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Auto cases

April 2002 | Volume 38, Issue 4

The dangerous deception of conversion vans
Jim Gilbert and Stuart A. Ollanik

A van outfitted with captain's chairs, raised roofs, and other accessories may look impressive, but these luxuries can come at the expense of safety. If you know the common defects in converted vans, you can steer your case to justice.

When motorists get burned
J. Kent Emison

Even after the cars involved in a collision have come to a stop, their occupants may still be in danger. Many manufacturers comply with only minimum standards that address fuel-system integrity. Their decision to omit a simple safety device increases the likelihood of fuel leaks and deadly fires.

Put the brakes on runaway-vehicle defenses
Christopher L. Brinkley

When the defense claims that your client stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake, don't give up. Some vehicles do accelerate without driver error and without warning, but you need evidence. Here's how to counter this difficult-but not insurmountable-defense.

Black box technology in the courtroom
Dennis Donnelly

The information collected on a vehicle's event data recorder can both help and hurt a plaintiff injured in a car crash. This new technology will become more common, so find out all you can about the data these devices record and how to use the information to your client's advantage.

Biomechanics: science or quackery?
Sal Fariello

Biomechanics can help explain how injuries occur in auto collisions. But beware the expert who insists that a low-speed collision could not possibly have caused your client's injuries. Biomechanical analysis is neither simple nor infallible.

Jump-start your case with requests for admission
J. Franklin Long

As litigation has become more expensive, lawyers are finding that some meritorious cases are not financially practical to litigate, as high costs may result in little or no net gain for the client. This is particularly true in smaller auto cases, which often seek modest damages amounts. Even in cases involving substantial damages, attorneys have an ethical duty to limit expenses whenever practical.

Features

Helping consumers skirt scams
Interview with Odette Williamson

A staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center in Boston discusses how to protect consumers from predatory-lending practices. Class action lawsuits and cutting-edge litigation tactics, she says, can be effective in challenging scams and prompting changes in the lending industry.

News & Trends

Something rotten in synthetic stucco, suits claim

RICO lawsuit seeks punitive damages for GM's alleged discovery abuse

New federal law protects sellers of structured settlement payments

States not immune from Family and Medical Leave Act liability, Ninth Circuit rules

Can Congress beat the cloning clock?

Illinois appeals court upholds public nuisance claim in gun case

Sellers of 'laundered lemons' forced to come clean

Credit cardholder may sue bank for bait-and-switch tactics, Third Circuit rules

Woman's sexual past not admissible in wrongful death suit

Colorado says OSHA violations admissible in lawsuit

Florida appeals court rules three-strikes law unconstitutional

New center to focus on improving jury system

Departments

President's page
The truth about medical malpractice

Washington focus
Enron and on and on. . .

Law office technology
New word-processing and file-access basics

Supreme Court review
South Carolina's death penalty odyssey continues

Good counsel

Discoveries

Quotes

Books

Medical Records for Attorneys
by Laurence M. Deutsch

Letters to a Young Lawyer
by Alan Dershowitz

Classifieds

Classifieds

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Balancing the Scales of Justice
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