San Francisco Personal Injury Lawyer - Miscellaneous

Claude Wyle of San Francisco firm Choulos Choulos & Wyle receives “Superb” rating

Claude Wyle — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:24:17 GMT

Claude Wyle of San Francisco firm Choulos Choulos & Wyle receives “Superb” rating

San Francisco, CA--Claude Armand Wyle, a partner with the law firm Choulos Choulos & Wyle, a renowned San Francisco personal injury law firm, has received a “Superb” rating from Avvo.com, based upon his experience, professional conduct, and industry recognition, that is, in the opinion of other lawyers in the community.

Mr. Wyle said, “This rating is very important to me, because Avvo.com is not a paid site.” In other words, Claude’s rating is a result of his achievements, not the result of paid advertisements or an insiders’ network.” Avvo’s new approach to ratings, is also very impressive, according to Mr. Wyle, because it allows former clients to comment on their experiences. “Although client input is not part of the rating system, it is important to consumers, because it helps to convey a sense of the lawyer’s style and approach,” Wyle said. In addition to this “superb” rating among all San Francisco personal injury attorneys with Avvo.com, Mr. Wyle also has an A. V. Rating through Martindale Hubbell, which ranks him as among the top 5% in the country, and the law offices of Choulos Choulos and Wyle is ranked also among the top 1% nationwide. Claude Wyle has also been named a “Superlawyer” by San Francisco Magazine for the last several years and is the author of numerous articles involving all aspects of litigation. He is also a frequent speaker on the topics of automobile, motorcycle and bicycle accidents and dangerous roadway cases.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Claude Wyle

Medicare’s Harsh Collection Practices Hurt Elderly Personal Injury Survivors?

Claude Wyle — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:19:11 GMT

At a time when many are questioning the very future of Medicare—financial support for the program is under attack, coverage is shrinking, the number of beneficiaries is climbing dramatically—Medicare has started to fight back. Unfortunately, the elderly are getting caught in the crossfire.

Eighty-one year-old Mollie Coury knows just that. Her legs were crushed during an accident on California’s 210 freeway, east of Pasadena. Doctors thought she'd never walk again, but she regained her mobility and put the accident behind her. Thirteen years later, in the fall of 2008, Medicare sent Mollie a bill for $66,000 for medical expenses related to the accident. If she didn't pay within 60 days, Medicare would seize her Social Security checks until the money was repaid.

How did this happen? After the accident, Coury had received about $20,000 from her daughter's insurance policy. This settlement subjected her to a law called “Medicare Secondary Payer Act,” created to prevent Medicare from paying medical expenses that were the responsibility of private insurers or other parties. Essentially, if a Medicare recipient gets in a car crash or is injured by a defective pacemaker, the government picks up the hospital tab. But if that person receives a payment from a legal settlement, insurance policy, or jury award that covers accident-related medical bills, Medicare is entitled to its money back.

The problem, as described by Mother Jones columnist Stephanie Mencimer, is that "In recent years, Congress has pushed Medicare to aggressively pursue debts from injured elderly people who have won compensation through lawsuits or liability insurance." For people "on the receiving end of the collections process-mostly elderly car accident victims...it can be a traumatic ordeal." After "forcing” personal injury lawyers to serve as Medicare's debt collectors failed to produce the desired results, Congress passed new debt-collection measures as part of the 2007 SCHIP reauthorization.

Starting next year, insurance companies must report any settlements or judgments involving Medicare beneficiaries to CMS. If a Medicare beneficiary fails to reimburse the agency for health care costs it paid, the agency can punish the insurance company with double damages. But the prospect of harsher penalties is already leading to insurance company overkill that, combined with Medicare's bureaucracy, has kept some elderly folks from receiving money that's rightfully owed them.

