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John Austin | June 16, 2016 | news
Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited . . .the right was not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose. These are not the words of a hysteria gun-control advocate. They are instead the words of the late Supreme… read more
John Austin | June 14, 2016 | Insurance Companies
A St. Petersburg firefighter, Bradley Westphal, won a huge legal victory for himself and other injured workers in Florida last week. The Florida Supreme Court found that a “doughnut hole” in the workers’ compensation system which deprived Westphal of benefits was unconstitutional and could not stand. Westphal was seriously injured when he lifted heavy furniture… read more
John Austin | June 1, 2016 | Car Accidents
By: Mark Roman, a car accident lawyer in Clearwater, FL Car crashes are always someone’s fault. There were more than 374,000 traffic crashes in Florida in 2015. And we are well on pace for similar numbers for 2016. About 160,000 involved injuries and there were almost 3,000 fatalities. Insurance companies and their defense lawyers love… read more
John Austin | May 31, 2016 | news
The foreclosure crisis is well known to Americans, and particularly to Floridians. Mortgage fraud in writing home loans has been widely publicized, and many people know about the shameful underwriting practices (or really, nonexistent underwriting practices) of the big lenders. The back end of the story – how foreclosures worked their way through the court… read more
John Austin | May 24, 2016 | Personal Injury
This is National Safe Boating Week. It’s no coincidence that boating safety advocates in the U.S. and Canada chose this week for an awareness campaign. While Florida boaters enjoy the water year-round, places further north are just beginning their season for boating. Peak times for boating in most of North America will be from now… read more
John Austin | May 9, 2016 | Medical Malpractice
Medical errors kill roughly 250,000 Americans a year, according to a recent paper published by a Johns Hopkins professor and surgeon. This places medical mistakes as the third leading cause of death in the U.S. These errors are a distant third behind heart disease (611,000) and cancer (585,000), but are nonetheless remarkable for killing more… read more
John Austin | May 6, 2016 | Safety Tips
It’s nearly beach season! While enjoying the beach and water is one of summer’s greatest pleasures, we should all take a moment to think about water safety. This is especially important for young children –drowning is the number two cause of accidental death for kids 15 and younger (vehicle accidents are number one). About 750… read more
John Austin | April 26, 2016 | Uber & Lyft Accidents
When is a driver an employee, and when is a driver just a contractor? This question is at the heart of a class action filed against Uber, the popular ride-sharing service. Uber recently agreed to pay about $100 million to settle lawsuits in California and Massachusetts. Those suits claimed Uber was improperly calling its drivers… read more
John Austin | April 25, 2016 | Personal Injury
The insurance world can be complex and difficult to understand. Whether an insurance company is a large corporation or a small office found in your local neighborhood, the goal for each company is the same: to generate profit. As a result, the insurance industry has become extremely successful and profitable. Many of these companies go… read more
John Austin | April 5, 2016 | news
As a lawyer, I usually find TV shows about lawyers exasperating and un-watchable. Portrayals of lawyers and courtrooms which are designed to be entertaining are often ludicrous. If people’s perception of lawyers is based on what they see on television, it’s no wonder they don’t like us. Given that, I’m pleased to say there is… read more