims in Wisconsin (car accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, premises liability, etc.) would be off to a great start in interviewing these law firms to get help with a personal injury case. These Milwaukee personal injury law firms have been recognized by their peers as outstanding in their field. Simply going to a lawyer or law firm that advertises a lot, chases ambulances with letters, or dabbles in personal injury but really practices in other areas of the law is irresponsible. Additionally, though all different, the Wisconsin lawyers at these firms share several common professional traits. Such traits include being Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, and being active members of The American Association for Justice and Wisconsin Association for Justice.
Congratulations to all who made Super Lawyers! It surely is an honor to be listed given that there are about 14,000 lawyers in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Injury Lawyer
5.11.10
Habush v. Cannon Part XI
Habush v. Cannon & Dunphy continues to be litigated. The future court activity in Milwaukee County shows motion hearings in January and February and then two separate trials. One trial will begin April 4, 2011 and the other June 6, 2011. Given that I just searched Yahoo, Bing and Google and still got a "Cannon and Dunphy" paid for result in Google, I'm sure Habush is anxious to precede. The paid result comes up whether one searches Google for "Habush" "habush habush rottier" "Bob Habush" "Rottier" or "Dan Rottier."
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
14.4.10
Wisconsin 4th Cheapest State for Car Insurance
With last year's changes in the laws benefiting Wisconsin car drivers, there's been talk on talk radio in Milwaukee about griping car insurance. The changes were great for anyone seriously injured in car accident in Wisconsin, but weren't so great for car insurance companies, which continue to try to lobby politicians for ending the law. Specifically helped by the new laws are those hit by uninsured drivers, those hit by drivers with little car insurance, and those who own multiple cars.
So here's some news for consumers, based on data directly from insurance industry, and it contradicts the nonsense: Wisconsin is the 4th cheapest state for car insurance. Only Ohio, Vermont and Maine are cheaper. Here's the link to insure.com which did this study.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
So here's some news for consumers, based on data directly from insurance industry, and it contradicts the nonsense: Wisconsin is the 4th cheapest state for car insurance. Only Ohio, Vermont and Maine are cheaper. Here's the link to insure.com which did this study.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
29.3.10
Habush v. Cannon - Part X
Today, this Wisconsin Law Journal article talks about the Habush, Habush & Rottier and Cannon & Dunphy lawsuit.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
24.3.10
Insurance Settlement Scam on Attorneys
Having read various emails directed to me and on lawyers listservs, I thought I'd link to this lawyers settlement scam story. Below are tips from secretservice.gov:
How do I report a case of advance fee fraud (also known as "4-1-9 fraud")?
The perpetrators of advance fee fraud, known internationally as "4-1-9 fraud" (after the section of the Nigerian penal code which addresses these schemes), are often very creative and innovative. A large number of victims are enticed into believing they have been singled out from the masses to share in multi-million dollar windfall profits for no apparent reason.
If you have suffered a significant financial loss related to advance fee fraud, please contact your local Secret Service field office. Telephone numbers are available in the Field Office Directory on this website or may also be found on the inside cover of your local telephone directory. Any investigation regarding this type of fraud will be conducted on a case by case basis at the discretion of the local Secret Service and U.S. Attorney's Office.
If you ever receive an e-mail or fax from someone you do not know requesting your assistance in a financial transaction, such as the transfer of a large sum of money into an account, or claiming you are the next of kin to an wealthy person who has died, or the winner of some obscure lottery, DO NOT respond. These requests are typically sent through public servers via a generic "spammed" e-mail message. Usually, the sender does not yet know your personal e-mail address and is depending on you to respond. Once you reply, whether you intend to string them along or tell them you are not interested, they will often continue to e-mail you in an attempt to harass or intimidate you. If you receive an unsolicited e-mail of this nature, the best course is to simply delete the message.
Due to a number of aggravating circumstances, such as the use of false names, addresses, stolen/cloned/prepaid cell phones and remote email addresses, verifying the location of and subsequent prosecution of these persons or groups is difficult. The act of sending an email soliciting strangers' assistance in a financial transaction is not, in itself, a crime. The installation of a credible spam filter and contacting your Internet Service Provider may help deter these unsolicited emails. However, there is currently no available program to completely block these types of messages.
How can I protect myself against check fraud?
-Don't give your checking account number to people you don't know, even if they claim they are from your bank.
-Reveal checking account information only to businesses you know to be reputable.
