All Topics

• Mesothelioma - A Killer With A Specific Cause

  John Cooper | January 03, 2007 10:52 AM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Mesothelioma is a cancer, which is always fatal, and has only one known cause, namely, exposure to asbestos dust.Because the cause of asbestos is so clearly linked to this horrible cancer, wrongful death cases associated with the disease are easier to win. When a railroad or other corporation exposes its workers to asbestos dust, they know that a good injury lawyer will be able to prove that...

• Picking The Right Injury Attorney

  John Cooper | December 27, 2006 10:21 AM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Choosing the right attorney to handle your injury case is an important decision. You shouldn't just take anyone who claims to do injury work off the TV. Many of the best personal injury lawyers do not advertise on TV (because they do not have to). The kinds of clients who use the television to select their personal injury lawyer are often the least informed consumers. For example, if you want...

• " Injured Railroad Workers Get to Chose the Court in FELA Claims Against Railroad Employers for On-Duty Accidents."(2)

  John Cooper | December 21, 2006 3:54 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  The Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA) is unique in that it provides railroad employees with several choices of courts in which to file and try their cases. The FELA gives jurisdiction over cases brought under its provision to both state and federal courts. This is commonly known as "concurrent jurisdiction". This means the plaintiff (employee) can file his or her case in either a...

• Big Business vs. The Little Guy

  John Cooper | November 21, 2006 12:05 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  It never ceases to amaze me how big insurance companies and corporations do everything in their power to prevent people from being able to make injury claims when they get hurt.Big businesses use all of their money and leverage to try to pay as little as they can get away with paying in all regards. One of the easiest things for them to do is to limit the rights of regular citizens, "the little...

• Multi-State Injury Cases Are More Complicated

  John Cooper | October 12, 2006 3:13 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  If your personal injury case involves more than one state, it is more complex and requires an attorney familar with handling such cases.Lots of personal injury cases involve more than one state. For example, if you are from North Carolina and you have a car crash just across the border in Virginia, your injury case involves more than one state. This situtation is very common in today's mobile...

• Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton, P.C.

  Staff Writer | June 15, 2006 2:07 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton, P.C. is dedicated to representing those injured due to the carelessness and fault of others, including railroad, truck and car accidents, faulty product injuries, and medical malpractice claims. The firm has represented thousands of accident victims throughout the Eastern United States and the firm's lawyers have over 100 years combined legal experience. Our...

• Florida Lawyer Brings Class Action Against UnitedHealthcare

  Jenny Albano | July 25, 2007 9:59 AM | 1 CommentNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Attorney Joe Saunders, of Pinellas County, filed a class action suit against UnitedHealthcare yesterday. The lawsuit accuses UnitedHealthcare of Florida of misrepresentation and fraudulently marketing some of their health care plans. According to the lawsuit, the defendants, UnitedHealth Group and UnitedHealthcare, enrolled Medicare recipients into their Medicare Advantage HMO or PPO plan...

• Railroad FELA Verdict in Portsmouth, Virginia (VA)

  John Cooper | July 10, 2007 9:05 AM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  In August of 2003, John Wilson, a former conductor for The Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad, was injured when a fence pole hit his shoulder while he was on the side of a train car. Wilson, a United Transportation Union local chairman, filed a FELA claim against the railroad company he worked for because of this close clearance problem on the line servicing the Ford Motors plant. The...

• Gastric Bypass Operations Continue To Result In Medical Malpractice Awards

  John Cooper | May 02, 2007 2:45 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Recently, a gastric bypass medical error/wrongful death case was settled for over $800,000.00 on the morning of jury trial in Norfolk, Virginia (VA). The case in the Norfolk Circuit Court involved a 28 year old single mother who had an 8 year old handicapped child. After trying to diet and exercise to lose weight, she agreed to undergo a laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery. After the...

• People Injured in Accidents Often Face Bankruptcy

  John Cooper | April 30, 2007 12:22 PM | 0 CommentsNorfolk, Portsmouth & Hampton, VA

  Unfortunately, there is a relationship between the field of personal injury law and the field of bankruptcy law. At my law firm, Hajek, Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis, and Appleton, "all we do is personal injury law"; however, I have had to learn over 18 years in injury practice about the relationship of bankruptcy to what I do representing injured people. One of the main reasons that people end up in...