Environmental settlement, PIP reform, and a word of caution – Aronberg & Aronberg

Good afternoon, everybody. With Super Tuesday just passing, there hasn’t been much in the news this week other than different commentators trying to figure out who is going to come out on top of the GOP pack (or, most likely, when he is going to come out on top). The general consensus is that Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for president. As that becomes more and more clear, we will begin to discuss what effect his presidency could have on the national issue of personal injury (if any). For now, though, let’s stick with current goings-on. In this article, we’d like to let you know about an environmental lawsuit settlement, a current issue of PIP reform in the Florida legislature, and, finally, we’d like to give you a word of caution about personal injury cases in general.

The first component of today’s article has to do with an environmental lawsuit stemming from Nitro, West Virginia. There was a class action lawsuit against the chemical manufacturing company Monsato brought by residents of Nitro—which, by the way, has an appropriate name, doesn’t it? The claimants filed the suit in 2004, claiming that Monsato negligently engaged in the unsafe burning of dioxin wastes that resulted in widespread contamination of dust and dirt all across Nitro. As a result of the practice, homes and surrounding areas in Nitro were polluted and rendered environmentally toxic. The suit initially sought medical monitoring for a range of 5,000-80,000 current and former Nitro residents. There was such a disparity in the numbers because, at the time of the lawsuit, it was hard to tell exactly how many people were hurt by Monsato’s practices. Finally, Monsato has agreed to settle with the plaintiffs—however, the settlement will remain under wraps until it is approved by the court.

Our next issue has to do with PIP—that’s personal injury protection here in Florida. There is currently a PIP reform bill in the state legislature that aims to cut out fraud in the program. Governor Rick Scott says that PIP fraud results in billions of dollars of losses for Florida taxpayers. He says if the bill isn’t passed, the taxpayers will continue to suffer. That said, legislators have until today to act on the reform bill before they face the prospect of being recalled to the legislature for a special session. We’ll keep you updated on any and all developments having to do with PIP.

Finally: a word of advice and caution. You’ll hear plenty of radio advertisements by people who claim to know everything there is to know about car accidents and personal injury. The fact is, if you listen to ads carefully, they’ll rapidly admit—at the very end—that they are not attorneys. Because they are not attorneys, they don’t know exactly how to handle your case. These groups operate on a cookie-cutter model, treating every incident like the one before it. The fact is, each accident is different, and that’s why you need a skilled attorney who can focus fully on your accident and find the best solutions for you.

To speak with an experienced personal injury attorney, please contact the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg at 561-266-9191 or email us at daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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