Recent Blog Posts
ON WASHINGTON’S DISCRIMINATORY WRONGFUL DEATH LAWS
Common sense dictates that when a child is killed due to the negligence of another, the parents of that child may bring a claim against the at-fault party. Except, it doesn’t. Not always. That’s because Washington State has a law that precludes two classes of people from being able to bring claims when their… Read More »
WHAT DOES “LITIGATION” MEAN?
To be technical, the word “litigation” is based on the intransitive verb “to litigate”. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, to litigate means “to carry on a legal contest by judicial process”, or “to decide and settle in a court of law”. But that doesn’t tell you much about the litigation process, or why… Read More »
WHAT IF THE PERSON WHO HIT ME WAS DRINKING AT A BAR?
What If the Person Who Hit Me Was Drinking at a Bar? Often when people are involved in car crashes, everything in the immediate aftermath turns into a blur. Getting to a place of safety and securing medical help for those who need it is the primary concern. But in the chaos of a… Read More »
SCOTT STAPLES PRESENTS “NUTS & BOLTS OF HANDLING MANDATORY ARBITRATIONS”
Scott Staples Presents “Nuts & Bolts of Handling Mandatory Arbitrations” On January 9, 2019, against the backdrop of the Columbia River in the Warehouse ’23 event space, a group of interested local attorneys turned out to hear Scott Staples of Schauermann Thayer Jacobs Staples & Edwards PS and local attorney Bruce Colven explore how… Read More »
IF MY CAR CRASH HAPPENED ON A BRIDGE, IS IT A WASHINGTON OR AN OREGON CASE?
If My Car Crash Happened On a Bridge, Is it a Washington or an Oregon Case? When collisions occur on the span of the bridges over the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon the rule is that the two states share jurisdiction. Oregon has a statute, ORS 507.020, entitled “Waters deemed Oregon-Washington concurrent jurisdiction… Read More »
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SCHAUERMANN THAYER
A Brief History of Schauermann Thayer Would you believe our office used to be a gas station? It’s true. Years before Craig Schauermann and Bill Thayer purchased the building in 1986 however, it had already been converted into office space. That was a lifetime ago—at least for the younger attorneys at the firm. With so much history, sometimes… Read More »
MY PIP INSURER HAS STOPPED PAYING MY MEDICAL BILLS–NOW WHAT?
My PIP Insurer Has Stopped Paying My Medical Bills—Now What? As we’ve detailed here, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits are essentially health and wage loss insurance attached to your auto policy. In Washington, your auto insurer has to provide you PIP coverage unless you specifically sign something (or click a box online) saying you don’t… Read More »
IMMIGRATION STATUS IN CIVIL DISCOVERY
If One’s Immigration Status is Generally Not Admissible in Washington, Must a Party Answer Questions About His or Her Undocumented Status at Deposition? Short answer: Typically, not. Given the fact that one’s immigration status is generally not admissible in Washington courts, it follows that it would usually be inappropriate during discovery for an attorney to inquire… Read More »
DO I HAVE TO PAY BACK HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS OUT OF MY VERDICT OR SETTLEMENT?
Do I have to pay back Health Insurance benefits from my verdict or settlement? After a personal injury verdict or settlement, reimbursing health insurance is generally required to some extent, and under some circumstances. The requirement is typically contained in the insurance contract, state laws, and regulations, or federal laws and regulations. Whether a… Read More »
IS MY CASE GOING TO TRIAL?
We’ve outlined the typical personal injury claim process before in a blog post you can find here. If there was a timeline done of the typical personal injury claim, the latter portion of the timeline would be the litigation phase (everything that happens after filing a lawsuit) and the final resolution of both the litigation… Read More »
