Firm News
February
2/9-
January
1/19- The attorneys at Warshauer Law Group look forward to helping sponsor the 2012 Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL) "Lawyers in the Round", a two-day demonstration in criminal defense on January 27th and 28th. WLG will host a table both days and will also be in charge of hosting a cocktail party on Friday evening. This is a great chance for our attorneys to meet GACDL members and show them what we do best; work with referring lawyers to maximize the value of malpractice, product liabilty, truck wrecks, and other catastroophic injury and death cases!
1/10- Warshauer Law Group is proud to share that special representative Danny Boyles was appointed to a one-year term as Grand Marshal of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in Georgia.
From the December 2011 issue of Masonic Messenger: "Worshipful Brother Danny Boyles appointed Grand Marshal"
1/9- In October, Michael lead an online seminar for participants to help identify potential product liablilty cases in the workplace.
"Identifying Product Liability Cases in the Workplace"
1/6- The attorneys at Warshauer Law Group, P.C. recently obtained a settlement on behalf of a client whose constitutional rights were violated when he was wrongfully assaulted, searched, arrested, and detained by police officers from a local city and county. The incident occurred in 2009 when the client, D.W., was arrested on the front porch of his house for obstruction of justice after allegedly failing to identify himself to police officers who were searching for another suspect. The plain-clothes officer who initially approached D.W. and demanded his personal information did not have probable cause or reasonable suspicion to detain D.W. for questioning. Additionally, although the basis for the arrest was that D.W. allegedly failed to identify himself, it was undisputed that he did provide his name to the plain-clothes officer. In the course of the arrest, another officer repeatedly tasered D.W., even though he was not resisting the arrest. That officer then choked D.W. while he was handcuffed until he almost blacked out. The officers then searched D.W.'s home without a warrant or any level of suspicion. The prosecutor eventually dropped the charges against D.W. because he determined that, under Georgia law, D.W. was not required to provide any identifying information to the officer who approached and questioned him. On September 16, 2011, Michael Warshauer and Darl Champion filed suit in federal court in the Middle District of Georgia against the individual officers, their supervisors, and the city and county based on the violations of D.W.'s constitutional rights. After several months of litigation, the defendants agreed to settle the claims against them for a total of $73,750. This settlement is just one in a series of favorable resolutions that our attorneys have recently obtained on behalf of clients whose constitutional rights were violated at the hands of local law enforcement.
November
Lyle was quoted in SELF magazine in an article titled "The Hidden Dangers of Outsourcing Radiology" by Katherine Eban.
http://www.self.com/health/2011/11/outsourcing-radiology-dangers?printable=true
On November 9th, Doug chaired a seminar entitled "Getting Ready for Trial". Doug spoke on Opening Statements; and Lyle spoke on "Preserving Issues for Appeal".
September
9-11 - On Sunday, Lyle, Michael, Doug, Trent and Lisa competed in the Atlanta Track Club's Ekiden relay race, finishing 3rd out of 8 teams in the mixed gender small corporation division and 60th out of 160 teams overall. The Ekiden is a great event and a real gift from the Atlanta Track Club. Everyone is looking forward to next year's race when Gwen can make her WLG running debut and Dr. Jen will be able to compete again.
July
07-20 - Michael is recognized as a Top Attorney in Georgia.
07-19 - The Judicial Nominating Commission interviewed Lyle about becoming a Fulton County Superior Court Judge.
07-09 thru 07-14 - Michael and Lyle attended the AAJ Annual Convention in New York City. Michael presented "Whistler Blower Cases" and "Closing Arguments in Product Liability Cases." during the section's meetings. Michael was elected to the Executive Committee, as well as elected as Vice Chair of the Products Liability Section and Chair of the Council of Presidents.
June
06/29 - The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to reduce protections for railroad workers.