-Report lost or stolen checks immediately.
-Properly store or dispose of canceled checks and guard new checks.
-Report any inquiries or suspicious behavior to your bank, who will take measures to protect your account and notify proper authorities.
-Do not leave your automated teller machine receipt at the ATM; it may contain account information.
-Check your bank statements carefully and often.
-Use direct deposit.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
15.3.10
Habush v. Cannon - Part IX
Loaded onto scribd some court documents. If one has time, it makes interesting reading. A document of note is the Habush, Habush, & Rottier Press Release regarding this Cannon & Dunphy lawsuit since in my first post on this epic battle I hypothesized about the media angle.
Other documents are:
Cannon & Dunphy's Motion to Dismiss the Habush, Habush, & Rottier Lawsuit
Cannon & Dunphy's Appendix to the Motion to Dismiss
Habush, Habush, & Rottier's Response to Cannon & Dunphy's Motion to Dismiss
According to CCAP at the hearing, Bob Habush was in court along with his Foley & Lardner attorneys James R. Clark and Adam Crawford, as was Bill Cannon along with his attorney J. Ric Gass.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Other documents are:
Cannon & Dunphy's Motion to Dismiss the Habush, Habush, & Rottier Lawsuit
Cannon & Dunphy's Appendix to the Motion to Dismiss
Habush, Habush, & Rottier's Response to Cannon & Dunphy's Motion to Dismiss
According to CCAP at the hearing, Bob Habush was in court along with his Foley & Lardner attorneys James R. Clark and Adam Crawford, as was Bill Cannon along with his attorney J. Ric Gass.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Habush v. Cannon - Part VIII
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Bruce Vielmetti's story today Legal firms begin clash over Web-search tactic chronicles last week's hearing in the titanic battle between Milwaukee law firms Habush, Habush & Rottier and Cannon & Dunphy.
Bill Cannon and Pat Dunphy's defense attorney Ric Gass - who's firm is known for defending corporations like Cargill, CBS, Crown Equipment, Humana, Lennox, Northwestern Mutual Life, Toshiba, Trek, and a handful of insurance companies - made an argument to the Court relating to http://www.yellowpages.com/ and how it shows a Habush ad when one searches for certain lawyers. Out of curiousity, I went to yellowpages and searched various personal injury lawyers names, and yes, the Habush ad is shown on the right along with a variety of personal injury law firms in the Milwaukee area. However, the site does state above the ads that those are "category-related advertisers." It seems to me, at least, that these yellowpages ads are different from the purchases Habush is suing Cannon & Dunphy over. The Google strategy was one chosen by Cannon, whereas the yellowpages results appear to chosen by yellowpages and aimed more generally at personal injury lawyers in Milwaukee.
Bottom line, Bob Habush and Dan Rottier's case against Bill Cannon and Pat Dunphy continues but as described in the article it goes on without the law firm of Habush, Habush & Rottier as a plaintiff.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
Bill Cannon and Pat Dunphy's defense attorney Ric Gass - who's firm is known for defending corporations like Cargill, CBS, Crown Equipment, Humana, Lennox, Northwestern Mutual Life, Toshiba, Trek, and a handful of insurance companies - made an argument to the Court relating to http://www.yellowpages.com/ and how it shows a Habush ad when one searches for certain lawyers. Out of curiousity, I went to yellowpages and searched various personal injury lawyers names, and yes, the Habush ad is shown on the right along with a variety of personal injury law firms in the Milwaukee area. However, the site does state above the ads that those are "category-related advertisers." It seems to me, at least, that these yellowpages ads are different from the purchases Habush is suing Cannon & Dunphy over. The Google strategy was one chosen by Cannon, whereas the yellowpages results appear to chosen by yellowpages and aimed more generally at personal injury lawyers in Milwaukee.
