Steeler Mania
People can say a lot of things about us Western Pennsylvania folks, but it’s pretty hard to say we don’t know our Steeler football!! Last month’s quiz asked you to name any former Steeler quarterback. Your answers included Big Ben, Cliff Stoudt, Terry Bradshaw, Ed Brown, Bill Nelson, and even the first Steeler quarterback, Bernard Patrick Holm! Wow!
And the reader who won last month’s $50 gas card is Charlane R.
February’s Question
For a chance to win a $50 Macy’s gift card, answer this: Valentine’s Day is celebrated in what month?
$125,000 Jury Award – Broken Chair
A nurses aide was awarded $125,000 after a chair broke under her. According to the Pennsylvania Law Weekly, a Pennsylvania jury has awarded $125,000 to an obese nursing assistant and her husband. The jury found the hospital where she worked was negligent in allowing a broken chair, which collapsed beneath the woman, to stay in her patient’s room. And what about that pesky issue of legal notice? Well the hospital had actual notice of the chair’s defective condition because a patient had told them about the chair. Strangely, the chair was later put back in the patient’s room just before the aide sat on it and injured her back and neck. And what was the defense in this case? You guessed it, the chair broke because the aide was obese, not because of anything we did!
Heinz History Center
If you get a chance, check out the Heinz History Center. It has so much Pittsburgh sports history that it’s overwhelming! Last month my daughter Jessica and her boyfriend Kevin must have been feeling sorry for me. They agreed to go to the Heinz Center with Michelle and me. They hardly even rolled their eyes when I told them about the 1960 World Champion Pirates display. And incredibly, there was a Bishop Canevin High School letter jacket that one of the football players donated from my senior year in high school when we won the league championship!
Legal Quiz – Unemployment Benefits
Okay, you retire from your jobby taking an early retirement package. Are you still able to collect unemployment benefits under the voluntary layoff provision of Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation law? Answer: Surprisingly, yes. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that a person’s acceptance of an early retirement plan is like a layoff and unemployment benefits apply.
Learn The Law – What Is A Corrupt Source Charge In Criminal Cases?
If an accomplice to a crime testifies against the Defendant, the defense may ask the jury for a corrupt source charge. That means the Judge tells the jury that since the accomplice has an interest in seeing the Defendant convicted, that his testimony should be viewed with caution. Not that the accomplice is automatically to be disbelieved, but he may be making the story up to get a better deal himself for his own reasons (to save his own neck). Thus his testimony should be viewed with great scrutiny. I bet your neighbor doesn’t know what a criminal corrupt source charge is. Keep reading this Newsletter each month to learn more and more about the Law!!
Serious Note: Homelessness
We all know that Western Pennsylvania winters can be brutal with the wind just cutting thru you even with layers of clothes on. Well, what about the homeless people who have to live under the I-279 or I-579 bridges at night? I can’t even imagine the living hell they go thru on a daily basis. Please consider volunteering your time, money or even prayers to help them. Something about what you do for the least of our brothers…
The Pens Are Back
Well it was long and hotly contested, but the NHL has a long term labor agreement. Does anyone really care who won the negotiations? The main thing is the Pens are back!! Can’t wait for the playoffs. Go Sid!
5 Good Reasons To Only Answer The Question You Are Asked At Your Deposition
If you file a lawsuit for money damages, the other side will take your deposition. A deposition is a question and answer session, taken with a court reporter present, asking you about the accident and your injuries. If your deposition goes well, the value of your case increases dramatically. The main thing we tell clients at depositions is to tell the truth and only answer the questions asked. Here are five reasons why not volunteering information is helpful to your case:
1. It makes your deposition much shorter because you are not adding information that opposing counsel can question you on.
2. It decreases the cost of the deposition, since the court reporter charges by the page. So the shorter the deposition, the less she charges.
3. It prevents the other side from figuring out what our strategy will be at trial.
4. It makes you appear more credible and believable since you answer the questions directly.
5. It puts the opposing counsel on the defensive since she has to think up another question instead of asking you questions based on what you volunteered!
Happy Valentine’s Day
Your Attorney,
Bernie