CSX v. McBride: Recently, the railroads have mounted a vigorous and well-funded fight to turn back over 100 years of law in an attempt to be freed from their duty to keep a safe workplace. Despite these efforts, the U.S. Supreme Court recently decided that the railroads in the United States would still be responsible for injuries they caused, in whole or in part, to their employees, in a decision that simply reaffirms what the FELA set out to do a hundred years ago. David defeats Goliath again.
06/24 - The Associated Press, a global news network based out of New York, consulted Michael regarding the upcoming Washington metro crash lawsuit.
06/22 - The National Trial Lawyers recognized Michael as one of the "Top 100 Trial Lawyers." 
Doug spoke at GTLA's parelgal seminar today. He gave tips about case strategy and the impotance of oraganization throughout the life cycle of personal injury suit.
06/16 - We just added AAJ's new Membership video, "Fighting for Justice" to our video library. This 10-minute video emphasizes the importance of AAJ and features many passionate trial lawyers and their stories.
06/13 - Warshauer Law Group helped sponsor a recent Shriner's event. Just last week we received a lovely framed photo from John Ambrose of the Al Sihah Shrine Center with our banner.
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By supporting Shriners International we are helping Shriners Hospitals for Children provide specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs.
06/08 - Doug and Champ had a 6 figure verdict in a car wreck case last year and are being recognized by the Daily Report in its Top Georgia Verdicts of 2010.
May
05/24 - This afternoon Michael is participating as faculty in AAJ’s Arm Your Case Against Daubert Teleseminar. His presentation is titled "What Every Plaintiff Lawyer Needs to Know about Daubert: Your Expert May Have a Daubert Problem and You Did Not Even Know It." Michael's expertise and passion on this subject makes him an outstanding instructor for continuing legal education programs.
Champ is taking on another pro bono case through Cobb County Legal Aid in an effort to correct errors on the client's credit report.
Lyle is preparing for a medical/dental malpractice trial in Chatham County (originally set for February). The case involves the death of a woman who was allowed to aspirate a dental appliance during routine oral surgery.
05/10 - Last week Lyle Warshauer and Doug Dumont spoke at the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association's annual convention. Lyle lectured about Daubert issues in motor vehicle cases, and Doug presented "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire: Impeachment by Cross Examination." Their papers, along with video footage, will be posted soon in the Resources/Library section of our site.
In addition to being very involved with professional education, Doug also takes an active interest in mentoring young lawyers. Today he participated in GTLA's Group Mentoring workshop at the Georgia State Bar.
Trent Shuping also served as a mentor today, but for a much younger audience: he spoke to a class of fourth graders at Corely Elementary School as part of career day. Thanks to Trent for inspring the next generation of young plaintiff's lawyers.
April
04/26 - Remember the "McDonald's coffee" case? There's a new documentary by Susan Saladoff titled Hot Coffee that reveals what really happened to the woman who spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s.
From the documentary's website:
Everyone knows the McDonald’s coffee case. It has been routinely cited as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of America’s legal system, but is that a fair rendition of the facts? ... We think this movie has the potential, with the right funding and effort, to really change the way people think about our civil justice system and access to the courts.
The film is showing as part of the Atlanta Film Festival on Wednesday, May 4, 7:30 PM and Friday, May 6, 4:30 PM at the Landmark Theater.
04/22 - Two of our cases were recently mediated and we obtained favorable settlements for our clients.
In one case, our client rear-ended a commercial van on I-75. The van claimed it had slowed because of a flat tire and the crash was our driver's fault for not keeping a lookout ahead. Our investigation revealed that the company did not perform motor vehicle or background checks before allowing employees to drive its vehicles, and that the driver did not even have a valid Georgia driver's license. Further investigation revealed that the company had inadequate procedures to ensure that its vehicles were properly equipped and maintained. Through hard work we demonstrated that the van driver had created the danger by driving on used tires that were intentionally overinflated.
