Legal Alert
From the Desk of Melanie Rose: Plaintiffs do not have endless time to file their legal actions. Rather civil claims are subject to statutes of limitation, which require a lawsuit to be filed within a specified amount of time based on the type of action—personal injury, wrongful death, breach of contract, etc. However, there are instances where these limitation periods…
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Monday February 22, 2021
By: Melanie Rose
Legal Alert
From the desk of Bill P. Taaffe: In Oregon, to prove negligence, a plaintiff must show the harm he or she suffered was foreseeable. How one characterizes the harm—i.e., “a head injury” versus just “an injury”—clearly has a significant impact on what can be considered foreseeable. This case asks the question: Can a head injury, caused by walking into a…
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Wednesday January 27, 2021
By: William Taaffe
Legal Alert
From the desk of Ashley Nagrodski: Washington has a recreational use immunity statute that shields landowners from liability for injuries that occur on their property. However, there is an exception to this immunity which means a qualifying defendant may still face liability. What exactly is required to come within the protection of this statute? Read on to find out. Claims…
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Thursday January 7, 2021
By: Firm Authorship
Legal Alert
From the desk of Thomas McCurdy: Generally, if a driver loses consciousness and causes an auto accident, they are not held liable. The driver can be held liable, however, if they were aware that there was a possibility they could suddenly lose consciousness. This case addresses the question, does a driver’s prior knowledge of their multiple health conditions make them…
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Tuesday December 1, 2020
By: Thomas McCurdy
White Paper
Whether or not you viewed our webinar, Discovery in the Information Age, you'll want to download our complimentary cheat sheet that summarizes the key takeaways from the webinar about how you can better use technology to more effectively defend and settle your claims. Enter your email below to request the handout. Download the HandoutBe In The KnowBut Know We Have…
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Tuesday November 26, 2019
By: Jeff Eberhard
Legal Alert
Washington Case Update: Unusual Injury Suffered While Riding a Roller Coaster Allows a Plaintiff to Utilize the Doctrine of Res Ipsa Loquitur From the desk of Kyle D. Riley: In personal injury lawsuits alleging negligence, the plaintiff has the burden of proving that a defendant breached a duty owed to the plaintiff. In some cases, however, plaintiffs are able to utilize…
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Thursday April 18, 2019
By: Kyle Riley
Webinar
Smith Freed Eberhard Partner Bill Taaffe discusses major cases of the past year in Oregon. In this one hour presentation, Bill focuses on the following cases: (OR) Case affecting the discoverability of physician-patient communications. (OR) Cases enforcing the complicity doctrine in liquor liability lawsuits. (OR) Case limiting the scope of Oregon’s elder abuse statute as it pertains to insurance companies.…
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Thursday November 8, 2018
By: William Taaffe
Legal Alert
Oregon Appellate Update: Oregon Supreme Court Grants Review in Two Important Cases - Tort Cap and Dram Shop From the Desk of Jeff Eberhard: On November 1, 2017, the Oregon Court of Appeals issued two separate decisions, both of which have a significant impact on the insurance industry and defense of claims. Recently, the Oregon Supreme Court issued orders accepting review…
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Thursday May 24, 2018
By: Jeff Eberhard
Legal Alert
Washington Case Law Update: Court Rules that Implied Warranty of Habitability Does Not Extend to Tenant’s Guest From the desk of Kyle D. Riley: Under common law in Washington, landowners may be liable for failure to maintain a safe and habitable premises. But where the landlord owns a house that is occupied by a tenant, does the landlord owe a duty…
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Thursday May 17, 2018
By: Kyle Riley
Legal Alert
Oregon Case Law Update: Patron Not Prohibited from Filing Third Party Complaint Against Alcohol Provider From the Desk of Jeff Eberhard: A few months ago, the Oregon Court of Appeals held that ORS 471.565(1), which prevents a patron who voluntarily consumed alcohol from bringing suit against the alcohol provider, to be unconstitutional in the context of a social host. [See…
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Wednesday April 18, 2018
By: Jeff Eberhard
Success Story
SFE Attorney: Ryan McLellan Plaintiff Attorney: Kathryn A. Hall City, County, State: Jackson County Circuit Court, Oregon Claims Alleged: Injury to Horse (Property Damage) Injuries Alleged: No longer able to carry foal Admitted Liability: No Amount Claimed: $65,000 The Overview Smith Freed Eberhard partner Ryan McLellan recently obtained a very favorable settlement during trial after moving for a directed verdict…
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Thursday March 22, 2018
By: Ryan McLellan
Legal Alert
From the Desk of Joshua P. Hayward: In Washington, a person who is injured while rescuing another individual may have a claim against the party whose negligence caused the need for rescue. But does this rule apply to a professional rescuer, such as a firefighter, who is injured while responding to an accident scene? Read on to find out. Claims…
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Wednesday February 28, 2018
By: Josh Hayward
Legal Alert
Washington Case Update: Parent’s Negligent Supervision not Tortious, Cannot Reduce Child’s Recovery From the desk of Kyle D. Riley: Washington’s comparative fault scheme permits apportioning fault among all entities who bear a portion of fault, including those that are immune from liability to the claimant. When a child is injured due in part to the negligent supervision of a parent, how…
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Thursday July 20, 2017
By: Kyle Riley
Legal Alert
Washington Case Law Update: Court of Appeals Reworks Assumption of Risk Doctrine, Holds that Inherent Peril Assumption of Risk Bars Negligence Claim From the desk of Kyle D. Riley: In many states, when a person engages in a recreational activity, that person typically assumes the risks inherent to the activity and cannot sue others for injuries sustained while participating. In this case,…
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Wednesday July 12, 2017
By: Kyle Riley
Legal Alert
Oregon Case Law Update: Oregon Expands Liability for Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress From the desk of Jeff Eberhard: Since 1986, Oregon has followed the impact rule in claims for negligent infliction of emotional distress. This rule prohibited recovery in claims for emotional distress unless the plaintiff was physically injured. In this case, the Oregon Supreme Court was asked to…
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Thursday January 19, 2017
By: Jeff Eberhard
Webinar
Smith Freed Eberhard Partner, Bill Taaffee and Partner, Tom McCurdy discuss how the changing landscape of retail could affect you and your claims handling. In this one hour presentation Bill and Tom discuss: Legal standards for claims against retail stores in Oregon and Washington Best practices for managing and evaluating claims against Oregon and Washington retailers Holiday shoppers who slip,…
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Tuesday December 20, 2016
By: William Taaffe
Legal Alert
Oregon Case Law Update: When Does a Business have a Duty to Protect Patrons from Violence? From the desk of Jeff Eberhard: In this case, a teenage exchange student was waiting in line at an underage nightclub when she was shot and killed. The trial court dismissed the claim against the nightclub on the grounds the harm was…
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Tuesday September 13, 2016
By: Jeff Eberhard
Webinar
Smith Freed Eberhard Partner Bill Taaffe demonstrates how you can use technology and data to more effectively defend and settle your claims. Bill discusses: How to leverage social media to uncover and undermine claims Why email is a double-edged sword The truth about cell phone data and what types of data are practical and available for use How electronic discovery…
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Thursday July 21, 2016
By: William Taaffe
