The Law in New York regarding dog bites has been relatively unchanged for many years. In order to be found at fault if your dog bites someone, the key issue is whether you knew, or should have known, of the dog’s “vicious propensities.” Vicious propensities include the tendency to do…
President Bush has announced plans to institute a “Z” Visa, which he has claimed would help illegal immigrants on a path to legal residency. Many illegal immigrants in New York feel betrayed by President Bush, who they considered as a possible ally because (unlike most Republicans in Congress), Bush has…
This past week, the Immigration Bureau of Customs Enforcement http://www.ice.gov/ conducted two raids of residential buildings in Mount Kisco, New York, apparently for the purpose of apprehending a fugitive who has multiple criminal convictions and is in the United States illegally. These raids were performed in the early morning hours…
Let’s say you are at the supermarket, shopping mall, hardware store, or even walking on the sidewalk in New York. Despite walking carefully and in no hurry, you slip on ice, a foreign substance, or maybe you trip over an uneven portion of sidewalk. What are the general rules governing…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed to adjust fees for naturalization applications and petitions. The idea behind the increase is to improve customer service, allowing applications and petitions to be processed more quickly and close security gaps. Emilio Gonzalez, the Director of USCIS, noted that: “As a fee-based…
The deposition is the most important pre-trial procedure in accident cases. Thus, it is critical that the client is well prepared for the extensive and rigorous questioning they are likely to undergo by defense counsel. We recommend strongly that you prepare the client for their deposition the day before, although…
In New York personal injury cases, the videotape is a frequently used tool of defense lawyers, and can be very damaging at trial if the video contradicts the client’s deposition testimony concerning their physical limitations as the result of an accident. In order to properly prepare clients for the likelihood…
When clients are injured in various types of accidents in New York, including motor vehicle, slip/trip and falls, and other accidents due to unsafe conditions, they are invariably required to attend examinations known in the legal community as “IME’S.” Simply put, defense attorneys and insurance companies retain doctors who are…
Several insurance companies, and in particular, Allstate Insurance Company (“The Good Hands People”) and State Farm Insurance Company (“The Good Neighbors”) use a computer system known as “Colossus” to evaluate their personal injury claims. If Colossus decides that your case has little or no merit, no claims adjuster with the…