Author Archives: Charlie Gillette
Positional Asphyxiation Cited In Death Of 7-Year-Old Boy
The foster parents of a seven-year-old boy have filed a lawsuit against a state treatment facility after the boy died of what a coroner ruled a homicide. The official cause of death was positional asphyxiation, which is occasionally the subject of lawsuits filed against police departments that hogtie suspects. As a result of the… Read More »
Wrongful Death Filed After 10-Year-Old Dies In Man-Made Lake
A family has filed a lawsuit against the owners of a man-made lake with an exposed drainage pipe. According to the lawsuit, a 10-year-old girl was sucked into the drainage pipe as she was swimming in the man-made lake. All the pipe needed was a grate to prevent this tragedy, the details of which… Read More »
Family Files Wrongful Death Against Stanford After Student Suicide
This is the second suicide lawsuit filed against a major university in the last couple of weeks. Previously, Harvard was sued by the family of a young man who took his own life after a previous suicide attempt. The parents claim that the university could have done more to ensure he got the care… Read More »
Wrongful Death Lawsuits And Law Enforcement
If you run a Google search for “wrongful death lawsuit”, around 50% of the articles you’ll find are geared toward law enforcement actions resulting in the death of an individual. While you can sue the government over a police brutality claim, there are usually limits on how much you can recover. In Florida, the… Read More »
Can You File A Lawsuit Against Social Services If A Child Dies?
Had this question been asked at any other time, I would have responded ‘no’. It was traditionally almost impossible to hold a government official responsible for something they did not do. In fact, general negligence lawsuits against the government are usually not permitted. The rules stipulate that neither a government employee nor the government… Read More »
Parents File Suit Against E-bike, Helmet Manufacturer After Daughter’s Death
The parents of a 12-year-old girl who died after sustaining injuries in an e-bike crash have filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the e-bike and the manufacturer of a helmet the girl was wearing at the time of her death. The girl was a passenger on the bike at the time of her… Read More »
Overpass Accident Results In Wrongful Death Suit
You’ve seen the images on social media. Some trucker strays off course and drives his vehicle directly into an overpass. In most cases, these accidents result in insurance claims for the trucking company and the driver looking for a new job. However, in one case, the incident resulted in the preventable death of a… Read More »
Family Wins $77M In Wrongful Death Suit Against Addiction Center
A family filed a lawsuit against an addiction center and won $77 million after a jury determined that he had been abruptly discharged without cause. The young man was killed in an auto accident days after his discharge. This included a punitive damages award of $1 million. What happened? The young man had struggled… Read More »
Lawsuit Filed After Amtrak Crash Kills Woman
A lawsuit has been filed against Amtrak after a derailment that occurred at a crossing. The train struck a dump truck that was sitting on the tracks. Now the family of a woman who died in the accident has filed a lawsuit accusing the dump truck driver and the company of wrongful death. They… Read More »
Bill Paxton’s Family Settles Suit Against Doctor
The late Bill Paxton, who was famous for his roles in Frailty and Aliens, died after complications related to a heart surgery at age 61. His family sued the surgeon who performed the surgery and a settlement was announced recently. The settlement came about one month before the case was set to go to… Read More »
