Recent Posts in Changes in the Law Category
Posted on Oct 7, 2011 By Chad Hemmat
Due to the passage of C.R.S. §10-1-135, the "Make Whole" statute, I believe injury victims will have a huge advantage against state-regulated (Non-ERISA qualified) health insurance ...
Continue reading "WHY THE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES' RIGHT TO REPAYMENT AFTER THE INJURY SETTLEMENT IS DEAD IN THE NEW ERA OF MAKE WHOLE ARBITRATIONS" »
Posted on Sep 24, 2011 By Chad Hemmat
This is not a religious opinion, but a legal one. The fact is that insurance companies blame God for a bunch of events that, in reality, are actually manmade. Generally, insurance companies have to ...
Continue reading "THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS AN "ACT OF GOD" CAR CRASH!" »
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 By Chad Hemmat
1) THE FACT PATTERN: Bob Blameless is driving his car down Broadway when he gets rear-ended by Chuck Careless. Bob spends the next year off of work, in hospitals and enduring painful physical therapy. ...
Continue reading "AFTER THE SETTLEMENT, DO I REALLY HAVE TO PAYBACK HEALTH INSURANCE?" »
Posted on Apr 30, 2011 By Chad Hemmat
A. Introduction: New legislation from last year settled (or so we thought) a long-standing debate amongst personal injury trial attorneys. The debate was: should an injury victim be able to claim, and ...
Continue reading "MEDICALS BILLED vs. PAID: It probably ain't what your lawyer thinks" »
Posted on Mar 2, 2011 By Chad Hemmat
When an insurance company is on trial for its conduct, its best friends are "confusion, complexity, and distraction." Every argument an insurance company makes in response to a policyholder's ...
Continue reading "INSURANCE COMPANY BAD FAITH: Knowing what NOT to argue" »
Posted on Nov 23, 2010 By Chad Hemmat
Will Rogers, the 1930's actor and comedian, once commented that Thanksgiving was originally about people with very little, giving thanks for a barely adequate harvest. He went on to comment that ...
Continue reading "WHAT THANKSGIVING SHOULD BE ABOUT: BEING THANKFUL" »
Posted on Oct 22, 2010 By Chad Hemmat
HOW IT WAS: These loan companies, also known as personal injury finance companies, have been around for a few years now. They advertise on television and provide the service of loaning you money today ...
Continue reading "I GOT A CASH ADVANCE ON MY PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM: Do I Have to Pay it Back?" »
Posted on Aug 23, 2010 By Chad Hemmat
A) THE WAY IT WAS: After 2 years of medical care, paid for largely from John's health insurance, finally the insurance company for the at-fault driver was prepared to talk settlement. His medical ...
Continue reading "CHECKMATE ON HEALTH INSURANCE SUBROGATION: New Change in the Laws Position Injury Victims to Major Advantage" »
Posted on Jul 9, 2010 By Chad Hemmat
Never in my nearly 20 years of practice as a trial lawyer has it been better to bring an injury action against an insurance defendant than right now. Truthfully, representing the interests of injury ...
Continue reading "COLORADO PERSONAL INJURY PRACTICE: We Were Losing The Game, So We Changed The Rules" »
Posted on Jul 2, 2010 By Chad Hemmat
This article discusses general strategies and issues that serve as a primer for a dialogue between a client and his attorney. It is in no way legal advice for any particular individual's particular ...
Continue reading "NEW LAWS – NEW LEGAL STRATEGY" »
Posted on Jul 1, 2010 By Chad Hemmat
Self service gas stations are great and have effectively brought to extinction the full service gas station. Fundamentally, the reason why people like self serve gas is that it’s cheaper than full ...
Continue reading "FULL SERVICE vs. SELF SERVICE LAW FIRMS: the difference could cost you" »
Posted on May 14, 2010 By Chad Hemmat
New Colorado legislation regarding the Make Whole Doctrine will take effect August 11, 2010. If you have a slip and fall case, motor vehicle injury case, or any case where you have an issue related to ...
Continue reading "GROUND-BREAKING NEW LAW CHANGES IN COLORADO PERSONAL INJURY PRACTICE: Make Whole Doctrine Codified C.R.S. § 10-1-135" »
Posted on Dec 11, 2009 By Chad Hemmat
Over my nearly 20 year legal career, there always seems to be a small, but vocal, group of attorneys who try to convince the rest of us that the “sky is falling.” “The laws are against injured ...
Continue reading "SO YOU SETTLED YOUR CAR CRASH CASE: But After the DeHerrera Decision, is Any Money Going to be Left for YOU?" »
Posted on Oct 30, 2009 By Chad Hemmat
Workers’ Compensation Reform – a Case Study #1: Approximately 15 years ago, Colorado had an opportunity to pass a voter initiative called “The Safe Workplace Amendment.” On its face, this amendment to ...
Continue reading "HEALTH INSURANCE FOR ALL: Right is Right and There is Nothing Political About It" »
Posted on Sep 4, 2009 By Chad Hemmat
For nearly 20 years, I have represented people injured in motor vehicle accidents. All too often, these accidents and the subsequent injuries were preventable. I would like to share with you 10 ...
Continue reading "HOW TO PREVENT A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT" »
Posted on Jul 31, 2009 By Chad Hemmat
Everyone thinks they know what Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage (UM/UIM Coverage) is and thanks to recent changes in the law, nearly everyone in Colorado has this coverage. However, the extent ...
Continue reading "NUTS AND BOLTS OF UNINSURED/UNDERINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE" »
Posted on Jul 24, 2009 By Chad Hemmat
"Med-Pay" is often described as the forgotten insurance coverage. Nearly everyone's automobile coverage includes it, and yet it is rare that our clients know if they have such coverage. We often have ...
Continue reading "WHAT IS MED-PAY? DO I REALLY NEED IT?" »
Posted on Apr 9, 2009 By Chad Hemmat
August 5 th has been a significant date in history. It was the day that Jim Palmer was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. It was the day President Reagan fired more than 11,000 striking ...
Continue reading "THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY FOR VICTIMS OF INSURANCE COMPANY DELAY" »
Posted on Jan 26, 2009 By Chad Hemmat
Representing victims injured in automobile accidents in Colorado requires staying up-to-date in an area of law that is constantly changing. For example, effective January 1, 2009, all new and renewed ...
Continue reading "2009 CHANGES TO AUTO ACCIDENT LAWS: WHAT THE LAWYER YOU HIRE BETTER KNOW" »