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Document Library

On the page below you can find links to documents, reports, publications and discussions provided by Lewis & Tompkins.

The documents below are available to the public so that they can gain a better understanding of the legal challenges facing them, and why an experienced attorney is so important for success.

Car Accidents
Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents
Motorcycle Accidents
Insurance Practices, Claims and Coverage Issues
Defective Products & Consumer Protection
Medical Malpractice
Wrongful Death
Plane Crashes, Injuries and Deaths
Personal Injury Documents
Attorney Resources
Litigation Forms
Pattern Discovery
General

Car Accidents

Have you been served a subpoena? Information on being a witness.
Information for witnesses served with a subpoena in a personal injury case.
There Are Safe Cars, and There Are American Cars
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently put out a list of the safest cars of 2007. If you look closely, you'll notice that none of them are American made.
Newest Driving Hazard: Texting
People practically use the phone for texting more than talking. This isnt a problem until people text when they are behind the wheel.
November Was Deadly for Area Teens
November of 2007 saw a tragic increase in the amount of teen fatalities on the road.
Knowing Your Policy is Crucial
Knowing all about your insurance policy can help you avoid unnecessary claim denials.
Insurance Adjusters: The First Hurdle is The Biggest
Insurance adjusters are under standing orders to get you to settle for the smallest amount possible. Which usually means that you are getting thousands of dollars less than you really should.
2007: Better for Drivers, Awful for Motorcyclists
Motorcyclists took up an enormous percentage of Virginia traffic fatalities in 2007.
"Optional" Car Safety
Removing the "optional" safety features from a car can completely change it's level of safety.
Billion Dollar Corporation Learns Tough Lesson About Distracted Driving
A representative of a billion dollar paper company was making business calls while driving 70 miles per hour. The results were sadly predictable.
Article by a Local Doctor Discussing Neck Injuries and "Whiplash." [PDF]
Automobile accidents cause neck injuries and whiplash.
Serving the Mayor of Washington D.C. [PDF]
This document is the Mayor's authorization to serve the appropriate people when suing the D.C. Government.
Cell Phones and Car Accidents in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia
Cell phone useage and other distracting technologies are contributing to more and more car accidents, pedestrian accidents, trucking accidents and motorcycle accidents in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents

WMATA: Who's Driving the Bus?
It has been a dangerous and deadly few months for the commuters of Washington, D.C.

Since November of 2006, citizens of the D.C. metropolitan area have seen train derailments, transit worker deaths, fires on the rail lines, and multiple accidents involving Metro buses that have resulted in fatalities.

Motorcycle Accidents

Be Safe and Share the Road With Motorcyclists
Motorcyclists take pains to be safe. It's too bad that other drivers dont do the same.

Insurance Practices, Claims and Coverage Issues

Maryland Legislature Passes Much Needed Litigation Reform for Uninsured Motorist Claims [PDF]
The Maryland Legislature overrode the mean-spirited veto of Governor Ehrlich of House Bill 1162 which sets out a standard for proving that a vehicle was uninsured at the time of an accident. In Maryland, certain insurance companies -- notably Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund and Allstate -- engaged in extreme and unfair litigation tactics when defending lawsuits for benefits to be paid to insureds. This bill standardized the proof needed to show that a driver was uninsured, and is a benefit to the public who seeks to collect benefits from their own insuranc companies.
Customers are Being Overcharged by Insurance [PDF]
A groundbreaking study by Americans for Insurance Reform shows that insurance companies are systematically overcharging for premiums and underperforming on claims.

Read the report here.
Bad Faith Laid Bare: Allstate Fights to Keep Documents Secret
Allstate is paying $25,000 a day in fines to keep a set of documents from going public.

What secrets are worth that kind of money?
The Harsh Education of Trent Lott
When it came to arguing for Tort Reform, Senator Trent Lott was one of the more strident voices in Washington. Will his treatment by State Farm after Hurricane Katrina change his position?
Hurricane Katrina: Seventeen Months and Counting
President Bush mentioned Iraq, Iran, the economy, the new Democratic majority and his arguments for a troop surge in his recent State of The Union Address.

The one thing he didn't mention was New Orleans.
Progressive Insurance: Patron of the Arts, But Not Thier Customers
Progressive Insurance is the proud owner of a collection of American Art that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. You should remember that the next time they nickle and dime you on a claim.
Fall 2007 Firm Newsletter [PDF]
Lewis & Tompkins PC DC Maryland and Virginia personal injury lawyer and attorney automobile insurance newsletter.
Insurer Tactics Used to Cheat Policy Holders
This is a good story on what our office has known for years, that insurance carriers have too much leverage with normal people to litigate, forcing many people to settle for less than what they deserve.
The Insurance Company, In the Bank, With a Dropped Policy: How CLUE Can Unfairly Hurt Innocent Homebuyers
CLUE is a database that all insurance companies use. Unfortunately, they are using it to drop homeowners from their policies.
Will California Become The New Gulf Coast?
FEMA has done a much better job taking care of all the evacuees in California. Will insurance companies do the same?
Groundbreaking New Law in The Pacific Northwest
Washington State just put a new law on the books that protects it's citizens from bad faith insurance practices.
GEICO's Advertising Blitz: What the Lizard Won't Tell You
GEICO is one of the most profitable insurance companies in the United States, and it got that way through mass advertising, charming commercials, and treating its policyholders very badly. The Law Firm of Lewis and Tompkins takes a look at the Annual Report of GEICO’s parent company and explains what it means to you.
Colossus Software: High-Tech Solutions for Lowball Settlements
In order to create bigger profit margins, insurance companies like MetLife and Allstate are using settlement-averaging software called Colossus to literally automate your injury claim. The Law Firm of Lewis and Tompkins believe that this software doesn’t consider crucial factors that could be used to generate a more adequate settlement for accident victims. If you or a loved one has currently received a settlement offer for an accident that is too low to handle your expenses, contact Lewis and Tompkins for a free case assessment.

Defective Products & Consumer Protection

OxyContin: Pharmaceutical Company Addicts Thousands for Profit
Purdue Pharma knowingly oversold it's powerful and addictive painkiller OxyContin.
The FDA: Is There a Doctor In The House?
The FDA has let yet another dangerous drug slip through the cracks. Are they asleep at the wheel?
Cheap Foreign Goods May Have Hidden Costs
Dangerous Chinese-made goods are flooding our market faster than our regulatory agencies can keep up with them.
RC2: Recall the Right Way
RC2, the company that had to recall their Thomas the Tank Engine toys, is a model of positive corporate behavior.
Big Pharma Gets New Federal Testing Guidelines
The FDA has recently enacted new regulations that will make the testing and development of new drugs more transparent.

Medical Malpractice

Hospitals and HMO's are Charging for Medical Errors
It seems absurd that a hired professional would charge you for a mistake. But that is exactly what some doctors are doing.
Medical Errors That Should Never Happen
While some medical errors can be remedied quite quickly with no lasting side effects, there are some medical errors that should never happen.
The Fallacy of "Between You and Your Doctor"
In the recent debates over whether or not health care should be reformed, no one ever seems to mention that the practices of insurance companies are a big part of the problem.
Blood Thinner Overdose Nearly Kills Quaid Twins
Dennis Quaid can count himself lucky to still have his children. A prescription error caused by bad packaging almost killed his newborn twins.
New Report Shows Medical Malpractice Insurers Price Gouging and Driving up Costs [PDF]
Former Missouri Insurance Commissioner Jay Angoff just released a report ("No Basis for High Insurance Rates"). It is attached, and I encourage you to peruse it. Mr. Angoff's study makes clear what its title suggests - there is no basis for high insurance rates. The study puts the lie to the claim that there is a "medical malpractice crisis" and reveals an insurance crisis, where insurance companies are gouging doctors, padding their profits, and driving up the cost of medicine.

Here are some of the study's salient findings:

Projected and actual payouts have declined. The losses of the leading medical malpractice insurers have dropped nearly 50% over the last three years, even as the industry has publicly claimed losses are increasing.

While payouts are decreasing, surplus is soaring. The 2006 surplus is 43% greater than in 2003, drastically exceeding the surplus levels mandated to ensure a carrier's stability.

Insurers are paying out only 39 cents for each dollar of premium they receive.

Even mutual insurers, whose sole duty is to their owners/policyholders, are gouging doctors. Only three of the 15 leading insurers issued dividends to doctors in 2006.

The study is thorough and informative.
The Medical Malpractice "Crisis" Revisited
Are malpractice lawsuits hurting the medical establishment? According to the Department of Justice, the answer is no.
Professor Phillip Peters, Article on Medical Malpractice Suits [PDF]
This article researches medical malpractice verdicts from juries. This article shows just how much of a myth the "litigation crisis" really is. The data show clearly that plaintiffs face an enormous task to overcome jury disposition towards doctors and hostility to those making claims for medical negligence.
Your Rights are Threatened by Limits on Medical Malpractice Recoveries
This page discusses medical malpractice and the current political trend to limit the rights of victims of medical mistakes.
Looking Good on TV Doesn't Make You a Good Doctor
Dr. Jan Adams was a celebrity doctor with a busy schedule of TV appearances and tv star patients. What he didnt have was a good record.
Doctors Shouldn't Sleep On The Job
No one can reasonably expect someone to perform a task responsibly after they have been awake for 30 hours. Yet doctors are expected to do just that.

Wrongful Death

Secondary Impacts in Sports Can Kill
Concussions are dangerous for two reasons. They arent easily recognized, and a secondary injury suffered before the victim has healed can be fatal.

Plane Crashes, Injuries and Deaths

TWA Flight 800: Ten Years and Nothing has Changed
When TWA Flight 800 exploded in mid-air ten years ago, the cause was found to be a surge in the electrical wiring that sent a charge into the fuel tanks. After a decade, the FAA has done nothing to fix this design flaw.

Personal Injury Documents

Why You Should Choose Lewis & Tompkins to Represent You
The personal injury practice of Lewis & Tompkins relies solely on referral cases. You won’t find our firm advertising in tacky yellow page ads or seedy late-night television ads. We don’t declare MILLIONS RECOVERED FOR OUR CLIENTS. EVERY decent lawyer, including exceptional ones like us, has recovered millions for their clients. We have recovered millions for our clients, but your case is unique. You are not a number in our firm, or part of our “tally.” If you live in Virginia, Maryland or DC, we care about you, and your case.

Attorney Resources

Civil Rules of Civil Procedure - D.C. Superior Court [PDF]
These are the current, as of September 2007, Civil Procedure Rules for D.C. Superior Court. Note the changes to Certificates Regarding Discovery and discovery motions.

Litigation Forms

D.C. Superior Court Multidoor Dispute Resolution Forms and Instructions [PDF]
D.C. Superior Court Multidoor CSS Mediation Instructions Forms
Preparing for a Deposition
This article addresses some common concerns and provides helpful suggestions on preparing for your deposition.
D.C. Casefilexpress Filing Instructions
This document is a checklist for items to check before using D.C. Superior Court electronic filing for any Civil II case.

Pattern Discovery

Judge Wetzel's Discovery Checklist for Virginia Trial Attorneys
Virginia Discovery checklist
Virginia Discovery disputes
Guidelines for discovery in Virginia

General

Solid Economics: How Insurance Companies Have Boosted Their Profits
Insurance companies make extra money by denying claims and lowering customer service standards.
Higher Insurance Rates Should Be Coming Soon
If you think the subprime crisis wont touch you, wait until you get your insurance bill.
So Much for the Malpractice "Crisis:" A Look at the 2006 Financial Reports for Medical Malpractice Insurers
A recent report from the American Association of Justice
took a look at the financial reports from 2006 of medical malpractice insurers company.
$54 Million Pants Lawsuit is Bad for Everybody
Judge Pearson's $54 Million Pants lawsuit failed, and we're glad. But the damage from this case might go a lot further.
The "Frivolous Lawsuits" You Never Hear About
We tort reform organizations talk about "frivolous lawsuits," they never seem to mention the suits filed by wealthy corporations on a daily basis.
Tips for a Safer Holiday Season
Fires and injuries increase dramatically during the holiday season. taking a few simple steps can help you enjoy the holidays safely.
Lewis and Tompkins Newsletter for Spring 2006 [PDF]
More Accolades for Lewis and Tompkins in 2006.

Get the details in our Spring Newsletter.
Tort Reform Advocates Have Litigious Pasts
The Center for Justice and Democracy has compiled an interesting list of some of the more lawsuit-happy members of the Tort Reform movement. The names on the list may surprise you.
The Use of Presentation Technology in the Courtroom
The use of presentation technology can make a big difference in the outcome of your case. The Law Firm of Lewis and Tompkins combine their experience and depth of knowledge of personal injury law with cutting edge presentation technology to present the cases of their clients in a clear and easily comprehensible manner.
Veterans Administration Identity Theft: Inexcusable Negligence
The recent theft of personal records from the Veterans Administration put the identities and financial security of millions of Americans at risk. The thefts occurred due to the negligent actions of a VA employee. If you or a loved one has been a victim of identity theft and believe that it occurred due to the negligence of others, contact our offices for a free case assessment today.
Insurance Companies Deny Claims, Reality
Insurance Companies are denying auto theft claims on the grounds that anti-theft technology makes them impossible to steal. Police, car dealers, repair shops, and especially auto theives say differently.
Fall 2006 Newsletter [PDF]
Preparing for a Deposition
Preparing a witness for a deposition in a personal injury case.
Insurance Company Phone Numbers!
This page lists the telephone numbers of all insurance companies to report claims.

Ask an Attorney

Lewis & Tompkins
927 15th Street N.W., 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Phone: 202-296-0666