Stupid traffic law: Ohio court rules that cops can ticket you for speeding if it “looks like” you’re speeding
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on June 7th, 2010
Now here's a truly bogus traffic law. In a 5-1 ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled last week that police officers can pull you over and legally ticket you if it "appears" to the officer that you are speeding. [caption id="attachment_794" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Image credit: © iStockphoto.com/Stratol"][/caption] No radar is needed. No mechanized speed checks required. No VASCAR timing has to be set up. None of those are needed in Ohio anymore. Nope. Just a...
Update: U.S. Supreme Court makes the right decision by banning teen life sentences without parole in non-murder cases
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on May 21st, 2010
Back in November, we wrote here that sentencing juvenile offenders to life in prison without any chance for parole is cruel and unusual punishment and should be outlawed when their crimes don't include murder. Across our nation in non-homicide cases, 129 teens are serving life sentences without parole, including 77 in Florida, according to a story in The Wall Street Journal. No teens in Pennsylvania are serving such sentences. In cases that do involve murder,...
Drivers beware: What it means for you now that the Philadelphia police will no longer respond to minor traffic accidents
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on May 3rd, 2010
For years, if you were involved in a traffic accident in Philadelphia – even a minor fender-bender – you could call the police and they would respond with an officer who would produce an accident report. That was a good thing. It provided details of the accident, an officer's hand-drawn illustration of the accident scene, full names of the drivers involved and information about any witnesses and other relevant details. If you were injured, this...
Damage caps on injury cases harm accident and medical malpractice victims a second time
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 16th, 2010
Are you willing to give up your rights to be compensated fully for ALL of the damages caused by another? If you are injured in an accident, you can be sure that you want to recover every dollar you are entitled to for your treatment and for your pain and suffering. But insurance companies for years have been trying to fight you tooth and nail to minimize what they pay out to you for pain...
Need a lawyer? Here are some helpful hints about how to select the right one
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 10th, 2010
At some point in your life, you will probably need to hire a lawyer. It may be for help when you are injured in a vehicle accident or fall, or if you are going through a divorce, tax dispute, criminal charges or custody or other legal issues. It's uncommon today if at some point you don't have to at least consult an attorney about something in your life. So if that happens, where in the...
Beware: lawsuit settlement cash advances can cost you far more than you realize
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on March 3rd, 2010
It’s bad enough when you are injured in an accident and then have to wait for a monetary settlement or verdict to compensate you for your injuries. It’s even worse if you are victimized a second time by one of the many companies out there that are cashing in on the anticipated cash settlements of injured people by “loaning” them money up front and then taking huge windfalls from the settlements when the money is...
Insurance fraud: let the insurers who go after “fraud” first take a closer look at themselves
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on February 9th, 2010
Have you seen those ads on television lately where some downtrodden fellow is so desperate that he arranges for his own car to be "stolen" so he can later file a claim for damages and gain a windfall? The guy ends up getting caught, of course, and is sent to jail. And the intended message from the huge, scary insurance companies: "insurance fraud is against the law, you will get caught and you will go...
Is plastic food packaging safe or dangerous? Will the federal government ever decide and act to protect us properly?
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on January 20th, 2010
It's not enough that we have to worry about the safety of the vehicles we drive in, the airplanes we fly in and even the toys our children play with. Now, in a story in The New York Times last week, we are reminded to always be concerned about the packaging used for the food and drinks that we consume each day. Less than two years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared that...
Satellite TV sports viewers rejoice: the FCC could end the Comcast “SportsNet” monopoly
By Dean I Weitzman, Esq. on December 16th, 2009
Monopolies are typically not a good thing, unless you are playing the popular and beloved Parker Brothers game with your children. But for years, Philadelphia sports fans in the greater Philadelphia area who wanted to watch most of the games involving their beloved Phillies, Flyers and Sixers on television haven't been able to watch unless they subscribed to Comcast Corp.'s cable TV services. That's because most Phillies, Flyers and Sixers games are broadcast only on...