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04.29.2016

Guardrails are the subject of national scrutiny

By Kyle Roby, attorney English, Lucas, Priest and Owsley, LLP Metal guardrails run alongside many highways, particularly those that hug a steep embankment. They’re designed to protect those in a car if it careens off the highway. In some cases, though, guardrails are making accidents much more deadly than they should be. A recent accident here in Bowling Green could have possibly had a different outcome if a guardrail was not involved. A car veered off of Morgantown Road and hit the support wires of a utility pole and the guardrail. The guardrail penetrated the car and hit the driver. She was killed. Two others were hospitalized with serious injuries, and two more were treated locally for less severe injuries. Read More

04.27.2016

Kentucky Derby party fall case sent back to lower courts for more proceedings

 Businesses and landowners have a responsibility to keep their property safe for visitors. Of course, not every accident will result in a finding of liability because the plaintiff must prove that the defendant knew or should have known about the dangerous condition that caused the fall or other injury and should have taken reasonable steps to prevent harm to those who would be expected to come onto the property for a business purpose or as a social guest. Commonly referred to as "premises liability" or "slip and fall" cases in the legal system, lawsuits arising from injuries on business property or another person's land are often hotly contested by the owner of the property where the accident occurred. Often, the defendant will seek the dismissal of the case early in the process, and the court must decide whether the plaintiff has enough evidence to go to trial. Read More

04.26.2016

Uninsured motorist insurance carrier sues in accident case

Uninsured motorist insurance coverage can help pay for property damage, medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering in the event that an insured is involved in an accident with an uninsured (or underinsured) driver.  An uninsured driver is just what you would think it means – a driver that does not have insurance. Underinsured driver means the at fault driver has insurance, but they do not have enough insurance to cover your damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If an insurance company makes payments to its insured under a uninsured motorist policy, the insurance company has a right to file suit against the uninsured driver in order to assert its subrogation rights. In such cases, the insurance company essentially stands in the shoes of the insured and is held to the same procedural rules as the insured if he or she filed the lawsuit. Read More

04.26.2016

Welcome to Rebecca Simpson, estate planning attorney

We’re pleased to welcome Rebecca Simpson, who joined our firm as a senior attorney on April 18, 2016. Rebecca was most recently an attorney for Kentucky Legal Aid. She ran for Warren County Family Court Judge in 2014. She will serve as an estate planning attorney, among… Read More

04.12.2016

Tax Day is set for April 18

By Nathan Vinson, Attorney English, Lucas, Priest and Owsley, LLP Tax Day is a day that we know you celebrate with great abandon. Right? If you do in fact go all out for Tax Day, this year, you’ll need to move your Tax Day celebrations to April 18. Traditionally, Tax Day is April 15. In some circumstances, it is moved back a few days to accommodate a holiday. This year, Tax Day is April 18 because of Emancipation Day, which is a holiday in Washington, D.C. that marks the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the nation’s capital.  It is celebrated annually on April 16.  Because that date falls on a Saturday, Emancipation Day will be officially celebrated on April 15 this year, shutting down city offices. Tax Day is also moved when April 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday. It is then moved to the following Monday. Read More

04.05.2016

Personal Injury Lawsuit Failed Due to Lack of Expert Testimony

The burden of proof is initially on the plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit. In order to prevail, he or she must prove each of the four elements of negligence (duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages) by a preponderance of the evidence. This is usually done through a combination of expert witnesses and lay testimony. For instance, in many car accident cases, the basic facts of the crash may be explained by lay witnesses ("I saw the blue car run the red light and hit the side of the white van"). Evidence regarding certain damages, such as injuries and the reasonableness and necessity of medical expenses, requires testimony from an expert witness such as a physician. In the middle of these extremes are cases in which expert witness testimony would prove helpful but is not strictly required in order for a case to go forward. Sometimes, the parties disagree as to whether such testimony is an actual requirement under the circumstances, and the court must make a decision. Read More

03.31.2016

Underinsured motorist case filed in wrong state court

One of the first things that future attorneys learn in law school is that a court must have jurisdiction before it can act in a particular case. This power of the court to act is two-fold. The court must have both personal jurisdiction (power over the persons or corporations named in the suit), and it must have subject matter jurisdiction (authority of a court to hear cases of a particular type or cases relating to a specific subject matter). If either is missing, the court lacks the power to adjudicate the matter and must dismiss the case. In the recent unpublished opinion of Taylor v. Bristol West Insurance Company, the Jefferson Circuit Court was called upon to decide whether a Kentucky trial court had jurisdiction over an insurance company that issued a motor vehicle insurance policy to an Indiana resident who was later involved in a car accident in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Read More

03.29.2016

Kentucky slip and fall case by store clerk fails in court

Workers' compensation was designed as a compromise. An injured worker does not have to prove that his or her employer was negligent (as is required in most personal injury cases), but the worker's monetary recovery is typically less than it would be in a negligence case. Whether or not this is a fair trade-off is a controversial subject. The good news for an injured worker is that he or she can receive medical care and payment of temporary and, if applicable, permanent disability benefits, even if he or she cannot show that the employer did anything to cause the injury complained of. The bad news is that, even if the employer was at fault, the payout to the worker remains the same, with no compensation for pain and suffering or loss of consortium to the injured person's spouse. Sometimes, the parties disagree as to whether an injury was sustained during the course and scope of employment. For instance, an employee may be away from the business premises at the time of an accident (such as a car crash) but still arguably engaged in work for the employer. Read More

03.29.2016

What to do when you get a letter from the IRS

By Nathan Vinson, Attorney English, Lucas, Priest and Owsley, LLP We’ve heard more than one report of people getting called by scammers pretending to be the IRS, wanting money for back taxes or claiming that the IRS is going to sue you. Make no mistake: the IRS will not call you. This time of year, as many people are working on tax filings, anticipating returns and otherwise crunching numbers, the IRS is top of mind, and the scammers know it. Read More

03.22.2016

Kentucky Supreme Court says two-year statute of limitations in underinsured motorist claim is valid

Regardless of the merits of a party's complaint, it will never be heard unless the courts find that it was timely filed. Failure to comply with the statute of limitations isn't just a small "technicality." It is a deal breaker when it comes to negligence litigation. A recent underinsured motorist claim case in Kentucky highlighted the importance of hitting deadlines. It can also be a mistake to file suit on the eve of the running of the statute of limitations. As the plaintiff in the case set out below discovered, waiting until shortly before the expiration of the limitations period can be very costly. Read More