The second case involved a rear-end car wreck that occurred on GA-400. Our client sustained a herniated disk at L4-L5, which ultimately required surgical intervention. The defense asserted that there was no connection between our client's surgical needs and the wreck as there was a delay of more than a year between the wreck and surgery. Through careful analysis of the medical records by our in house medical staff we were able to work with the treating physician and obtain testimony from the treating surgeon connecting the event with her injuries.
04/14 -In his last days as President of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Michael Warshauer rushed to the state capitol earlier this afternoon in order to oppose an amendment to the collateral source rule. A change to the bill would severely threaten our clients' interests. Thankfully, the Senate defeated the amendment with a vote of 8 (in favor) to 40 (against).
In other news, Darl Champion obtained a six-figure settlement for one of our clients. Our client was severely injured in a car accident due to impact with an improperly parked tractor trailer.
04/04 - About 18 months ago we lost a very tough case against CSX. We just got the news that the US Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, reversed the judgment and our client wlil be granted a new trial. In the words of Doug Dumont, "Justice has never smelled so good!"
March
03/24 - A few noteworthy happenings:
- Michael and Trent are preparing for a products liability trial that begins on Monday in the US District Court, Southern District of Iowa.
- Lyle was part of a panel discussion at GTLA's Tort Cases seminar yesterday.
- Michael had dinner with the Georgia House Judiciary committee on Tuesday and talked about civil justice issues.
03/09 -This afternoon Lyle hosted a moot court session to prepare for argument before the Georgia Supreme Court in the case of Flores v. Exprezit! Convenience Stores. This case concerns Georgia's Dram Shop law, which holds sellers of alcohol to noticeably intoxicated persons who are likely to drive a vehicle liable if the purchaser subsequently kills or injures someone after consuming the alcohol purchased. The plaintiffs are asking the Georgia Supreme Court to hold that the Dram Shop Act applies to convenience stores, as well as bars and restaurants. Lyle assisted in writing the Amicus brief filed on behalf of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association in the case, and will be present at counsel table when the case is argued by a colleague, Darren Summerville.
February
02/28 - Several weeks ago Michael, Lyle, and Doug attended the American Association for Justice's Winter Convention in Miami, Florida. Lyle attended meetings on birth injury and medical malpractice law, while Michael and Doug attended the railroad law section meetings. They also met with their friend and fellow trial lawyer, US Congressman Bruce Braley and his wife Carolyn.
Visit https://picasaweb.google.com/warshauerlawgroup/ to view more photos from the convention.
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Michael and Lyle Warshauer with Congressman Bruce Braley and his wife Carolyn |
02/21 - Last week Michael attended the United Transportation Union Designated Legal Counsel meetings in Las Vegas. Michael met with the President, Assistant President, General Secretary and Treasurer, and General Counsel. Additionally, the Designated Legal Counsel met and discussed legal issues that relate to successful representation of injured railroad workers under the FELA and OSHA Whistleblower statutes. Michael also assisted with drafting new ethical rules governing DLC attorneys.
02/18 - Trent Shuping was GTLA's Lawyer of the Day at the State Capitol this past Wednesday.
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| Pictured (from left): Micah Gravley, Chan Caudell, Nathan Deal, Wallace Nichols, Trent Shuping |
Also on Wednesday Michael Warshauer spoke to the Student Trial Lawyer Association at the University of Georgia in Athens. He shared his experiences as a personal injury trial lawyer, urging students to consider a career in representing plaintiffs.
02/14 - Earlier last week Doug Dumont volunteered at the State Capitol as part of GTLA's "lawyer of the day" initiative. The goal of this program is to assist GTLA's lobbying team in their efforts to protect Civil Justice during the legislative session. He met with his representative, Elly Dobbs, and reported that being at the Capitol was a great experience.
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| Doug Dumont with Elly Dobbs |
02/03 - Michael Warshauer was a guest speaker at the John Marshall Law School yesterday afternoon. He spoke about his career as a plaintiff's lawyer and his involvement with the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. He urged students to consider a career as a plaintiff's attorney, emphasizing that there is nothing more important than helping other people.
