In May 2005 the Third Circuit of the Louisiana Court of Appeals upheld a significant general damages award rendered in favor of Clyde Rayburn of Hineston. Mr. Rayburn, an 83 year old widower, was injured in 2003 when he was stopped in his pickup truck at an intersection and was…
Articles Posted in Civil Matter
Minden Rail Worker Dies After Job Accident
30 year old Shannon Sampson of Minden was on the job as a supervisor with GATX Rail Field when he fell into a rail car and later died from his injuries. According to Webster Parish’s public information officer, Jenny Reynolds, Sampson fell after passing out due to a lack of…
Asbestos Exposure: Proving your Case When There are Multiple Defendants
According to a 2004 decision of the Louisiana Court of Appeals, the survivors of a New Orleans longshoreman will not be able to recover damages from corporate defendants Buck Kreihs and Dixie Machine. The Plaintiff, Mr. Vodanovich, worked as a longshoreman from 1948 to 1986. Part of his job was…
Family of Deceased Grambling Basketball Player Sues for Damages
As reported by the Ruston Daily Leader in January of this year, the family of Henry White has filed a lawsuit against Grambling State University, its supervisory panel, and the Louisiana Board of Trustees of State Colleges. In August 2009, 21 year old Henry White was a criminal justice major…
Accident in Rosepine Shows Neither Driver at Fault when Intersection Light Glows Green for Both
A malfunctioning traffic signal located in Rosepine, Louisiana, caused much confusion for two drivers one October morning in 1978. Going about their day, both drivers were given the green signal from their respective sides of the signal. As both drivers moved forward expecting the other to stop they collided. One…
How Might Toyota Defend Itself?: A Lesson in Pure Comparative Negligence
How does the law treat someone bringing a lawsuit who may be somewhat at fault for the incident? Let’s assume an injured Louisiana resident wants to sue another driver for crashing into her vehicle. In his defense, the defendant driver argues that the plaintiff failed to properly yield, and is…
A “Rules of the Road” Analysis Determines Outcome in Cotton Valley Negligence Case
When traffic accidents occur, courts must examine the basic “rules of the road” that govern drivers’ conduct in determining fault. The violation of a traffic regulation is a frequently-used basis for finding that a driver was negligent when the violation results in a crash. The case of Dyck v. Maddry,…
Asbestos a dangerous matter for all involved
In 1994, Conoco, Inc. initiated construction on a project that required the demolition of abandoned homes in Westlake, Louisiana. Along with demolition, the project required the evacuation and removal of soil. The soil, which contained asbestos, was distributed to homeowners that spread the soil on the lawns of their homes.…
Death at Monroe V.A. Home Leads to Lawsuit
Two daughters of a veteran who resided at the Northeast Louisiana War Veterans Home have sued the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs and the administrator of the home after their father died as a result of wandering out from the home into freezing temperatures, according to the Monroe Newsstar. The…
Louisiana Jailers Owe a Higher Duty of Care to Intoxicated Prisoners
According to Louisiana state courts, jailers may be liable for negligence if an intoxicated prisoner is injured while in custody. In fact, these courts have repeatedly cited the principle that the police owe a higher degree of care to an intoxicated person than to an unimpaired person. In the 1980…