For the Public

liability

Utah’s Causes of Action in Products Liability Cases

In 1979, the Utah Supreme Court in Ernest W. Hahn, Inc. v. Armco Steel Co., 601 P.2d 152 (1979) adopted the doctrine of strict liability as set out in the Restatement of Torts 2d, Section 402A. This section imposes liability in tort without proof of negligence upon “one who sells any product in a defective condition unreasonably dangerous to the

Read More »
TI

Current Alternatives to Reunification Therapy

Divorces are traumatic to children. During or after a divorce, a child may reject one of their parents by resisting or refusing to engage with that parent. Upon request, Arizona family law judges may appoint a mental health professional to act as a therapeutic interventionist (TI) to reconstruct the relationship or may direct an alternative process such as an intensive

Read More »
medical claims

The Erosion Of Medical Claims Protection

Patient falls in nursing homes and hospitals may no longer be afforded the legal protections of medical claims after a recent appellate court decision. In December, the Tenth District Court of Appeals issued an opinion which further eroded the medical claim protection by holding that a fall in a nursing home unrelated to medical care or treatment is an ordinary

Read More »
PTSD

PTSD And The Injured Worker – Victimized Twice

One of the most challenging areas in workers’ compensation is psychological injuries and their relation to physical injury. Imagine the effect of an injury – whether minor or catastrophic – on a person struggling with anxiety or depression or on someone who had never been injured previously and suddenly finds their life turned upside down without resources to cope. In

Read More »
subrogation

Subrogation: The Newest Challenge For Personal Injury Plaintiff’s Cases

One of the hottest (and least favorite) issues that plaintiff’s lawyers all across the country are grappling with right now can be stated in one word, subrogation. Subrogation issues in the personal injury context arise when a third-party payer of medical bills (usually Medicare, Medicaid or a private health insurance company) makes a claim for reimbursement out of the subsequent

Read More »
medical malpractice

Prelitigation Hearings in Medical Malpractice Cases

In Utah, medical malpractice tort reform began in earnest in 1976. Over the intervening years, the reforms have multiplied. New layers of limitations and procedural complexity have developed, seemingly by accretion. Almost nothing has been discarded. The result is a web of time-consuming requirements that a prospective claimant must successfully negotiate before ever filing a lawsuit. In 1976, a petitioner

Read More »
family violence

The Perils of the Plea Deal in Assault Family Violence Cases

There is an abundance of misinformation circulating regarding the criminal justice system, and this often materializes through discussions between citizens accused and their friends, family members, acquaintances and anyone they may have encountered in jail after their arrest. Misdemeanor assault family violence cases can be the nexus for bad advice and severe permanent consequences, so it is important to educate

Read More »
verbal acts

The Truth About Verbal Acts

The determination whether a statement should be excluded as hearsay was described by famed legal writer and scholar, Irving Younger, as a “thicket” and an “incredible mishmash of rules.” One area of hearsay analysis that is particularly thorny is referred to confusingly as verbal acts, verbal parts of an act, or the verbal act doctrine. Verbal Act According to Black’s

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Sexual Exploitation of a minor

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor: A Basic Insight

Simply stated, sexual exploitation of a minor – commonly referred to as child pornography – is one of the most substantial felonies one can commit in Arizona. As set forth in ARS 13-3553, mere possession of any visual depiction of a minor engaged in any exploitive exhibition or other sexual conduct is a class two felony. And, if the image

Read More »
drug enforcement evaluation

Drug Enforcement Evaluation: Pseudoscience in DUI Cases Under Attack

Arizona citizens and drivers have the right to expect that their fellow drivers are not impaired. When most people think of impairment and driving, they usually assume that alcohol is the culprit. There is a growing trend, however, of people taking powerful prescription medications that impair them. Law enforcement’s answer has been to emphasize enforcement, but determining if someone is

Read More »
liability

Utah’s Causes of Action in Products Liability Cases

In 1979, the Utah Supreme Court in Ernest W. Hahn, Inc. v. Armco Steel Co., 601 P.2d 152 (1979) adopted the doctrine of strict liability as set out in the Restatement of Torts 2d, Section 402A. This section imposes liability in tort without proof of negligence upon “one who sells any product in a defective condition unreasonably dangerous to the

Read More »
TI

Current Alternatives to Reunification Therapy

Divorces are traumatic to children. During or after a divorce, a child may reject one of their parents by resisting or refusing to engage with that parent. Upon request, Arizona family law judges may appoint a mental health professional to act as a therapeutic interventionist (TI) to reconstruct the relationship or may direct an alternative process such as an intensive

Read More »
medical claims

The Erosion Of Medical Claims Protection

Patient falls in nursing homes and hospitals may no longer be afforded the legal protections of medical claims after a recent appellate court decision. In December, the Tenth District Court of Appeals issued an opinion which further eroded the medical claim protection by holding that a fall in a nursing home unrelated to medical care or treatment is an ordinary

Read More »
PTSD

PTSD And The Injured Worker – Victimized Twice

One of the most challenging areas in workers’ compensation is psychological injuries and their relation to physical injury. Imagine the effect of an injury – whether minor or catastrophic – on a person struggling with anxiety or depression or on someone who had never been injured previously and suddenly finds their life turned upside down without resources to cope. In

Read More »
subrogation

Subrogation: The Newest Challenge For Personal Injury Plaintiff’s Cases

One of the hottest (and least favorite) issues that plaintiff’s lawyers all across the country are grappling with right now can be stated in one word, subrogation. Subrogation issues in the personal injury context arise when a third-party payer of medical bills (usually Medicare, Medicaid or a private health insurance company) makes a claim for reimbursement out of the subsequent

Read More »
medical malpractice

Prelitigation Hearings in Medical Malpractice Cases

In Utah, medical malpractice tort reform began in earnest in 1976. Over the intervening years, the reforms have multiplied. New layers of limitations and procedural complexity have developed, seemingly by accretion. Almost nothing has been discarded. The result is a web of time-consuming requirements that a prospective claimant must successfully negotiate before ever filing a lawsuit. In 1976, a petitioner

Read More »
family violence

The Perils of the Plea Deal in Assault Family Violence Cases

There is an abundance of misinformation circulating regarding the criminal justice system, and this often materializes through discussions between citizens accused and their friends, family members, acquaintances and anyone they may have encountered in jail after their arrest. Misdemeanor assault family violence cases can be the nexus for bad advice and severe permanent consequences, so it is important to educate

Read More »
verbal acts

The Truth About Verbal Acts

The determination whether a statement should be excluded as hearsay was described by famed legal writer and scholar, Irving Younger, as a “thicket” and an “incredible mishmash of rules.” One area of hearsay analysis that is particularly thorny is referred to confusingly as verbal acts, verbal parts of an act, or the verbal act doctrine. Verbal Act According to Black’s

Read More »
Sexual Exploitation of a minor

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor: A Basic Insight

Simply stated, sexual exploitation of a minor – commonly referred to as child pornography – is one of the most substantial felonies one can commit in Arizona. As set forth in ARS 13-3553, mere possession of any visual depiction of a minor engaged in any exploitive exhibition or other sexual conduct is a class two felony. And, if the image

Read More »
drug enforcement evaluation

Drug Enforcement Evaluation: Pseudoscience in DUI Cases Under Attack

Arizona citizens and drivers have the right to expect that their fellow drivers are not impaired. When most people think of impairment and driving, they usually assume that alcohol is the culprit. There is a growing trend, however, of people taking powerful prescription medications that impair them. Law enforcement’s answer has been to emphasize enforcement, but determining if someone is

Read More »

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