Washington Personal Injury Legal Questions

A logical next step would be to have a lawyer write a letter demanding that they stop contacting you, and threaten to file for an anti-harassment order in court if they do not stop. The next step would be to actually file for an anti-harassment order. You case for getting the order will be stronger if you can document all the steps you have taken to tell these guys to leave you alone. Good Luck.... Read More

This is not a personal injury question but I will try and answer it for you. It is highly unlikely you can get someone arrested simply because they tell you they are "looking to physically assault" you. You may, however, be able to obtain a restraining order forcing that person to stay away from you. If they violate that order they could then be arrested. You might want to ask this question under a different topic such as "Criminal Law".... Read More

Slip and fall cases are, by their nature, difficult. First, you must be able to prove negligence on the part of the property owner/occupant. Negligence could be defined as the failure to use REASONABLE care; the owner is not a guarantor. To do this, you must be able to prove that the owner put the slippery substance there, or that they had prior knowledge of the hazard and failed to take care of it promptly. Second, they will claim comparative fault, meaning that you had a duty to watch where you were walking, and thus are partly at fault. The result is that most lawyers are reluctant to take a slip and fall case unless there are substantial damages, and there are at least some arguments to be made on the question of fault. The above is my generic response to slip and fall inquiries; trip and fall cases are similar.... Read More

You assemble your medical bills and write the bar giving a brief account of what happened, showing that your injuries arose from some negligence on their part. Tell them what your medical bills total, and ask them to refer your claim to their insurer. If you don't hear after ten days or so, then you will likely want to consult a personal injury lawyer and proceed to sue them if your lawyer concludes that they are liable. Lawyers also know some grounds for additional damages that are not necessarily known among lay people.... Read More

Slip and fall cases are, by their nature, difficult. First, you must be able to prove negligence on the part of the property owner/occupant. Negligence could be defined as the failure to use REASONABLE care; the owner is not a guarantor. To do this, you must be able to prove that the owner put the slippery substance there, or that they had prior knowledge of the hazard and failed to take care of it promptly. Second, they will claim ?comparative fault?, meaning that you had a duty to watch where you were walking, and thus are partly at fault. The result is that most lawyers are reluctant to take a slip and fall case unless there are substantial damages, and there are at least some arguments to be made on the question of fault.... Read More

Only if you can prove that the exposure CAUSED him to suffer some medical condition. Most asbestos is caked onto pipes, etc., and does not generally create a major problem UNTIL IT BECOMES DISTURBED AND THE FIBERS FLOAT THROUGH THE AIR WHERE THEY CAN BE INHALED. So, merely being in a building with it does not necessarily create a case, all by itself. There has to be inhalation of the fibers, their getting down into the alveoli (air sacs) of the lungs, and the disease process being created, in order for their to be a case.... Read More

This is a harder question than it may appear. Apparently your son has not suffered any injury from his possible exposure to asbestos, so what are the damages? Increased anxiety for the next decades? There have been a number of 'mass tort' cases involving asbestos over the past 30 years or so, some of which have led to the establishment of trust funds for future victims. Contact a very skilled personal injury lawyer, who can find out more about this possibility. I would not expect, however, that your son will get rich from it. Good Luck.... Read More

I think I responded to this question earlier this week. Your landlord has to owe you a duty before you can sue him for the breach of it, and it does not seem quite certain that he has the duty to keep the neighbor's bedbugs from migrating to your nicer apartment. Why not call an exterminator (and have him or her return every two weeks or so for a few months) and propose to the landlord that he cut your rent in an amount equal to the cost of the exterminator? You could also check with your municipal housing department to see if they can make an inspection and demand that he remove the bugs or be cited and have to pay a forfeiture to the municipality? You can ask if you are entitled to abate the rent until the place is cleaned up.... Read More