Additionally, Michael stopped by the Capitol yesterday to check out GTLA's "Lawyer of the Day" initiative. The goal of this program is to assist GTLA's lobbying team in their efforts to protect Civil Justice during the legislative session.
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| Pictured (left to right): Lawyer of the day John Hadden, GTLA President Michael Warshauer, Governor Nathan Deal, GTLA Grassroots Director Micah Gravley |
January
01/26/2011 -
Michael and Trent are preparing for a March trial in Iowa in a products liability case against Case New Holland. In this lawsuit, the Plaintiff was severely injured, including having his legs "degloved", when the seatbelt in the Case bulldozer failed causing him to be thrown from the dozer. Michael just took the deposition of one of the Defendant's experts and is confident that some, if not all, of this expert's opinions will be struck under the Daubert standard and Rule 702.
Lyle is heading up the firm's prosecution of a medical malpractice case against an OB-GYN in Gainesville, Georgia. We represent the guardian of a 4 year old who was injured prior to birth, which resulted in cerebral palsy. Lyle recently took the deposition of a defense expert doctor in Columbus, Georgia. The doctor admitted he sees a lot of gross negligence in Columbus, Georgia. We are preparing to try this case in district court this Spring.
Michael and Lyle are preparing for a medical/dental malpractice case scheduled for trial in Chatham County in February. The case is about a women who was allowed to aspirate a dental appliance during routine oral surgery, which ultimately resulted in her untimely death.
December
12/08 - Darl "Champ" Champion's article, "Applying New Plausibility Standards for Plaintiffs," is the featured piece in the newest edition of the Verdict journal (Fall 2010). In it he discusses the national trend among district courts of applying the new plausibility standard to affirmative defenses. Plaintiff's attorneys should be aware that they can use it to their advantage to narrow and clarify the legal issues in their cases.
Click on the image to view Champ's article.
12/06 - AAJ Communications released a new report, “Playing with Safety: Dangerous Toys and the Role of America’s Civil Justice System.” This timely document explores the role of the civil justice system in protecting children from unforeseen hazards in toys and details how the public learned about little known dangers hidden in today’s popular toys. The report is a valuable tool that demonstrates AAJ’s commitment to advocacy.
Please view AAJ's release at http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xchg/justice/hs.xsl/13933.htm.
You can download the report (found on our Resources/Library page) at http://www.warlawgroup.com/files/PlayingWithSafety.pdf
Note: some browsers may display the document directly in the browser window; others may automatically download the file. To save the document to your computer, right click (Mac users control + click) on the link and select "save as..."
November
11/15 - Last week Lyle Warshauer attended a nursing home seminar at the State Bar of Georgia. Program topics included deposition strategy, punitive damages, lien resolution, and trial strategies. The following day she spoke at an event hosted by the Cobb County Trial Lawyers Association. Her presentation was titled "Expert Witnesses & the Effect of Daubert on the Right to a Jury Trial."
11/8 - Michael Warshauer recently met with Georgia Governor-elect Nathan Deal to discuss civil justice issues. As president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Mr. Warshauer works in the legislative, political and media arenas to ensure that Georgians know and understand the importance of their rights to justice.
11/5 - Darl Champion recently took a case, pro bono, through his involvement with the Cobb Justice Foundation. His client was wrongfully evicted, and GMAC refused to allow her to retrieve her belongings. Mr. Champion filed a temporary restraining order, and GMAC voluntarily agreed to let his client back into the home to retrieve her things. To learn more about the Eviction Defense Project, visit the Cobb Justice Foundation site at www.cobbjustice.org.
11/1 - Even though the days are getting shorter and the weather colder, all of us at the Warshauer Law Group are feeling energized! In addition to having several of our cases resolved through mediation, we have received two favorable rulings from the courts: won summary judgment in a case against Norfolk Southern in the United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia and won an appeal in a case against CSX. In the latter case, the Georgia Court of Appeals found that the trial court erred and that the plaintiff should have a new trial.