If you are a Medicare recipient and you win compensation in a lawsuit, be very careful that the Medicare costs are taken into consideration when finalizing the settlement. If your personal injury attorneys are not familiar with the debt-collection measures you could wind up with a bill rather than a check.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Claude Wyle

Lounge Chairs Recalled due to Risk of Severe Injury

Claude Wyle — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:01:32 GMT

The Rockingham Deluxe Lounge Chair has been recalled by its manufacturer, Bond Manufacturing Company. This voluntary recall occurred after the company received notice of consumers experiencing severe injuries to their shoulders, back, neck and head. Owners of this chair may call the consumer help-line at (866) 771-2663 for a full refund. Anyone using this chair should immediately discontinue use.

For more information on this subject matter please refer to Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Claude Wyle

"Sarge" Toy Car Poses Lead Poisoning Risk

Claude Wyle — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 18:17:48 GMT

Today's toy box seems to pose a greater risk to children of lead poisoning that old, lead-based paint, ever did. Mattel announced earlier this week that the "Sarge" die cast toy cars, imported from China, may contain excessive lead levels. Parents should frequently consult the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to keep their children's toy box non-toxic.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Claude Wyle

Another chance for DVT victims?

Staff Writer — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:31:55 GMT

Judge Vaughn Walker of the Northern District Court in San Francisco recently issued an opinion which essentially dismisses the majority of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) cases before him. The matter was originally raised by the various airline defendants at a hearing for summary judgment. The motions were heard on December 8, 2005 but it was not until August 18, 2006 that Judge Walker issued the court's opinion. The court held that in light of the Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Caman v. Continental Airlines Inc., No. 03-56810, ___F3d__, 2006 WL 2136623 (9th Cir. Aug 2, 2006), the court, bound by that court's decision, has no choice but to rule that "failure to warn" does not constitute an accident for purposes of the Warsaw Convention. However, in a surprising twist at the end of the court's lengthy opinion the court excepts from dismissal five cases. Three of the cases are being handled by the Sterns & Walker office who in addition to "failure to warn is an accident" alleged other possible theories of "accident". The court indicated in a later pleading that these alternate theories justify their non-dismissal.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Three Presumed Dead in Small Plane Crash

Staff Writer — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 12:06:56 GMT

A single-engine turboprop plane crashed in Utah Lake Thursday while on its final approach to Provo Municipal Airport. Only about 25 percent of the plane had been recovered from the debris field, and none of the three passengers on the plane had been rescued or recovered.

According to Salt Lake City's KUTV.com:

Teams have used a grid-approach to search the lake, working outward from the area believed to be in the plane's last known flight path and aligned with the Provo airport's runway. They're also considering how factors like wind, weather and current can move debris.

Sterns and Walker is one of the country's most experienced aircraft accident law firms and has represented accident victims and their families nationwide.

Read the full plane crash article.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Government Liable for Teen's Paralysis?

Staff Writer — Fri, 12 May 2006 07:41:27 GMT

Tampa governmental liability lawyer, and fellow InjuryBoard blogger, Bob Carroll, brings my attention to the story of Minouche Noel, a Florida teen who was the victim of medical malpractice at the hands of a state-employed doctor. The doctor performed an unnecessary surgery on a lesion on her back, and the lesion led to a spinal infection which resulted in paralysis. Unfortunately, Florida's senate president Tom Lee seems hesitant to approve a $6 million award for Noel's care.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Disclaimer

Staff Writer — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 08:28:22 GMT

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Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Choulos, Choulos, & Wyle

Staff Writer — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 14:31:31 GMT

Choulos, Choulos, & Wyle is your law firm for experienced motorcycle and auto accident attorneys. Our lawyers represent clients in many areas of law, including car collisions, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, and bicycle crashes. Our California auto accident attorneys have over one hundred years of experience representing clients in need of compensation for their injuries. We serve clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including Oakland, Sacramento, and San Jose. Contact us today to learn more about our California auto, motorcycle, and truck accident lawyers.