Bottom line, Bob Habush and Dan Rottier's case against Bill Cannon and Pat Dunphy continues but as described in the article it goes on without the law firm of Habush, Habush & Rottier as a plaintiff.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
8.3.10
Habush v. Cannon - Part VII
Followed up on the Bob Habush v. Bill Cannon lawsuit pending in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. The Wisconsin court has a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 9:15 a.m. on Cannon & Dunphy's motion to dismiss the complaint of Habush, Habush & Rottier.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
11.2.10
Elmbrook Education Foundation
Elmbrook Education Foundation honored my firm this week with this press release. We have been and are very proud to be a sponsor for the Foundation's events, which help provide education scholarships and educational grants to District of Elmbrook students and schools. Others interested in helping the Foundation should contact Laura Schmidt.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
10.12.09
WTMJ MACC Fund Make-A-Wish Story
I heard from several people about TMJ4's recent news story, MACC: Nollenn's Wish, which narrates a young Milwaukee boy's battle against cancer and the Make-A-Wish Foundation celebration of his remission. His sister was seen by Wisconsin viewers wearing her Brookfield Soccer Pasternak & Zirgibel jersey.Obviously, my law firm supports the Brookfield Soccer Association, and after seeing this young girl proudly wearing her jersey in this story, it made donations to support both the MACC Fund and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin.
The WTMJ story was a precursor to the upcoming MACC Fund Sports Auction to be held on TMJ4 this Saturday, December 12, 2009 at Noon.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
4.12.09
Habush v. Cannon - part VI
Wonder if the media is following up on the Habush v. Cannon lawsuit. Checked CCAP, Robert L Habush et al vs. William M Cannon et al, Milwaukee County Case Number 2009CV018149, and there's a phone conference right now with Judge Kahn.
For those who have not seen it yet, the Habush, Habush & Rottier vs. Cannon & Dunphy Complaint.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
For those who have not seen it yet, the Habush, Habush & Rottier vs. Cannon & Dunphy Complaint.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
20.11.09
Habush v. Cannon - part V
A quick note too, the recent Journal-Sentinel article is wrong in asserting that the "Sponsored link [is] gone."
I again just searched Yahoo! and Google as well as Bing and all three have sponsored links when you search for "Habush" or "Rottier" that lead to the website of Cannon & Dunphy.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
I again just searched Yahoo! and Google as well as Bing and all three have sponsored links when you search for "Habush" or "Rottier" that lead to the website of Cannon & Dunphy.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Habush v. Cannon - part IV
JS Online now as an article about the war of words and a quote from Cannon saying of the lawsuit and Habush, "It's ridiculous. He looks like a buffoon." Personally, I don't think either is true here. Let's take a look at the legal basis for the Habush v. Cannon lawsuit:
Wisconsin's Right to Privacy law, Wis. Stats. §995.50, states:
(1) The right of privacy is recognized in this state.
***
(2) In this section, “invasion of privacy” means any of the following:
***
(b) The use, for advertising purposes or for purposes of trade, of the name, portrait or picture of any living person, without having first obtained the written consent of the person or, if the person is a minor, of his or her parent or guardian.
***
(3) The right of privacy recognized in this section shall be interpreted in accordance with the developing common law of privacy, including defenses of absolute and qualified privilege, with due regard for maintaining freedom of communication, privately and through the public media.
Thus, it seems to me, that the question here is whether Cannon's use of Habush's name through Google is permissible under subsection (3). Certainly, there's a possibility it was permissible. The question though is whether that's a question of fact (for a jury to decide) or a question of law (for a court of law to decide). Lawyers may want to see H & R Block E. Enters. v. Swenson, 2008 WI App 3, 307 Wis.2d 390, 745 N.W.2d 421. The bottom line is that we might eventually see this case in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, or perhaps the U.S. Supreme Court.
Consumers curious about the legal issues in Habush v. Cannon may want to review the Citizen Media Law Project's Using the Name or Likeness of Another.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
Wisconsin's Right to Privacy law, Wis. Stats. §995.50, states:
(1) The right of privacy is recognized in this state.
***
(2) In this section, “invasion of privacy” means any of the following:
***
(b) The use, for advertising purposes or for purposes of trade, of the name, portrait or picture of any living person, without having first obtained the written consent of the person or, if the person is a minor, of his or her parent or guardian.
***
(3) The right of privacy recognized in this section shall be interpreted in accordance with the developing common law of privacy, including defenses of absolute and qualified privilege, with due regard for maintaining freedom of communication, privately and through the public media.
Thus, it seems to me, that the question here is whether Cannon's use of Habush's name through Google is permissible under subsection (3). Certainly, there's a possibility it was permissible. The question though is whether that's a question of fact (for a jury to decide) or a question of law (for a court of law to decide). Lawyers may want to see H & R Block E. Enters. v. Swenson, 2008 WI App 3, 307 Wis.2d 390, 745 N.W.2d 421. The bottom line is that we might eventually see this case in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, or perhaps the U.S. Supreme Court.
Consumers curious about the legal issues in Habush v. Cannon may want to review the Citizen Media Law Project's Using the Name or Likeness of Another.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
19.11.09
Habush v. Cannon - part III
AP has a story on this now in which the two reputable Wisconsin pesonal injury attorneys are now having what can only be described as an ugly war of words. Per the story, among other things, Attorney Bob Habush said: "If Bill Cannon thinks this is a correct way to do business he needs to have his moral compass taken to the repair shop." Conversely, Attorney Bill Cannon is quoted as saying: "This is equally available to Habush if he weren't so cheap to bid on his own name." Though mildly entertaining, I'd venture to guess that lawyers for both attorneys might advise against this public display.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Habush v. Cannon - part II
Given the Chicago Tribune's report that Attorney Bill Cannon "calls the lawsuit "laughable" and without merit," perhaps my speculation that Habush and Rottier believed that Cannon wouldn't stop the practice was dead on and they could have been wasting their time if they had expressed concern before filing the lawsuit. More interesting to lawyers though is probably whether or not the practice is legal.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
Habush, Habush & Rottier sues Cannon & Dunphy
Habush, Habush & Rottier, an old-guard Wisconsin personal injury law firm, is suing Cannon & Dunphy, another such firm for paying Google to link to the Cannon & Dunphy website when Google user searchs the name Habush or Rottier. It's actually quite interesting given that the Habush law firm was one of the first to advertise quite heavily on T.V. here in Wisconsin, but was one of the last among major Wisconsin personal injury law firms to start advertising on the web. For example, this attorney is aware of the fact that within the last year or so the Habush law firm paid someone to create a network of somewhat generic blogs on the web.
Apparently, some of the underlying facts of the Habush, Habush & Rottier lawsuit are true. I just went to both Google and Yahoo and searched Habush and Rottier and the sponsored results on both searches had the Cannon & Dunphy website listed as "sponsored results." Per the MJS article, Habush has asked a Wisconsin court to stop the Cannon firm from paying for such search results.
In reading the article, what I found interesting was attorney Pat Dunphy's comment the Habush firm didn't call the Cannon & Dunphy firm to express its concern before filing the lawsuit. I too find that interesting given the storied history of these two firms and it makes me think that either Bob Habush and Dan Rottier believed that Cannon & Dunphy wouldn't stop the practice or that the former was possibly looking for some "free press." Certainly, this is an interesting lawsuit among Wisconsin personal injury attorneys.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Apparently, some of the underlying facts of the Habush, Habush & Rottier lawsuit are true. I just went to both Google and Yahoo and searched Habush and Rottier and the sponsored results on both searches had the Cannon & Dunphy website listed as "sponsored results." Per the MJS article, Habush has asked a Wisconsin court to stop the Cannon firm from paying for such search results.
In reading the article, what I found interesting was attorney Pat Dunphy's comment the Habush firm didn't call the Cannon & Dunphy firm to express its concern before filing the lawsuit. I too find that interesting given the storied history of these two firms and it makes me think that either Bob Habush and Dan Rottier believed that Cannon & Dunphy wouldn't stop the practice or that the former was possibly looking for some "free press." Certainly, this is an interesting lawsuit among Wisconsin personal injury attorneys.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
13.11.09
Top 50 Wisconsin Super Lawyers in Milwaukee Magazine
Milwaukee Magazine is out with its December 2009 issue, which again this year has the Super Lawyers list of attorneys in Wisconsin. Super Lawyers tries to identify the top 5% of all Wisconsin attorneys and its Rising Stars list tries to identify the top 2.5% of Wisconsin attorneys under age 40. Super Lawyers also publishes a Top 50 list, which I discuss here. If you wish to browse the whole list by area of practice, you may do so here. I referred to the publication back in July posting on Top Wisconsin Lawyers and with last year’s publication in Wisconsin Personal Injury Super Lawyers.
This Wisconsin personal injury lawyer is again honored to be on the list and more so this year as I was chosen to be among the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Wisconsin. Only eight plaintiffs personal injury law firms are represented in that Top 50:
Cannon & Dunphy, Brookfield
Domnitz & Skemp, Milwaukee
End, Hierseman & Crain, Milwaukee
Habush Habush & Rottier, Various
Laufenberg Law Group, Milwaukee
Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee
Pasternak & Zirgibel, Brookfield
Previant, Goldberg, et al., Milwaukee
A Wisconsin accident victim (car accident, medical malpractice, products liability, premises liability, etc.) could do much worse than interviewing these law firms to help with his or her personal injury case. How? Well, they could go to Wisconsin attorneys who advertise "have wreck, get a check" or chase ambulances with letters or just dabble in personal injury.
