Social media is everywhere and used by a majority of the population. Recent studies indicate that more users are not only accessing Facebook more frequently, but also that they are using it primarily on their mobile telephones. Part of this drive is due to Facebook features, such as the live video feed, that allows users […]
As part of the Georgia Tort Reform package in 2005, the legislature passed a settlement procedure statute meant to put some teeth into settlement negotiations. Now O.C.G.A. § 9-11-68, (a/k/a Rule 68 – Offer of Settlement), allows either party in a tort case to serve the other party with a written offer to settle, so long […]
Reviewing medical records and billing statements are a routine practice throughout pre-suit and the litigation process. With the rise of third party billing entities, it has become common place to receive a statement that was issued from an entity other than the one that rendered treatment. If the charges seem disproportionate to the treatment rendered […]
In City of Atlanta v. McCrary, 760 S.E.2d 696 (2014) Plaintiffs alleged, among other claims, that the City of Atlanta maintained a nuisance by failing to enforce its own high speed pursuit policy after a high speed chase resulted in a deadly collision. In reversing the trial court, the Court of Appeals seemed skeptical that […]
In Polo Golf & Country Club Homeowner’s Association, Inc. v. Rymer, 294 Ga. 489, 754 S.E.2d 42 (2014), the Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the denial of the defendant association’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs Rymers complaint for property damage as a result of continuous flooding on the Rymers property. The Rymers are property […]
A recent opinion of the Georgia Court of Appeals contrasts two deck collapse cases under similar, but not identical, facts. In Rogers v. Woodruff, A14A0425 (August, 19 2014), the Court undertook an analysis of facts similar to those presented in Hicks v. Walker, 262 Ga. App. 216 (2003), but found that one discernible difference made […]
Georgia’s case law on apportionment of fault to a non-party continues to evolve. In Zaldivar v. Prickett, A14A0113 (Ga. Ct. App. July 16, 2014) Zaldivar and Prickett were involved in an automobile accident at an intersection, for which they each blamed the other. Prickett sued Zaldivar, but even though she was also injured, Zaldivar did […]
A recent decision by the Georgia Court of Appeals provides a valuable illustration of how strictly Georgia Courts evaluate the significance of communications leading up to a settlement. The case of Kolbus v. Fromm, A14A1132 (Ga. Ct. App., June 11, 2014) serves as a reminder to litigants and their attorneys to proceed toward settlement with […]
If there was ever any doubt in Georgia about who holds the Patient Mental Health Privilege, when it attaches, and who has a right to mental health records, the Supreme Court of Georgia just made it crystal clear. It’s the patient; not their family, representatives, and not their doctor. In a decision dated June 30, […]
The Georgia Supreme Court just issued a new ruling this week in which it held that when a Plaintiff becomes entitled to an award of attorney’s fees pursuant to Georgia’s offer of judgment statute, O.C.G.A. § 9-11-68, the court must take into account more than the contingency fee agreement plaintiff has with their attorney. Georgia […]