Plaintiff Attorneys Often Use ‘Reptile Theory’ to Win Nuclear Trucking Jury Verdicts, Experts Say
ttnews.com Eric Miller | Senior Reporter In 2009, two prominent trial attorneys introduced a litigation tactic known as the “reptile theory,” a strategy that aims to stoke fear and anger in the minds of jurors and, ultimately, compel them to hand down massive verdicts in civil lawsuits. In trucking accident lawsuits, it’s a method plaintiff […]
Stop abusive lawsuits plaguing owners, operators of commercial trucks and cars
Tyler Morning Telegraph, January 28, 2021 By Bobby Jenkins Groceries to your doorstep. Packages safely delivered. Toilet paper, face masks, holiday gifts, and now, vaccines are all seamlessly transported across the state and around the country. During the pandemic, we have all become keenly aware of the importance of delivery and service vehicles to our […]
An inside look at New Orleans’ staged-accidents scam- and how some sought a bigger payday
New Orleans Advocate, September 25, 2020 When they do an autopsy on the body of Cornelius Garrison, who was shot up inside a Gentilly apartment this week, pathologists might note a scar that runs down his neck. The scar isn’t fresh. A Baton Rouge doctor cut into him four years ago, fusing together multiple vertebrae […]
New Orleans man shot to death ahead of arraignment on staged car accident charges, lawyer says
The New Orleans Advocate, September 24, 2020 By Ramon Antonio Vargas Cornelius Garrison grew increasingly concerned for his safety as federal authorities zeroed in on him for allegedly having a hand in a sprawling scam involving staged car accidents, according to his attorney. Four days after the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Orleans filed charges […]
9 more charged in scheme to stage I-10 vehicle wrecks, collect insurance payouts
New Orleans Advocate, September 18, 2020 Nine more people have been indicted on federal charges in a scheme to crash vehicles into buses and big trucks in the New Orleans area, in order to defraud insurance companies. They join 19 other defendants already under indictment. Insurers have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle […]
Trucking Targets ‘Nuclear’ Verdicts
Transport Topics, September 16, 2020 By Eric Miller The trucking industry is making gains in its fight against the plaintiffs bar and the increasing size of jury verdicts levied against motor carriers, but those in the trenches say the battle is not over. Last year, American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear announced that the trucking […]
Eleven Charged With Staging Truck Accidents In New Orleans
Benzinga, August 24, 2020 By John Kingston The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Orleans late last week indicted 11 individuals in connection with a scam to create crashes between cars and 18-wheelers and cash in on insurance payments. The indictment, handed down by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana Peter Strasser is for […]
First comprehensive review of wild, wild West ‘nuclear verdict’ is” bad news for truckers
Logistics Management, August 10, 2020 By John D. Schulz Settle, if possible. Don’t take shortcuts on safety. Obviously, avoid truck accidents involving children by any means. And hope that somehow, some way, sensible tort reform is on its way into American courtrooms. Those are some of the suggestions from the American Transportation Research Institute’s (ATRI) new research […]
How Nuclear Verdicts are Strangling America’s Trucking Industry
A Trial Lawyer and a Conman Walk into a Burger King It reads like a sleazy, made-for-TV crime drama. One might mistake it for an episode of Better Call Saul: Inside a New Orleans Burger King, a personal injury lawyer and a scam artist rendezvous to plot their next move. On the back of a greasy […]
U.S. Commercial Auto Insurers Report Worst Losses in Decade: AM Best
insurancejournal.com The U.S.commercial automobile insurance segment’s underwriting losses deepened to $4.0 billion in 2019, the segment’s worst loss in 10 years and a continuation of a decade-long trend of worsening underwriting results, according to a new AM Best report. Indeed, the U.S. commercial automobile insurance line of business has not generated a combined ratio under […]