The twelve plaintiffs Wisconsin personal injury lawyers in the Top 50 are:
Larry B. Brueggeman
William M. Cannon
Merrick R. Domnitz
Patrick O. Dunphy
J. Michael End
Laurence J. Fehring
Robert L. Habush
Robert L. Jaskulski
Lynn R. Laufenberg
Frank T. Pasternak
Don C. Prachthauser
Daniel A. Rottier
Though all different, some common professional traits we have include being Peer Review Rated: AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 (see The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings),
and active members of The American Association for Justice and Wisconsin Association for Justice.
In alphabetical order, below are all the Top 50 Wisconsin lawyers found in the list, including their law firm and main area of practice:
Steven A. Bach, Cullen Weston Pines & Bach, Family Law
Emile H. Banks, Jr., Emile Banks & Associates, Insurance Defense
Stephen C. Beilke, Murphy Desmond, Family Law
Peter C. Blain, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Bankruptcy
Bruce T. Block, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Real Estate
Larry B. Brueggeman, Previant, Goldberg, et al., Personal Injury
Brian E. Butler, Stafford Rosenbaum, Dispute Resolution
William M. Cannon, Cannon & Dunphy, Personal Injury
Michael J. Cohen, Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols, Business
Gregory B. Conway, Liebmann, Conway, et al., Business
Barrett J. Corneille, Corneille Law Group, Insurance Defense
Claude J. Covelli, Boardman Suhr Curry & Field, Litigation
Randall D. Crocker, von Briesen & Roper, Bankruptcy
Michael P. Crooks, Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Defense
Merrick R. Domnitz, Domnitz & Skemp, Personal Injury
Patrick O. Dunphy, Cannon & Dunphy, Personal Injury
J. Michael End, End, Hierseman & Crain, Personal Injury
Laurence J. Fehring, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Nathan A. Fishbach, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, Criminal Defense
Michael J. Fitzgerald, Glynn, Fitzgerald & Albee, Criminal Defense
Robert H. Friebert, Friebert, Finerty & St. John, Business Litigation
Lori Gendelman, Otjen, Van Ert & Weir, Insurance Defense
Stephen M. Glynn, Glynn, Fitzgerald & Albee, Criminal Defense
Robert L. Habush, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Philip J. Halley, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, Estate & Probate
Scott W. Hansen, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Business Litigation
Gregg M. Herman, Loeb & Herman, Family Law
Stephen P. Hurley, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Criminal Defense
Jesse S. Ishikawa, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Real Estate
Robert L. Jaskulski, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Terry E. Johnson, Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Defense
J. David Krekeler, Krekeler Strother, Bankruptcy
Dean P. Laing, O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong, General Litigation
Lynn R. Laufenberg, Laufenberg Law Group, Personal Injury
Michael P. Malone, Hinshaw & Culbertson, Insurance Defense
Stephen J. Meyer, Meyer Law Office, Criminal Defense
James T. Murray, Jr., Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Def.
Timothy F. Nixon, Godfrey & Kahn, Bankruptcy
Frank T. Pasternak, Pasternak & Zirgibel, Personal Injury
Bruce M. Peckerman, Peckerman & Klein, Family Law
Charles I. Phillips, Phillips & Gemignani, Family Law
Don C. Prachthauser, Murphy & Prachthauser, Personal Injury
Daniel A. Rottier, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Thomas W. St. John, Friebert, Finerty & St. John, Family Law
Carlton D. Stansbury, Burbach & Stansbury, Family Law
Marie A. Stanton, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Dispute Resolution
Dean A. Strang, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Criminal Defense
Daphne Webb, Stafford Rosenbaum, Family Law
Todd M. Weir, Otjen, Van Ert & Weir, Insurance Defense
Brady C. Williamson, Godfrey & Kahn, Business/Corporate
Congratulations to all who made Super Lawyers! It surely is an honor to be listed given that there are about 14,000 lawyers in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
This Wisconsin personal injury lawyer is again honored to be on the list and more so this year as I was chosen to be among the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Wisconsin. Only eight plaintiffs personal injury law firms are represented in that Top 50:
Cannon & Dunphy, Brookfield
Domnitz & Skemp, Milwaukee
End, Hierseman & Crain, Milwaukee
Habush Habush & Rottier, Various
Laufenberg Law Group, Milwaukee
Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee
Pasternak & Zirgibel, Brookfield
Previant, Goldberg, et al., Milwaukee
A Wisconsin accident victim (car accident, medical malpractice, products liability, premises liability, etc.) could do much worse than interviewing these law firms to help with his or her personal injury case. How? Well, they could go to Wisconsin attorneys who advertise "have wreck, get a check" or chase ambulances with letters or just dabble in personal injury.
