Personal Injury / Wrongful Death
Jury Awards Port St. Lucie family $7.2 million for loss of infant son caused by drunk driver and delay of Safeco in paying claim
On September 29, 2004, Humberto A. Orduna, after having a few beers, drove his vehicle off the road in a Port St. Lucie mobile home park within Martin County, Florida, and killed 21 month old Francisco Rivera, Jr. in front of his parents, Francisco Rivera Sr. and Elvia Rivera. Full Story
Case Involving Death of Mother While her two young children helplessly look on settles just days before beginning trial
On March 9, 2005, Sebastian and Ian, ages 11 and 9, watched in horror as their mother, Dodi Kelley, drowned before their eyes outside the Waste Management facility in Okeechobee, Florida. Dodi Kelley's accident and death was as a direct result of Waste Management ignoring a public hazard it created and had known about for years. Full Story
Case Involving Murder at Boca Raton, Florida Law Firm Offices Settles on the Eve of Trial - Landmark case settles
Charles Thomas Ott and his sister Margaret Ott Jones were embroiled in a probate dispute arising out of their mother's estate. Unbeknown to Jones, Charles Ott felt great anger towards her. In the fall of 2001, Ott and his wife held a meeting with their lawyer, at Hodgson, Russ offices in Boca Raton. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how the estate dispute should be resolved. Suddenly and without warning Ott stood up and proclaimed in an angry state to his attorney, "If you guys can't get this done right, I guess I am going to have to kill her," (referring to his sister). Full Story
Family settles lawsuit in tragic death of relative who was killed while riding as a passenger in taxi
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL - On November 12, 2002, Bryant Pendleton was a passenger in a taxicab operated by Central Taxi Service. The taxi traveling northbound on I-95 in Broward County was struck by a tractor-trailer operated by Midnight Trucking and a second tractor-trailer owned by Victory Trucking. As a result of the crash, Bryant Pendleton was burned to death. Full Story
Settlement Reached In Tragic Death Of Rivera Beach Police Officer - $27 Truck Part May Have Spared Life
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - In the middle of the night on August 17, 2001, Rivera Beach police officer Donald A. Eberhardt, Jr. signed off duty and headed home to his wife and two small children. Tragically, he would never see his family again. Full Story
Appellate court rules that communication in law firm shooting was not privileged
PALM BEACH GARDENS BOCA RATON/FL The State of Florida - fourth district court of appeals issued a ruling on March 17, 2004 that sent a resounding message forward in a case concerning attorney client privilege, premises liability and failure to warn of danger when it found that the threats made Charles Thomas Ott in the Boca Raton law offices of Hodgson, Russ, LLP in front one of its partners, was not attorney client privilege. Full Story
Family files lawsuit in tragic death of relative who was killed while riding as a passenger in taxi
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL On November 12, 2002, Bryant Pendleton was a passenger in a taxicab operated by Central Taxi Service. The taxi traveling northbound on I-95 in Broward County was struck by a tractor-trailer operated by Midnight Trucking and a second tractor-trailer owned by Victory Trucking. As a result of the crash, Bryant Pendleton was burned to death. Full Story
Takes A Death To Show That Chrysler Concorde Rear Seat Has Faulty Design and is Unsafe
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - On Sunday, December 9, 2001, John Regaled was driving his 2000 Chrysler, Concorde, LXI 4-door car. He had two passengers in the vehicle - Sandra Bohem, seated in the right front passenger seat and Ludy Ragaldo Galiani seated in the right rear passenger seat. All occupants of the vehicle were using their restraint belts. Full Story
Carelessness Ends the Life of a Beloved High School Principal
John Boyle had dedicated much of his life to working with serious emotional challenges. As the principal of Indian Ridge High School he was charged with overseeing this Palm Beach County (PBC) School District facility for students with emotional challenges. John had previously served the district as a principal at Sable Palm School and had served as a volunteer at Wellington High School assisting students with disabilities. A caring, loving family man, John was revered by family, friends, colleagues and his students. Full Story
Rivera Beach Police Officer's Looses Life For $27
In the middle of the night on August 17, 2001, Rivera Beach police officer Donald A. Eberhardt, Jr. signed off duty and headed home to his wife and three small children. Tragically, he would never see his family again. Full Story
Father prevails in appeal against Global Travel Marketing for death of his son while on safari in Africia - Decision is a win for children's rights
Eleven-year-old Garrit Shea was on a Global Travel Marketing d/b/a The Africa Adventure Company's safari with his mother. Before the trip his mother signed a contract releasing Africa Adventure from liability. Young Garrit was killed on the safari. Asleep in a tent in Botswana, he was dragged by hyenas and decapitated. Full Story
Failure to Provide Safety Training and Truck Maintenance Causes Devastation and Death
PALM BEACH, FL - On the morning of December 27, 1999, the Miller/Yoder family were traveling through South Carolina on I-95 on their way to a family funeral in Ohio. Little did they know that just hours before, a driver of a tractor-trailer had parked his trailer just inches inside the fog line, turned the trailer's lights off, improperly set out the Department of Transportation (DOT) required reflective triangles and abandoned his trailer. As a result of the hazard created by the truck driver, the driver of the Chrysler mini-van was guided by the improperly placed reflective triangles directly into the rear of the abandoned tractor-trailer. Full Story
A Law Firm's Actions Ends In Murder
What was scheduled to be a settlement conference in a Boca Raton law office concerning a dispute over an estate, ended in murder. Full Story
Suit against Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center settled successfully for family
In the early morning hours of January 17, 2002, Dr. Edward Dougherty a patient at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, fell out of bed - not once - but twice. Dougherty's falls caused severe brain injury and left him severely and permanently impaired. Full Story
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