It would take a crystal ball to know how much a claim is worth before going to trial because there are so many things that go into determining the amount of compensation. Because every case is different the amount of compensation an insurance company will offer as a settlement, or a jury awards at trial, can vary significantly depending on the specifics of your case. That’s why hiring an experienced trial attorney is so important.
Getting into a car accident is always stressful. Especially the property damage claim. But it can be even more stressful when your car is totaled and you owe more than what the insurance company is willing to pay. Imagine some lazy inattentive driver, runs into you, ruining your day and you end up making payments for a car that is in the junkyard. C.Y.A. get GAP Insurance!
As we approach the holiday season many of us are looking to celebrate, have fun and as my son calls it, Turn Up. But sometimes turning up leads to trouble we don’t want or need in our lives. The McIver Law Firm wants to give you a way to get those good feelings without the negative consequences. We want you to Turn UP for Tots!
Although George Zimmerman did not officially use Stand Your Ground as his defense, his acquittal last month in the death of Trayvon Martin has become an impetus for the protest of controversial “Stand Your Ground” laws. As these protests continue to erupt across the country, another case that is being compared to the Zimmerman case is making its way through the Florida court system.
Just as the controversy surrounding the National Security Agency’s surveillance practices was starting to blow over the Guardian has released information about the intrusive surveillance program. The follow-up piece to initial report focuses on a program name XKeyscore. This program allows the NSA to access information about your online history. By simply filling out an onscreen form the government can access your email, chats, and browsing history without obtaining a warrant or any other kind of authorization.
For more than 40 years, North Carolina instituted a eugenics program that resulted in over 7,000 forced sterilizations of people deemed mentally handicapped, promiscuous, or unfit to have children. The eugenics movement, which swept the world during the early part of the 20th century, claimed that mental illness, genetic defects, and other social stigmas could be eliminated by sterilization. In fact, eugenics is what Nazi Germany used to justify the Holocaust.
While the jury found Zimmerman not guilty in the State trial, his legal troubles may be far from over. The NAACP has been pushing the Department of Justice to file federal charges against Zimmerman under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, better known as the Matthew Shepard Act. Being completely objective and honest I don’t think the DOJ should press charges against Zimmerman under the Matthew Shepard Act.
Over the weekend, a jury of six women found George Zimmerman not guilty in the death of unarmed death of 17 year old, Trayvon Martin. The jurors apparently found that there was not enough evidence to prove Zimmerman was not acting in self-defense when he killed Martin last February. I actually agree with the not guilty verdict on the second degree murder charge. The prosecution did not prove second degree murder beyond a reasonable doubt and I do not believe Zimmerman had any of the “ill will or hatred” necessary for a second degree murder conviction.
The Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional. Under DOMA the federal government refused to recognize same-sex marriages that are legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia. This meant that same-sex couples could not receive federal benefits that were available to other legally married couples. The Court held that withholding federal benefits from gay couples that are available to straight couples deprives gay couples of the liberty guaranteed to them under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Governor Pat McCrory has repealed a the Racial Justice Act, which allowed death row inmates to appeal if their death sentence was sought or obtained on the basis of race. The law, which was originally passed in August 2009, permitted death row inmates’ sentences to be commuted to life sentences without parole if they proved that their sentence was sought or obtained due to race. Four people had their sentences commuted due to the Racial Justice Act. Governor McCrory said the Racial Justice Act was “seriously flawed” and only “created a judicial loophole to avoid the death penalty and not a path to justice.”