Our Heritage

100 Years of Experience Helping People
At Choulos, Choulos & Wyle, we are a focused and aggressive law firm with over 100 years combined experience, dedicated to the representation of injured people and families who are survivors of those killed by the wrongful conduct of others. Since the 1950s, we have been working with injured individuals and their families to maximize verdicts and settlements. We will fight for you, toe to toe with insurance companies, manufacturers or the government, to make sure you receive the compensation you deserve. Our firm also maintains an extensive national referral system. We will refer you to the very best attorney in your local area, in every city, county, and state, in the United States.

A Rich Tradition of Success
The rich tradition and history of our firm sets us apart from every other law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our founding attorney, Vasilios B. Choulos (1927-2003) was passionate about protecting the rights of individuals, and each California car accident attorney in our San Francisco law firm still shares that passion.

Our Top-Rated Lawyers are Here to Help
At Choulos, Choulos & Wyle, LLP, our firm, as well as each of our partners, has earned an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, earning our firm a top one percent rating, compared to all law firms in the United States. The nature of our personal injury practice enables us not only to maintain for our clients the exceptional degree of privacy required by their status or circumstances, but also to provide a tailored service for every client to their specific requirements. Our attorneys and staff also speak Spanish, Russian, Korean, and French, and we have ready access to interpreters for nearly every language.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer

Claude Wyle, Attorney at Law

Staff Writer — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 14:30:13 GMT

Claude Armand Wyle is a partner in the law firm of Choulos, Choulos, and Wyle LLP. with offices in San Francisco, California. He is an experienced and dedicated civil trial lawyer who specializes in automobile, bicycle, and motorcycle crash cases, dangerous roadway cases, product liability, dangerous premises cases, vicious animal cases, toxic tort, police misconduct and shootings, and drug liability. Mr. Wyle is especially devoted to catastrophic injury cases including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and wrongful death cases.

An active lecturer and author, Mr. Wyle has published numerous articles on most aspects of trial practice and litigation. He is a frequent lecturer at trial lawyers programs, both in California and nationally, and has spoken and taught at seminars, law schools, universities, colleges and attorneys' conferences in many states. For a copy of Mr. Wyle's recent article on motorcycle crash cases, please click here. To visit Choulos, Choulos, and Wyle's webpage on motorcycle accidents click here.

Mr. Wyle is, and has been for more than two decades, a member of the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), the California Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA), the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), He is also past Chairman of ATLA's Public Education Committee, and is currently that committee's longest standing member. He is past Regional Chair and a member of the ATLA-PAC Taskforce Committee, and has organized, led, and participated in Taskforce drives in several states. He is also past Chair of the ATLA New Lawyers Liaison Committee, a past member of the ATLA Member Services Committee, the Paralegal Liaison Committee, and the ATLA Exchange Committee. In California, Mr. Wyle has co-chaired and been a member of the Education Committees, CTLA-PAC, CAOC-PAC, and Public Education Committees, Membership Committee, and Legislation Review Committee. Mr. Wyle is a member of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. He is also a member of the Western Trial Lawyers Association. He is the recipient of numerous Presidential Awards of Merit from the Presidents of the Consumer Attorneys of California, and ATLA, most recently in April 2002. He also has won numerous awards for Outstanding Dedication and Service to ATLA and consumers on a national level.

Claude Wyle also frequently sits as a Judge Pro Tem, on a volunteer basis for the City and County of San Francisco. Mr. Wyle also volunteers, lecturing and advising indigent and less privileged individuals and groups on their legal rights.

Mr. Wyle received an academic scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley. He received his undergraduate degree, with honors, from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was amongst the first to obtain an AB degree in the Political Economics of Advanced Industrial Societies. Mr. Wyle also obtained his JD (law) degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he was on the Law Review titled Comment, and obtained the highest grade in his class for trial practice. He also studied at the Institute of International and Comparative Law in Oxford, England, through the University of San Diego Law School, and obtained the highest grades in that program, as well. Claude Wyle also successfully completed the post-graduate course of trial and appellate advocacy at the Hastings College of Advocacy, where he received the highest scores.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer