Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

Pennsylvania Product Liability Lawyer Filing Lawsuits Against Foreign Manufacturers Whose Products Injure Local People
by Raymond M. Bily, Esquire

Foreign manufacturers of defective products can be sued in state or federal courts but doing so sometimes presents special challenges. Foreign auto makers, industrial product manufacturers and consumer product makers and their intermediaries are not beyond the reach of U.S. courts if they put defective products into the stream of commerce. A manufacturer who has offices or advertises in a state generally has sufficient contact to be sued in state courts. Less clear is when a product is manufactured overseas and comes into a state indirectly. Courts generally inquire whether the manufacturer had some knowledge or expectation that the product would be purchased by consumers in the particular state.

Assuming jurisdiction is proper, a more difficult problem can involve service of process. Foreign corporations are savvy litigants. They understand that mere distance alone can be used to create the perception that injured consumers will have a very difficult time pursuing them in U.S. courts.

The perception begins when the corporation insists on having service of process in accordance with the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra Judicial Documents in Civil or Criminal Matters. The most common method of service of process recognized by the Hague is for the initiating process to be transcribed in the foreign corporations native language then served upon a receiving central authority. A recent case filed by our firm against a Japanese auto maker was several times the costs of suing a U.S. corporate defendant. Language barriers can present themselves through out the process of litigation, including depositions and interrogatories. At deposition it is often necessary to have interpreters who are highly skilled and adept, sometimes in local dialects.

Continue reading " Filing Lawsuits Against Foreign Manufacturers " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Product Liability

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Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer. The only known cause of Mesothelioma in the United States is from asbestos exposure. It takes from 10-50 years after the first exposure to asbestos for a person to develop Mesothelioma. People who work directly with asbestos such as insulators, shipyard, refinery, construction and utility workers, military personnel and others are at risk for developing Mesothelioma. Other people at risk are housewives, children, school teachers, and others who are indirectly exposed. Short term, intense exposure may cause Mesothelioma many years later. It is important to determine if and how you were exposed to asbestos.

Continue reading " Pennsylvania Mesothelioma Law: Mesothelioma and You " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Mesothelioma

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Always tell the truth and admit when you are wrong! Sounds like a simple and easy enough rule to follow. Most of us learn this when we are children through our parents, grandparents, teachers and clergy, but how many people actually practice their lives according to this standard?

I grew up in a family business where this was the mantra of my grandfather, a hardworking immigrant to America.

Trials in American justice have been the ultimate means to resolve disputes in American society from colonial times to the present as lawyers skillfully prepare their cases, examine and cross-examine witnesses to reveal the truth.

Continue reading " Philadelphia Product Liability Lawyer Demands That Manufacturers and Insurance Companies Always Tell The Truth and Admit When They Are Wrong " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Product Liability

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The experienced lawyers and professional staff at Reiff and Bily aim to protect our clients settlements or verdicts with good, proper and honest financial advice when requested. The money received can be invested in various different instruments to properly maximize the integrity of the settlement or verdict and achieve the client's desired goal. We employ a full time on-staff accountant who works with a variety of independent financial planners, specialists and advisors. We can work with certified financial planners and other qualified investment advisors from the smallest investment and certificate of deposit or tax-free structured settlement where we will always strive to get the maximum result and protection for our clients. When there are minor children involved, we can provide anything from a special interest trust from a minor’s compromise involving a bank trust or maximum interest earning CD.

Today’s economic climate demands proficient, cost-effective services working with individuals of the highest degree of integrity and financial caliber to meet a client’s objectives. Each client presents unique situations and calls for a strong work ethic combined with anticipatory needs of demands of the client.

Future economic needs and preservation of asset recovery from the inception of our representation until and throughout post-case resolution is a task we take seriously. Our goal is to protect plaintiffs and their families from squandering their resources and from the exploitation of after market structured settlement buyers, “friends” and “snake oil” salesmen as well as preservation of loan or asset purchasing power. We attempt to take the worries out of legal financial situations resulting from Pennsylvania catastrophic incidents from beginning to end.

Continue reading " What Do I Do With Funds From My Settlement or Verdict After My Case is Over? " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Finance

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Swimming pools, diving boards and hot tubs often pose a significant risk of serious injury and even wrongful death if proper safety measures are not followed. Each year in Pennsylvania, swimming pool accidents claim the lives of many innocent children as well as thousands of adults. Homeowners, hotel owners and apartment owners who have pools owe a small responsibility to provide a safe environment for both children and adults but to many times this does not happen.

Often times a swimming pool draws children like a magnet. Swimming pool accidents are the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 14. Each year in the United States, 1,000 children die and 5,000 others are hospitalized with catastrophic injuries due to swimming-related accidents. Unbelievably, drowning is the leading cause of death among children ages 2-4. When a child submerges for 2 minutes or more in the water, the child loses consciousness. Irreversible brain damage sets in after 4-6 minutes of water submersion.

Continue reading " Pennsylvania Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents: Is Your Swimming Pool Safe? " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Swimming Pool and Hot Tub Accidents

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The dictionary defines “hope” as the belief in a positive outcome relating to the events and circumstances in one’s life. Hope implies a certain amount of despair; wanting, wishing, suffering or perseverance, believing that a better or positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence leading to the contrary.

The term “false hope” refers to hope highly based on fantasy or an extremely unlikely outcome.

At the Law Firm of Reiff and Bily, our lawyers understand and respect the value of hope and the loss of someones dreams. It is our job to communicate the plaintiffs’ dreams and hopes to the insurance companies and ultimately to the juries who hear our cases. It is our job to prove what the plaintiff is capable of doing or was capable of doing prior to an incident and identify the compensation necessary for the plaintiff to recognize the fulfillment of his dreams and goals. The lawyers of Reiff and Bily are not afraid to ask the insurance companies or juries to fully compensate plaintiffs for the loss of their dreams and hopes.

Continue reading " My Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorney Reinforced the Value of Hope " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: How Much Is My Case Worth?

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Both Raymond M. Bily, Jr. and Jeffrey M. Reiff have had extensive experience handling thousands of complex personal injury cases for almost 30 years. We both volunteer as Judge Pro Tempore for the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia evaluating cases on a pro bono basis.

Both attorneys travel and handle cases throughout the United States involving complex personal injury and automobile defect cases. When we determine to accept a case, the case must make economic sense. We must balance the potential for loss against the potential for recovery and consider both the time and money we will invest to fully prosecute the case.

This is a non-exacting process based upon our years of experience handling thousands of cases. Unfortunately our careful screening process only enables us to represent a small portion of clients who initially consult with us on a free, no obligation-basis.

Continue reading " Pennsylvania Plaintiff's Lawyer: Educated Gamblers-How We Are Able to Represent the Client's Story to a Jury " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Auto Accident

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Often times, surgical operations are bloody procedures. They involve the use of hundreds of instruments and dozens of surgical sponges which are gauze-like pads used for sopping up blood. Each time the doctor asks for a surgical sponge, a nurse is to count them aloud before handing them over, which is a standard way of keeping track of equipment to make sure no sponge is left behind.

Prior to closing the patient, at least one other count or exchange takes place between the surgical nurse and the surgeon. The Chief Surgeon is the "captain of the ship" and has a duty to make sure no instrument or sponge is left inside the patient or an x-ray will have to be taken to detect one or more of the reflective strips on each sponge or to actually go inside an open cavity, pushing organs around to hunt for lost instruments.

In one of the cases handled by the expert medical malpractice lawyers at Reiff and Bily, an unwanted souvenir of a surgical procedure was left inside a patient's body causing abscesses and infections ending catastrophically. It appeared in excess of one year, our client walked around unaware of a surgical sponge that she carried inside of her body while she spiked fevers and had numerous infections and returned to her doctor complaining of the same. The client had to be hospitalized repeatedly until the client almost died from her uncertain cause of infection and injury.

Continue reading " Noted Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Case Receives National Attention and Sparks Contorversy: No Sponge Left Behind " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Medical Malpractice

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The Philadelphia SUV and fifteen-passenger van rollover law firm of Reiff and Bily has been investigating and representing victims of SUV and fifteen-passenger van rollover cases across the Nation for many years. Advertising would lead the average consumer to believe that the mighty SUV is safer and stronger than the ordinary vehicle and easier to handle in difficult weather conditions. Our experience with SUV rollover lawsuits and fifteen-passenger van experts and investigators have proven that this is pure Madison Avenue advertising "hog wash."

SUV's and fifteen-passenger vans are much harder to control in emergency situations on the road. It often results in catastrophic injuries of the occupants including paralysis or death. The SUV and fifteen-passenger vans are very easy to tip over because they have a higher center of gravity and design defects that create unsafe conditions in foreseeable road emergencies or maneuvers. Our extensive research has revealed that many automotive manufacturers knew about these defects, yet continue to sell these defective vehicles because of their high profit margin, despite a minimal expenditure to fix the defect that they knew about even when their own test drivers and experts were being injured during testing.

Continue reading " SUV's and Fifteen-Passenger Vans - The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Vehicle Rollover

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Lawyers at the Pennsylvania motor vehicle accident Law Firm of Reiff and Bily are currently involved in a case where the distracted driver of a vehicle was texting his girlfriend a message, while his close friend and passenger innocently sat in the back seat of the vehicle.The vehicle 's driver lost control causing the SUV to rollover and eject all of the occupants resulting in permanent and catastrophic injuries that could have easily been prevented.

As I drive down the highways, I am consistently amazed at how many people are driving while having a conversation on a cell phone. Additionally, you can be sure that many of these drivers have MP3 Players and other electronics also serving as a distraction. Anybody can recognize that a person with a cell phone or PDA in one hand and driving with only one hand will not have his vehicle in complete control if an emergency situation arises.

In fact, one of the first things we do at the Pennsylvania Law Firm of Reiff and Bily is investigate whether or not the driver of any vehicle involved in an accident was operated by a driver who was distracted by a cell phone, blackberry, radio or any other electronic device that can be tied to liability.

Continue reading " Pennsylvania:The Distracted Driver,a Major Cause of Car Accidents And Rollovers " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Auto Accident

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A routine evening dog walk for a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania pedestrian after dinner quickly turned into a disastrous Pennsylvania dog bite accident, which poses the question, does your dog bite? When my client took his girlfriend's prized pit bull for a walk after returning home from a restaurant, another dog owner was also walking his dog, and my client's dog became attracted to this pooch at this late evening hour. Almost immediately my client was unable to control the physical pull of his dog's curious or romantic emotions at which point the pit bull then turned around and proceeded to strip the meat off of his walker's arms and legs in an effort to break free and discover the other seemingly innocent dog. My client's girlfriend tried to intervene and was also viciously attacked resulting in serious and permanent personal injuries, disfigurement and scarring.

The police were called and upon arrival had no choice but to shoot the uncontrollable dog twice, which broke free and continued to attack despite the bullet wounds. A third shot finally ended the attack. No, this was not "Cujo". My client was rushed to the emergency room of a Philadelphia Hospital for treatment and, believe it or not, when released from the hospital, he was then run over by a car which thereafter backed up again over him causing him to sustain multiple broken bones, bodily disfigurement ,permanent scarring, head trauma and nerve damage. To quote Ripley of "Believe it or Not" fame, sometimes facts are stranger than fiction. Not a very good night!...From a vicious and crippling dog bite to an innocent pedestrian being struck two times by a motor vehicle.

This client was seriously injured and received a serious animal bite. The client wanted serious lawyers who would be passionate, devoted and aggressive to ensure justice. He contacted the experienced dog bite lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff and Bily.

Continue reading " Pennsylvania Animal Attack Laws:Does Your Dog Bite? " »

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Dog Bite

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If you have been seriously injured in a Philadelphia car accident, it is important that you consult with a Philadelphia Injury attorney immediately. The law in Pennsylvania indicates that you may be entitled to monetary payment for your injuries, which is not only limited to physical injury, but may also include psychological injuries, frustration, humiliation, loss of life's pleasures and even a loss of affection and/or companionship of your spouse.

At the law firm of REIFF AND BILY, we have been leveling the playing field for car accident victims for almost thirty (30) years. We are experienced and dedicated Philadelphia Trial Lawyers with a passion for protecting our injured victims' rights and we collect the monies that the victim is legally entitled to.

In today's tough economic climate, insurance companies are fighting harder than ever to hold on to what they consider to be their money. We find that the insurance companies are quick to take your money when they sell you a policy, but when it comes time to collect, they will find every excuse under the sun not to pay the insured and injured victim. At REIFF AND BILY, we have experienced the attempted unethical behaviors of many insurance carriers and their adjusters and we know how to combat their attempts to intimidate victims who are entitled to a monetary recovery. Our record of success and published results speaks for itself.

Posted by Jeffrey M. Reiff | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Auto Accident

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