October
10/20 - Last week Michael presented an argument before the Georgia Supreme Court. All of us here at the office were able to watch it via live webcast, and we want you to watch it too! Visit http://youtu.be/axA3cs-f51g for a condensed version of Mr. Warshauer's argument.
10/18 - Be sure to watch our adaptation of the The Consumer Attorneys of California video "A World Without Lawyers." It provides an entertaining yet sobering look at why our world is a better place with lawyers willing and able to represent citizens against corporations who too often are determined to act without penalty. Whether it is a case involving an exploding gas tank, medical malpractice, or a dangerous product, lawyers are there to defend victims and bring about change that will hold corporations responsible for their actions. How would you defend yourself and your interests in a conflict without lawyers? Visit our video library to watch the video.
10/12 - Michael Warshauer is featured alongside other successful local attorneys in this week's Atlanta Business Chronicle. Please note that the article's original print layout has been altered for optimal web viewing.
10/7 - Michael Warshauer regularly teaches continuing legal education courses. Earlier today he was the guest speaker for a live webinar titled "Living with Daubert," hosted by the Louisiana Association for Justice. He spoke about strategies for dealing with the Daubert decision that can reduce the costs associated with Daubert challenges, improve the likelihood of surviving Daubert challenges, as well as using Daubert as an offensive weapon to strike the defendant's witnesses.
10/1 - The firm is sponsoring GreenLaw's 2010 Environmental Heroes event. This is an annual awards celebration honoring excellence in environmental law. GreenLaw challenges industry and government actions that have degraded Georgia's environment, and works closely with concerned citizens and environmental organizations. Visit www.green-law.org to learn more about the organization and its mission.
September
9/27 - The Warshauer Law Group put together a 6-person relay team to compete in the small corporate division of the Atlanta Ekiden Team Relay race at Piedmont Park on Sunday morning. Team members were Michael & Lyle Warshauer, Doug Dumont, Trent Shuping, Jennifer Motley, and Shannon Shaw. Below is Michael's handoff to Trent.
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9/14 - Doug Dumont was a speaker at Beasley Allen's Atlanta Legal Strategies Conference on September 9. Topics included product liability updates, the latest in mass tort litigation, and class action updates. Doug's presentation was titled "A Case in Point," which was about Georgia law on products liability and how to identify a potential products liability case.
9/13 - This morning The Warshauer Law Group office served as the headquarters for a call-a-thon in support of Roy Barnes campaign for governor. Michael Warshauer, Tommy Malone, Thomas Cuffie, and many other Atlanta attorneys volunteered their time to make calls and ask for monetary contributions. Just like Roy Barnes, we want to make Georgia work!
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9/8 - Doug Dumont recently resolved a Federal Employers' Liability Act case, achieving a favorable result for our client.
August
8/31 - Doug Dumont was mentioned in an article that appeared in the Courthouse News Service earlier this month. Mr. Dumont represents a man who seeks punitive damages for constitutional violations, assault and battery and negligence agains a "beer-loving" cop. Read the full story here: http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/08/13/29563.htm
8/24 - Warshauer Law Group attorneys attended the United Transportation Union Region meeting in Asheville, NC August 21-24. Our firm lead educational sessions for union leaders about injury reports, FELA, statements, and railroad safety in general. We had some great fun too. On Saturday night we hosted a function for the Norfolk Southern General Committee at the Fiddlin' Pig where everyone enjoyed some fine barbeque, great live music, and renewed friendships. On Monday night, comedian/hypnotist Mark Irish entertained at a widely attended event where he hypnotized volunteers. Fun times were had by all!
8/13 - Recently uploaded "Politics Matter," an article that Michael wrote for the Tennessee Association for Justice. Click on the above link to download. You can also find it listed first in the "Resources/Library" section of our site.
