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Landlord Seminar
"How to Survive Legally as a Landlord" will be presented by
attorney/author Robert Friedman from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday,
October 17, 2002 at Clarence High School, 9625 Main Street, Clarence,
New York. Mr. Friedman will discuss evictions, leases, Small Claims
Court, discrimination laws, civil liability, insurance, security
deposits, elderly tenants, drugs, debt collection and lead paint
regulations. There is a registration and book fee. To register, call
Clarence Community Education at (716) 759-0403.
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Wealth Preservation and Accumulation Seminar
Proper planning will legally protect your family and business
from the tragedies that destroy financial security and peace of
mind. Robert Friedman of Friedman & Ranzenhofer, P.C. and Susan R.
Coriale of Tax and Investment Strategies, Inc. will present a "Wealth
Preservation and Accumulation Strategies" breakfast seminar on
Tuesday, October 22, 2002, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The seminar
will be held at the Asa Ransom House Country Inn, 10529 Main Street,
Clarence, New York. Attendees will learn: (a) techniques to minimize
individual, estate and business taxes and maximize deductions; (b) how
to minimize the costs and delays of probate; (c) how to qualify for
Medicaid for nursing home care; (d) financial management and medical
decision-making in the event of disability; (e) how to provide for
your dependents and favorite charities; (f) asset protection
strategies; and (g) business succession planning. The legal tools for
retirement, financial and estate planning which will be discussed
include wills, trusts, life estate deeds, limited liability companies,
health care proxies, private annuities, IRAs and insurance. There is
no registration fee. Seating is limited. Please call (716)631-9999
before Friday, October 11, 2002 to make reservations.
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Injury Victim's Legal SurvivalŪ Guide
Veteran prosecutor/author, Robert Friedman, advises injury victims in
layman's terms on how to protect their legal rights and obtain maximum
cash damages in the "Injury Victim's Legal SurvivalŪ Guide." Released
by Victoria Square Publishing, the guide provides straight forward answers
to frequently asked questions. The types of injuries covered are
automobile accidents, defective products, criminal, domestic violence,
workplace violence and accidents, slip and fall, dog bites, toxic mold
and lead paint. Medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and recreational
accidents are also explained. Mr. Friedman has prosecuted over 75,000
cases and appeared on CourtTV as a guest commentator. His books and
articles have been published by West Publishing, Findlaw.com, Buffalo
News, Dearborn Financial Publishing, USA Today and Legalsurvival.comŪ. To
order a copy, call 800-729-4571 or visit click here.
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Injured Runner Sues Marathon Organizer
A man who was injured after running a marathon, can sue the organizer
for failing to provide adequate water and other drinks during the
race. The runner suffered a grand mal seizure a few hours after the
race because he did not consume enough fluids during the marathon. Many
of the water stations were either out of water or unmanned. No electrolyte
replacement beverages were available. He now suffers from some
neurological problems as a result of being on a ventilator for four
days. The California Court of Appeal 4th District disagreed with the
Defendant's argument that the Plaintiff's suit was barred by assumption
of the risk, ruling that "a race organizer that stages a marathon has a
duty to organize and conduct a reasonably safe event. This duty includes
the obligation to minimize the risks of dehydration and hyponatremia by
providing adequate water and electrolyte fluids along the course,
particularly where the race organizer represents to the participants that
these will be available at specific locations throughout the race. Such
steps are reasonable and do not alter the nature of the sport."
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Homeowner Sued for Injury at Yard Sale
A woman browsing at a yard sale was injured when she stepped
backward from the lawn onto the sidewalk. The drop-off was hidden by
overgrown grass. Homeowners must exercise reasonable care to maintain
their premises in a reasonably safe condition and make a reasonable
inspection to discover defective conditions. The New Jersey Appellate
Division held that "...A reasonable homeowner conducting a garage sale
under these circumstances would have mowed the yard and properly
trimmed the edge so the elevation between the lawn and sidewalk was
readily apparent to the shoppers, or would have warned the shoppers
of the drop-off."
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$4.44 Million for Snowboard Accident
A woman claimed that a dangerously designed snowboard jump caused
an accident which resulted in her paraplegia. The ski resort had been
closed for the season when resort officials constructed a snowboard jump
for an employee party. There were several problems with the jump's
design: a) the angle at the take-off area was too sharp; and b) the
landing area was dangerously configured - instead of running downhill,
as is always done to dissipate much of the energy of the landing, the
landing area actually ran uphill, exacerbating the energy of the
impact. These unsafe conditions caused the woman to hit the landing
hard and to fall flat on her back. This caused her back to break at the
T-12 vertebral area (San Francisco Superior Court).
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Laser-Eye Surgery Award
A 35-year-old pilot who lost his job after laser-eye surgery damaged
his night vision was awarded $4 million. This was more than twice
the previous record of $1.7 million awarded to a Kentucky woman who
had to undergo a corneal transplant after four failed laser eye
surgeries. The trial focused on poor preoperative screening rather
than on surgical error or equipment function. The cause of the
Plaintiff's problems was failure to accurately measure his pupils in
dim light. This type of improper screening of candidates is one of
the most widely reported problems with laser-eye surgery (Superior
Court, Pima County, Arizona).
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Medical Internet Resources
- MayoClinic.com
contains information on health and medical topics, including articles
on diseases and conditions, health news, drug information and
first-aid and self-care guides.
- MedicineNet.com, created
by a network of board-certified physicians, features descriptions of
diseases and conditions; medical tests and procedures; medical and health
news; prevention guidelines; and a concise, readable medical dictionary.
