Negligence

March 5, 2013

Safety history of cruise ships difficult to assess

A labyrinthine maze of maritime rules, fragmented oversight and a patchwork quilt of nations that do business with cruise lines make it tough for consumers to assess the health and safety record of the ship they’re about to board.

Want to know about a ship’s cleanliness record? Food safety? Virus outbreaks? It’s difficult to find, partly because there is no one entity or country that regulates the industry with its fleet of ships that are like floating mini-cities.

In the case of Carnival Cruise Lines, according to the Associate Press, the owner of the Carnival Triumph that spent days in the Gulf of Mexico disabled by an engine fire, the company is incorporated in Panama, its offices are based in Miami, and its ships fly under the Bahamian flag — a combination that is not unusual in the cruise line industry.

February 18, 2013

Wendy’s Charged with Negligence in Car Accident

by Blady Workforce Law Group, APC

A stop at local Wendy’s resulted in serious injury for a Williston Park, NY mother and daughter, who have filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit.

Theresa DiMilia and her 11-year-old daughter Samantha walked out of the Wendy’s restaurant on December 4, 2012, when a car being driven by an elderly woman jumped the curb and pinned them against the wall.

“The pain was so unbearable. I remember my daughter Samantha asking me if she was dead,” Theresa DiMilia told 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera.

January 17, 2013

L.A. Clippers Owner Liable for $17.3 Million in Apartment Fire

by Blady Workforce Law Group, APC

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was ordered by a jury to pay $17.3 million to Robyn Cohen, an actress who lived in a building owned by him that caught fire. Cohen, who has had roles in “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and “Burned,” claimed the fire in the West Hollywood apartment caused emotional trauma that hurt her acting career.

The September 2012 fire was reportedly caused by an electrical problem. Cohen says she was in her apartment reading scripts for the cable series “Gravity” when she heard a noise. She then went into the hallway where she discovered smoke and called 911. Cohen’s attorney Melissa Yoon blamed Sterling, who owns 130 buildings in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit for breach of contract, breach of warranty of habitability and intentional infliction of emotional distress alleged that Sterling failed to properly maintain smoke detectors in the building. Sterling’s attorney, Guy Gruppie, said Sterling delegated those operations to his staff. He also expressed doubt about Cohen’s claim that the fire damaged her career. “She is able to work, and she is doing well. The truth is Ms. Cohen’s career is thriving,” Gruppie said.

December 21, 2012

Woman who spilled hot tea on herself on Southwest Airlines flight seeks $800,000 in damages

by Blady Workforce Law Group, APC

Angelica Keller was on a Southwest flight to Houston last December when she ordered a cup of tea from the attendant.

Since she was in the front row, Keller, 43, did not have a drop-down tray, and spilled the steaming hot water on her lap.

Keller, a construction worker from Georgia, suffered second-degree burns and blisters, according to her attorney Rob Anderson, who filed an $800,000 negligence lawsuit against Southwest Airlines.