8/11 - Michael Warshauer received recognition for having been selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation. For over a quarter of a century, Best Lawyers® has been regarded – by both the profession and the public – as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States.
8/2 - Darl ("Champ") and Doug attended the Auto Torts workshop this past weekend in Destin, Florida. Here they are with their lovely wives Julia (left) and Jenny (right). Also pictured is fellow personal injury attorney Sutton Slover. Thanks go to Lynn Colston at GTLA for the great photo.
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July
7/27 - Doug Dumont and Darl Champion will be attending GTLA's Auto Torts Workshop this weekend in Destin, Florida.
7/20 - Lyle and Michael recently returned from the American Association for Justice's annual convention in Vancouver. They enjoyed a truly beautiful city, climbed the notorious Grind, ran in a 5k road race, met with several politicians including Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid, and took Congressman Bruce Braley and several friends out to dinner. They also were able to attend a variety of legal education programs and business meetings. Additionally, Michael Warshauer was elected to serve as President Elect of the Council of Presidents and Secretary of the Products Liability Section.
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7/19 - Big news around our office: Amy Hyland is soon to be Amy Jackson!! Her fiancé Thomas is currently stationed in Florida with the Army National Guard.
7/7 - Darl Champion recently joined the Cobb Justice Foundation and the American Association for Justice's (AAJ) New Lawyer's Division Fundraising Committee. The Cobb Justice Foundation is the pro bono project of Cobb County. The Fundraising Committee orchestrates political fundraising efforts on behalf of the New Lawyer's Division.
7/2 - Darl Champion is representing someone pro bono in court next week as part of his participation in the Cobb County Legal Aid Defense Project. The Eviction Defense Project pairs volunteer attorneys with low-income clients facing eviction in Cobb County.
7/1 - Previously this week Michael had lunch with two candidates for Governor
June
6/29 - Michael Warshauer was a featured lecturer at the Gary Christy Memorial Georgia Trial Skills Clinic at the University of Georgia last Thursday. He spoke on the use of demonstrative evidence at trial. Last Wednesday Michael chaired the first ever GTLA Political Summit at the Georgia State Bar headquareters in Atlanta.
6/21 - Michael Warshauer will be attending the Gary Christy Memorial Trial Skills Clinic this upcoming weekend in Athens, Georgia. He will be serving as a faculty mentor, helping other Georgia attorneys develop and enhance their trial techniques.
6/21 - Earlier this month Michael Warshauer received a 6-figure settlement in a product liability case for a client whose leg was crushed by heavy equipment.
6/17 - Early this morning Darl Champion traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the American Association for Justice Political Action Committee's Phone-a-thon. The PAC helps fund the races of federal pro-civil justice candidates and ranks as one of the top contributors to House and Senate candidates, both Democratic and Republican.
6/15 - Michael Warshauer attended the Senate Democratic leadership meeting this afternoon.
6/10 - One of our staff, Anne Gurley, took home the grand prize in "Riverwood Idol," a "green" themed American Idol-style competition organized by our office building's management company. Congrats to our Riverwood Idol!
6/9 - An announcement was published in the Fulton County Daily Report congratulating GTLA President Michael Warshauer and the 2010-2011 GTLA executive committee.
6/7 - Michael Warshauer, as the newly elected president of GTLA, spoke at the Wiregrass Trial Lawyers Association event in Americus, Georgia. Many local legislative leaders and candidates for statewide judicial offices were in attendance.
6/6 - Darl Champion volunteered with the Latin American Association's Copa Latina, an amateur soccer tournament and festival in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
6/2 - Doug Dumont will be attending Keenan and Ball's "Reptile" Seminar this coming weekend in downtown Atlanta. The seminar focuses on the reptile brain, and how and why jurors make the decisions they do and teaches plaintiff's lawyers how to make tort reform have only a negligible impact on juries.