- Medmedia.com
provides access to Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics, orthopedic
journals, current medical news, and commercial Web sites related to
orthopedic products. A search feature allows users to access multiple
related sites, including MEDLINE (a database of medical literature) and
Medhunt (a guide to online medical resources).
- Medscape.com,
targeted to both consumers and medical professionals, provides medical
and health care news, treatment updates, medical specialty resources,
professional practice guidelines, medical conference coverage and
schedules, and access to MEDLINE.
- Merck.com
contains access to Merck publications, including the 17th edition of
the Merck Manual, product information and corporate material.
- National Library of Medicine (part
of the National Institutes of Health) provides online access to
multiple medical and health care databases. These include MEDLINE,
OLDMEDLINE, PubMed (which accesses more than 11 million citations from
MEDLINE and life science journals), and MEDLINEplus (which accesses
medical dictionaries; drug information; health care organizations;
consumer health libraries; international sites; and locations and
credentials of physicians, dentists, and hospitals). Users also can
search the National Library of Medicine database.
- WebMD offers
health care information for both consumers and professionals, drug and
product recall data and health education material.
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Is Your Range Defective?
Improperly anchored kitchen ranges can cause burns and crushing
injuries when tipped. The Underwriters Laboratories did not adopt a
comprehensive stability test for ranges until 1991. Hundreds of
thousands of houses, apartments and institutions are still equipped
with poorly designed and unsafe ranges. Freestanding or slide-in
ranges are inherently unstable when their oven doors are open. They
can easily tip forward when slight or moving weight is applied to the
front or leading edge of the open door. The open door acts as a
lever, causing the range to tip forward on its feet, exposing victims
to scalding burns from spilled hot food or liquids or crushing
injuries and asphyxia from the tipped appliances. Young children and
the elderly are most at risk for these injuries. Defective ranges
are a good example of the many levels of defendants that are
responsible for their defective products including manufacturers,
retailers, installers, trade associations, certifiers or endorsers
(e.g. Underwriters Lab). Landlords and management companies may be
liable for failure to properly install or retrofit ranges. Claims
against these parties may also include failure to provide reasonably
safe premises and conduct safety inspections. Landlords have a
non-delegable duty to repair all defects in the dwelling of which
they knew or should have known. They are liable for negligent
performance of their duties by contractors and others.
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What is No-Fault Law?
Under the no-fault law, victims of automobile accidents receive
compensation for their economic losses without regard to fault or
negligence. However, a party who suffers a serious injury may bring
a lawsuit to recover for non-economic loss, pain and suffering. "Serious
injury" means a personal injury which results in death; dismemberment;
significant disfigurement; a fracture; loss of a fetus; total permanent
loss of use of a body organ, member, function or system; permanent
consequential limitation of use of a body organ or member; significant
limitation of use of a body function or system; and/or medically
determined injury or impairment of a non-permanent nature which
prevents the injured person from performing substantially all of the
material acts which constitute such person's usual or customary daily
activities for not less than 90 days during the 180 days immediately
following the occurrence of the injury or impairment.
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Accident Victimes...Dignity
Have you been hurt in an accident? Are you worried what this may mean
to your family, your job, and your credit? Is the insurance company
pressuring you? Are you beginning to feel a bit confused? Since 1955,
the attorneys at Friedman & Ranzenhofer, P.C. have been helping
injured people. You have a lot of choices to make. We can help you
make the choices that will get you what you need quickly, honorably
and with your dignity intact.
We will help you to maximize your benefits, while protecting you and
your family. If you have questions about your responsibilities, your
legal remedies or just what the best thing is for you to do, call us
at (716) 631-9999 or (800) 729-4571. Our initial conversation costs
you nothing even if you choose not to have us represent you.
Our promise:
- To communicate with you in plain language that is easy to understand.
- To promptly return your telephone calls.
- To quickly and thoroughly investigate and analyze your case. Friedman & Ranzenhofer, P.C. does not accept every accident case.
- To have your case personally handled by an attorney.
- To keep you informed of the progress of your case at all times.
- To show you the personal care, concern and attention which has been the hallmark f Friedman & Ranzenhofer, P.C. since 1955.
- To accommodate the needs of you and your family during the handling of your case.
- To vigorously protect your legal rights.
Attorney Michael H. Ranzenhofer limits his practice to automobile accident, slip and fall, dog bite and defective product cases. He is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the Erie County Bar Association Negligence Committee.
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Do You Know the Answers to These Questions?
- What is a "springing power of attorney?"
- What is an "animal card?"
- What are the responsibilities of an executor?
- Who can be an executor?
- What is the difference between a living will, health care proxy and do-not-resuscitate-order?
- Where on the internet can you find information on birth, death, marriage and divorce records?
The answers to all of these questions are in the Fall 2002 issue of
the Legalsurvival.comŪ newletter.
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Disclaimer
While a great deal of care has been taken to provide accurate
and current information, the ideas, suggestions, general principles and
conclusions presented in this newsletter are subject to local, state and federal
laws and regulations, court cases and any revisions of same. The reader is
thus urged to consult legal counsel regarding any points of law - this
newsletter should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice.
The purpose of this newsletter is to give the reader a general understanding
of the law - not to provide specific advice. Every effort has been made to
achieve accuracy. The law constantly changes and is subject to differing
interpretations. Always consult with your attorney and act only on his or
her advice. Legal Survival, LLC shall not be responsible for any damages
resulting from any inaccuracy or omission. This newsletter is designed to
provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject
matter covered. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the
services of a competent professional person should be sought. Certain
portions of this newsletter may be applicable only to New York State law.
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