Veterans will receive high priority and expedited decisions if they tell Social Security they have a Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation rating of 100% permanent and total. Veterans can show proof of their disability by submitting their Veterans...
Firm News
Despite Recent Reports In The News, The Social Security Disability Standard Is Strict
Despite recent reports in the news, it is not easy to get on Social Security Disability. The Social Security disability standard is very strict and close to 75% of applicants are turned down initially and even after appeal, 60% of applicants are denied disability. The...
Dog Bite Prevention
More than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in the United States every year, according to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. Most of these victims are children and one in five will require medical care. However through proper education and training and...
CTA Train Crash: Know Your Legal Rights
A Chicago Transit Authority train crash early Monday morning that left dozens of people injured is also raising legal questions. An empty CTA train was parked in a service yard and somehow ended up on the Blue Line. The unmanned train then crashed head on into an...
Surgeon Forgot Where Pacing Wires Were Placed: $5.5 Million Award To Maryland Family
Just before a Maryland woman underwent cardiac bypass surgery, a surgeon placed the typical pacing wires on her chest. These wires help the doctors regulate the patient’s heart during recovery and can be removed by either clipping them or pulling them off. However,...
Big Increase in Medical Malpractice Judgments Against the Veterans Administration
Bloomberg News recently reported that a veteran, Christopher Ellison, was awarded a $17.5 million dollar verdict against the Veterans Administration when a botched routine dental visit resulted in Ellison becoming permanently incapacitated. This was the highest...
Fatal Construction Accidents on the Rise
The number of U.S. construction workers killed on the job rose 5% in 2012, according to data released by the Department of Labor. The report by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics found construction to be the deadliest industry in the U.S., with 775...
The Dangers of Texting While Driving
A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that someone who sends a text message to someone he knows is driving can be held liable to third parties for injuries caused when the distracted driver has an accident. However, that is only true if the individual sending the texts...
Shapiro, Cohen and Basinger, Ltd. Wins Record Dental Malpractice Verdict
Donald Shapiro and Matt Basinger successfully represented Mary Jarzebkowski in a dental malpractice claim against Dr. Christian Kubilius, D.D.S., a dentist who practices in Palos Heights, Illinois. Although a patient of the dentist for over 12 years, Dr. Kubilius...
ISMIE Record Profits
Malpractice insurance company in Illinois reached record levels in 2012, two years after the Illinois Supreme Court struck down laws capping damages in jury verdicts, according to an article in Crain’s Chicago Business. After predicting the opposite when the court...