The twelve plaintiffs Wisconsin personal injury lawyers in the Top 50 are:
Larry B. Brueggeman
William M. Cannon
Merrick R. Domnitz
Patrick O. Dunphy
J. Michael End
Laurence J. Fehring
Robert L. Habush
Robert L. Jaskulski
Lynn R. Laufenberg
Frank T. Pasternak
Don C. Prachthauser
Daniel A. Rottier
Though all different, some common professional traits we have include being Peer Review Rated: AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 (see The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings),
and active members of The American Association for Justice and Wisconsin Association for Justice.
In alphabetical order, below are all the Top 50 Wisconsin lawyers found in the list, including their law firm and main area of practice:
Steven A. Bach, Cullen Weston Pines & Bach, Family Law
Emile H. Banks, Jr., Emile Banks & Associates, Insurance Defense
Stephen C. Beilke, Murphy Desmond, Family Law
Peter C. Blain, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Bankruptcy
Bruce T. Block, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Real Estate
Larry B. Brueggeman, Previant, Goldberg, et al., Personal Injury
Brian E. Butler, Stafford Rosenbaum, Dispute Resolution
William M. Cannon, Cannon & Dunphy, Personal Injury
Michael J. Cohen, Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols, Business
Gregory B. Conway, Liebmann, Conway, et al., Business
Barrett J. Corneille, Corneille Law Group, Insurance Defense
Claude J. Covelli, Boardman Suhr Curry & Field, Litigation
Randall D. Crocker, von Briesen & Roper, Bankruptcy
Michael P. Crooks, Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Defense
Merrick R. Domnitz, Domnitz & Skemp, Personal Injury
Patrick O. Dunphy, Cannon & Dunphy, Personal Injury
J. Michael End, End, Hierseman & Crain, Personal Injury
Laurence J. Fehring, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Nathan A. Fishbach, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, Criminal Defense
Michael J. Fitzgerald, Glynn, Fitzgerald & Albee, Criminal Defense
Robert H. Friebert, Friebert, Finerty & St. John, Business Litigation
Lori Gendelman, Otjen, Van Ert & Weir, Insurance Defense
Stephen M. Glynn, Glynn, Fitzgerald & Albee, Criminal Defense
Robert L. Habush, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Philip J. Halley, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, Estate & Probate
Scott W. Hansen, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Business Litigation
Gregg M. Herman, Loeb & Herman, Family Law
Stephen P. Hurley, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Criminal Defense
Jesse S. Ishikawa, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Real Estate
Robert L. Jaskulski, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Terry E. Johnson, Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Defense
J. David Krekeler, Krekeler Strother, Bankruptcy
Dean P. Laing, O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong, General Litigation
Lynn R. Laufenberg, Laufenberg Law Group, Personal Injury
Michael P. Malone, Hinshaw & Culbertson, Insurance Defense
Stephen J. Meyer, Meyer Law Office, Criminal Defense
James T. Murray, Jr., Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Def.
Timothy F. Nixon, Godfrey & Kahn, Bankruptcy
Frank T. Pasternak, Pasternak & Zirgibel, Personal Injury
Bruce M. Peckerman, Peckerman & Klein, Family Law
Charles I. Phillips, Phillips & Gemignani, Family Law
Don C. Prachthauser, Murphy & Prachthauser, Personal Injury
Daniel A. Rottier, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Thomas W. St. John, Friebert, Finerty & St. John, Family Law
Carlton D. Stansbury, Burbach & Stansbury, Family Law
Marie A. Stanton, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Dispute Resolution
Dean A. Strang, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Criminal Defense
Daphne Webb, Stafford Rosenbaum, Family Law
Todd M. Weir, Otjen, Van Ert & Weir, Insurance Defense
Brady C. Williamson, Godfrey & Kahn, Business/Corporate
Congratulations to all who made Super Lawyers! It surely is an honor to be listed given that there are about 14,000 lawyers in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
2.8.09
Wisconsin Informed Consent Law
Wisconsin medical malpractice law has a doctrine known as informed consent. This was recently addressed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Bubb v. Brusky. Maryland personal injury lawyer Ron Miller has a very good post on the Bubb decision here. The basic take away from the decision is that physicians have a duty to fully inform patients of treatment alternatives that reasonable patients may choose. Thus, the failure of a doctor to give a patient those options may be found to be medical malpractice in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
16.7.09
Top Wisconsin Lawyers List
I blogged on Wisconsin personal injury Super Lawyers before. But I just received great news from one of Super Lawyers editors via email. Specifically, I was told that in 2009, I will be rated one of the TOP 50 Wisconsin Super Lawyers.
