At Fine Law Firm,
Your Case is Personal
A Bakersfield, California man was recently sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for second degree murder in connection with a fatal traffic collision in a construction zone. 32-year-old Jerad Cross was convicted of killing a 45-year-old Clovis man when he rear-ended his stopped vehicle while under the influence of prescription medication and…
The Court of Appeals of New Mexico has held that a family’s lawsuit seeking uninsured motorist benefits was barred by claim preclusion. In Pielhau v. State Farm Mutual Auto. Ins. Co., Jared Pielhau was unfortunately killed in a single-vehicle traffic wreck in 2004. At the time of the deadly crash, the vehicle Jared was…
A Santa Fe jury has issued a $1 million award in yet another medical malpractice lawsuit filed against Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. In Jiron et al. v. Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, et al., Zelda Jiron was treated at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center for severe abdominal pain in 2010….
In mid-December, a Santa Fe jury issued a $2.25 million wrongful death verdict against Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in connection with the death of a young woman in 2008. In Christopherson v. Christus Health, et al., a 20-year-old woman sought emergency medical treatment for stomach pain that was purportedly related to pancreatitis…
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a woman who claims a Bernalillo County corrections officer used excessive force on her during a 2011 strip search. According to the complaint filed in Tapia v. Zapater, Marlene Tapia was arrested and taken to the Metropolitan Detention…
The Court of Appeals of New Mexico has held that an emergency room doctor is qualified to testify as an expert in a medical malpractice lawsuit. In Quintana v. Acosta, a diabetic man, Richard Quintana, was treated by Dr. Steven Acosta at a Lovington hospital emergency room for a puncture wound to his left…
In late November, a Pennsylvania jury issued a $28 million verdict against a driver and the Pittsburgh Elks Lodge No. 11 in connection with a deadly DUI collision. In September 2009, a 26-year-old Munhall man attended an event at the lodge that included unlimited food and alcohol. As part of the bash, self-serve kegs…
In Richter v. Presbyterian Healthcare Services, the Court of Appeals of New Mexico addressed the distinction between ordinary negligence and medical malpractice. In the wrongful death case, Ms. Richter was treated at Presbyterian Healthcare Services (PHS) for cardiac symptoms in 2001. Her doctor ordered related testing for what he suspected was an undiagnosed pheochromocytoma….
Two Eastern New Mexico University college students were unfortunately killed in a recent Quay County one-vehicle rollover accident. According to a representative for the New Mexico State Police, Sergeant Emmanuel Guttierez, a 19-year-old Clovis woman was driving a 2003 Chevrolet sport utility vehicle south on N.M. 469 when she unexpectedly lost control of the…
Japanese motor vehicle manufacturer Honda has issued a voluntary safety recall of nearly 350,000 Odyssey minivans in the United States. According to the automobile maker, a defective sensor in models manufactured in 2007 and 2008 may cause hydraulic pressure to build in the braking system. When that pressure releases, the vehicles may brake without…
