Practice Area
ORS 20.080 Attorney Fee
Personal Lines in Oregon and Washington: 2022 Year in Review
Webinar
Join Smith Freed Eberhard partners, Cliff Wilson and Josh Hayward, as they provide a basic overview of Oregon and Washington personal lines cases in 2022 including recent developments and real-world examples. Webinar Available On-Demand View the Webinar Tuesday, April 18th…
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Wednesday April 5, 2023 By: Firm Authorship
Oregon Court of Appeals Holds Once You Leave Safe Harbor You Cannot Re-Enter
Legal Alert
From the Desk of Melanie Rose:  Safe harbor is an important aspect of UIM claims as it provides an avenue to escape the general rule that prevailing plaintiffs in insurance policy actions are entitled to attorney fees. In order to…
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Thursday April 21, 2022 By: Melanie Rose
Pre-litigation Bad Faith Conduct Leaves Losing Party Fronting the Bill
Legal Alert
From the Desk of Kyle Riley: The American rule has long held that each party must bear its own litigation fees and costs. This rule was instituted so that no party would be dissuaded to pursue or defend a claim…
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Thursday March 24, 2022 By: Kyle Riley
Personal Lines in Oregon and Washington – 2021 Year in Review
Webinar
Join Smith Freed Eberhard Partners Josh Hayward and Cliff Wilson as they discuss significant personal lines cases of 2021 in Oregon and Washington with a focus on the impact these cases will have on personal lines claims management. Webinar Available On-Demand Enter your email…
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Wednesday January 26, 2022 By: Josh Hayward
A Costly Miscalculation: Can Multiple Settlement Offers be Aggregated When Awarding Attorney Fees?
Legal Alert
Listen to Our Legal Alerts on the Following Platforms: From the Desk of Cliff J. Wilson: In Oregon, ORS 20.080 can create big headaches in otherwise low-value cases by giving rise to the award of attorney fees to the plaintiff.…
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Thursday December 2, 2021 By: Cliff Wilson
A Costly Miscalculation: Can Multiple Settlement Offers be Aggregated When Awarding Attorney Fees?
Podcast
Welcome to The Briefing - a legal podcast by Smith Freed Eberhard. We will provide insight and analysis on new Oregon and Washington case law, litigation innovation and technology, the insurance marketplace, and firm news. In this week's episode Cliff…
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Thursday December 2, 2021 By: Cliff Wilson
So You Paid PIP and the UIM Case Is Going to Trial. Can the PIP Payments Be Disclosed to the Jury and How Do You Preserve Your Offset?
Legal Alert
From the Desk of Josh Hayward: In this case, the plaintiff brought an underinsured motorist claim against her insurance company State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance.  Plaintiff claimed that she incurred more than $150,000 in related medical bills but only requested…
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Friday October 29, 2021 By: Josh Hayward
Taking a Case to Trial During COVID-19
Success Story
Claims Alleged: Personal Injury/Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries Alleged: Soft Tissue Injuries (Orthopedic) Admitted Liability: No Amount Claimed: $21,000,000 The Overview: Smith Freed Eberhard attorney Gordon Klug recently achieved an exceptional judgment for his client who was deemed to bear a…
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Wednesday September 22, 2021 By: Firm Authorship
Washington Court of Appeals Paves the Road to Costly Attorneys’ Fees in Cases Affecting Title to Real Property
Legal Alert
Listen to Our Legal Alerts on the Following Platforms: From the desk of Gordon C. Klug: Absent a contract, statute, or recognized rule of equity, in disputes involving title to real property, attorneys’ fees are not generally awarded.  However, in…
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Friday August 27, 2021 By: Firm Authorship
Washington Court of Appeals Paves the Road to Costly Attorneys’ Fees in Cases Affecting Title to Real Property – The Briefing
Podcast
Welcome to The Briefing - a legal podcast by Smith Freed Eberhard. We will provide insight and analysis on new Oregon and Washington case law, litigation innovation and technology, the insurance marketplace, and firm news. In this week's episode, Abby…
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Wednesday August 25, 2021 By: Firm Authorship
A Substantial Benefit Leads to Substantial Fees
Legal Alert
Listen to Our Legal Alerts on the Following Platforms: From the desk of Bill Taaffe: In disputes that require a finding on constitutional grounds, there is the potential for the prevailing party to recover attorney fees. However, when a party…
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Monday July 5, 2021 By: William Taaffe
The Briefing: A Substantial Benefit Leads to Substantial Fees
Podcast
Welcome to The Briefing - a legal podcast by Smith Freed Eberhard. We will provide insight and analysis on new Oregon and Washington case law, litigation innovation and technology, the insurance marketplace, and firm news. In this week's episode, Justin…
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Wednesday June 2, 2021 By: William Taaffe
If you Sail Out of the Safe Harbor, Expect to Pay the Price (in Attorney Fees)
Legal Alert
From the desk of Cliff Wilson: In disputes over insurance policies, there is the potential that the insured can recover attorney fees from the insurer. However, when the dispute is over uninsured or underinsured motorist benefits, the insurer can protect…
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Wednesday April 28, 2021 By: Cliff Wilson
Oregon Supreme Court Limits the Impact of an Offer to Allow Judgment
Legal Alert
From the desk of Jeffrey D. Eberhard: In certain circumstances, if a plaintiff is successful, they can recover attorney fees. However, ORCP 54 (the offer to allow judgment rule) limits a plaintiff’s recovery of fees to those incurred prior to…
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Thursday February 11, 2021 By: Jeff Eberhard
When to Fight Back with a Counterclaim
Success Story
Claims Alleged:         False Imprisonment; Assault and Battery; and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Injuries Alleged:       Concussion; Nasal Fracture; Facial Contusions and Abrasions; and Emotional Distress Admitted Liability:    No Amount Claimed:       $995,000 The Overview: Managing Partner at…
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Thursday November 19, 2020 By: Jeff Eberhard
Oregon Personal Lines – 2020 Year in Review
Webinar
Smith Freed Eberhard Partners Josh Hayward and Cliff Wilson discuss major Personal Lines cases of the past year in Oregon with a focus on the impact these cases will have on Personal Lines claims management. In this hour-long webinar presentation,…
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Friday October 23, 2020 By: Josh Hayward
Oregon Case Update: Oregon Supreme Court Restricts the Scope of Discoverable Communications Between Plaintiffs and Treating Physicians
Legal Alert
Oregon Case Update: Oregon Supreme Court Restricts the Scope of Discoverable Communications Between Plaintiffs and Treating Physicians  From the Desk of Ryan McLellan: Communications between plaintiffs and their treating physicians have long been discoverable in Oregon depositions after the plaintiff has…
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Thursday December 6, 2018 By: Cliff Wilson
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