This honor is pretty cool considering that the answer to the question How many lawyers are in Wisconsin? is about 14,000. After the full top lawyers in Wisconsin list is published in the December 2009 issue of Milwaukee Magazine, I'll try to let you know specifics. Based on last year's list though, I feel honored since among Wisconsin lawyers, I appear to be the youngest by about 17 years with only 10 or less Wisconsin attorneys who limit their practice to plaintiff's personal injury law appearing in the Top 50.
No surprise, none of the "have a wreck, get a check" suspects are on last year's list and no more than two partners at any large personal injury firm made that list (see, How many lawyers do you need?).
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
This honor is pretty cool considering that the answer to the question How many lawyers are in Wisconsin? is about 14,000. After the full top lawyers in Wisconsin list is published in the December 2009 issue of Milwaukee Magazine, I'll try to let you know specifics. Based on last year's list though, I feel honored since among Wisconsin lawyers, I appear to be the youngest by about 17 years with only 10 or less Wisconsin attorneys who limit their practice to plaintiff's personal injury law appearing in the Top 50.
No surprise, none of the "have a wreck, get a check" suspects are on last year's list and no more than two partners at any large personal injury firm made that list (see, How many lawyers do you need?).
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
13.7.09
Medical Malpractice Double Standard
Estate of Genrich v. OHIC Insurance Company is the latest example of the double standard present in Wisconsin's medical malpractice cases. Supreme Court Justice Crooks really sums up that decision where he states in his dissent: "The approach adopted by the majority in this case----that a three-year statute of limitations on a wrongful death claim somehow runs before three years have elapsed after the date of death----unfortunately may foster a public perception that common sense sometimes is lacking in court decisions."
For some reason, courts at all levels seem to make special rules and exceptions for cases involving Wisconsin medical malpractice.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
For some reason, courts at all levels seem to make special rules and exceptions for cases involving Wisconsin medical malpractice.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
12.5.09
Wisconsin asbestos mesothelioma decision
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
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
8.5.09
Help Increase Auto Insurance Liability Limits in Wisconsin
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
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
6.4.09
Wisconsin Car Insurance Reform
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
Call your state legislator and senator and tell them to support reforming car insurance in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
5.4.09
Two Die in Marinette County Car Accident
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
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
1.4.09
Wisconsin IME Doctors
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
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
26.3.09
Phone Call and A Check
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
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
12.3.09
Wisconsin Police may be Listening
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
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
2.3.09
How many lawyers do you need?
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
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
24.2.09
Corporate Employees Email Legislators
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
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
23.2.09
Governor Doyle's Car Insurance Proposal
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
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
20.2.09
Preemption Garbage Strikes Wisconsin
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
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
18.2.09
Unethical Ambulance Chasing?
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
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
12.2.09
Wisconsin Car Accident Deaths Down
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
Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer
11.2.09
Dangerous Car Accident Vehicles
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
Wisconsin Car Accident Lawyer
4.2.09
Wall Street! How do you like CAPS now?
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
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
28.1.09
Wisconsin Cheerleading Lawsuit
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
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
22.1.09
True Justice from the new Dept of Justice?
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:
The highlights from my perspective are:
- Acknowledge that the courts are for all citizens;
- Stop government lawyers from cutting off access to courts for civil litigants;
- Don't use support "tort reform" laws ("reform" is really short for deform);
- Give consumers, employees and tort victims more access to court;
- Stop mandatory arbitration (see e.g. your credit card contract);
- Let consumers with tiny claims aggregate in classes so they can get lawyers; and
- Eliminate immunities for government officials and private contractors.
Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney
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