Protests in Oakland, CA Turn Destructive

The San Francisco Chronicle has been following the story of a BART (the bay area train system) police officer who shot an unarmed man.  The most recent story, found here, highlights a protest that turned destructive last night as demonstrators broke windows in shops and cars, and set fire to several vehicles.  The mob apparently [...]

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Shooting on Oakland Train Leads to Civil Lawsuit

The San Francisco Chronicle has been following a story arising out of a New Year’s Day shooting on the BART train system in Oakland.  The most recent story in the Chronicle notes that the family has hired an attorney who will most likely be filing a civil lawsuit.  The article is here. The most surprising [...]

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WV Trooper Accused of Rape Resigns

The Charleston Gazette reported today that a West Virginia State Trooper accused of rape has resigned.  The article is here.  The Gazette reported that the woman involved alleges she was drunk and forced to have sex with the Trooper last month after he followed her to a friend’s house.   If you or a loved [...]

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Lawsuit Filed over Alleged Police Brutality in Logan

The Charleston Gazette reported today that two Danville men are suing the West Virginia State Police over alleged beatings that occurred at the Logan, West Virginia detachment.  The story is here.  This is yet another lawsuit in series of lawsuits alleging police brutality at different detachments in West Virginia.  Alleged brutality in Montgomery, discussed in [...]

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Accusations of Racially Charged Beating in Montgomery, WV

The Charleston Gazette reported yesterday that one Montgomery, West Virginia police officer was fired and another was placed on administrative leave Saturday after the alleged beating of a black man on Friday.  The story is here.  The story reports that two Montgomery officers allegedly hit a black victim over the head repeatedly with a blackjack, [...]

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Response to Forbes Ranking in Register-Herald

The Register-Herald published a story about my response to the Forbes report ranking West Virginia last for business and the ridiculous assertion by the West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse that lawsuits are to blame.  The article is here. In order to move forward in West Virginia we should not focus on where we rank in some [...]

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Crime Victim Help Roadmap – Part IV

Step 4 – The Lawsuit Process The following is a brief breakdown of the process of a lawsuit.  This is only a general overview of a lawsuit.  There are many, many more issues that could occur during a lawsuit so it is important to discuss your case with an experienced West Virginia attorney. A.  Filing [...]

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Crime Victim Help Roadmap – Part III

Step 3 – File a lawsuit The decision to file a lawsuit should be discussed at length with your attorney.  A lawsuit can take upwards of several years to resolve, especially if the case is tried to a jury.  Additionally, the filing of a lawsuit does not mean that the case will settle or that a [...]

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Crime Victim Help Roadmap Part II

Step 2 – Make a claim Once information has been gathered about the incident and you have hired an attorney, a claim will be made against the wrongdoer and any potential third parties.  This is usually done through a letter that highlights the issues of the case, summarizes the damages, and states a demand to [...]

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Crime Victim Help Roadmap Part I

One of the first questions we hear from new clients is, “how long does a lawsuit take?”  The following is the first in a series of posts written about the process of a West Virginia crime victim filing a lawsuit. Step 1 – Meet with an Attorney The first meeting with an attorney can be [...]

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