Learn more, and watch this inside look at how the Bakken Field and energy development in North Dakota has changed the state and affected people across the region: Black Gold Boom, here.

Spence Law Firm partners Mel C. Orchard, III and G. Bryan Ulmer, of Jackson, Wyo., tried the case to verdict. Mr. Boggs also is represented by Thomas P. Frerichs, of Frerichs, Law Office, P.C., of Waterloo, and John J. Rausch of The Rausch Law Firm, PLLC, of Waterloo.

The lawsuit alleged that a Waterloo police officer sped through a red light – without emergency lights or siren on – and collided with Mr. Boggs’ vehicle at around 12:45 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2008. The officer was accused of reaching a speed of 61 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone before the collision. City officials denied responsibility for the crash, claiming Mr. Boggs was speeding and had alcohol and marijuana in his system. Mr. Boggs’ legal team relied on forensic analysis of the police car “black box” data.

Mr. Orchard said, “This verdict helps move Jarvis and his dedicated mother closer to getting the health care he needs. The jurors validated Jarvis’ four-year pursuit of justice against local government officials willing to blame him and cast him aside. The penalties for the mistakes Jarvis made do not include a lifetime of paralysis caused by a police officer’s recklessness.”

Mr. Ulmer said, “The trial exposed the truth of a crash that cost Jarvis his physical freedom. The jurors saw that a police officer running a red light without lights and sirens caused this crash. We hope city leaders in Waterloo and elsewhere will take a hard look at the unacceptably large number of police car collisions around the nation that injure and kill innocent citizens.”

The verdict includes $12.1 million for future medical expenses, $554,313 for past medical expenses and $250,000 each for past pain and suffering, future pain and suffering, past loss of full mind and body, and future loss of full mind and body. The award will be reduced to $10.2 million because jurors found Mr. Boggs to be 25 percent at fault.

The case is “Jarvis Lee Boggs v. City of Waterloo, et al.,” No. LACV114658 in the Iowa District Court of Black Hawk County.

Attorney Contacts: Mel C. Orchard, III and G. Bryan Ulmer, The Spence Law Firm, LLC, 15 South Jackson Street, Jackson, Wyoming 83001, 307.733.7290, and www.spencelawyers.com.

Detroit News coverage of the case – available here. For NBC news coverage, click here.

The case was to be the first “test” case to go to trial against Toyota on a sudden unintended acceleration claim. That day, Van Alfen’s Toyota suddenly and uncontrollably accelerated, crashing into a wall near an exit ramp on I-80.  The driver slammed on the brakes but the Camry did not stop.  Van Alfen was killed in the crash, passenger Charlene Lloyd died the next day, and his wife and son were both seriously injured.

For more information about the Van Alfen case, or other sudden acceleration problems, contact The Spence Law Firm at 1-800-967-2117.

Gerry Spence shared the importance of the case with the jury in the opening statement:  “The evidence will show these cops betrayed law and order, betrayed the oath they took as police officers and they betrayed their duty to protect us all,” Spence, explained.  “If they can do it to the least of us they can do it to anybody.”

At Harrington’s original criminal trial, where he was tried as an adult, the all-white jury returned a guilty verdict against Harrington who was then sentenced to life in prison at hard labor with no possibility of parole. Harrington’s post-conviction review process lasted decades and proceeded through many courts before the Iowa Supreme Court vacated his conviction, which allowed his ultimate release from prison. Harrington v. State, 659 N.W.2d 509, 518 (Iowa 2003)).

Harrington suffered imprisonment for almost 26 years: from November 16, 1977 until April 17, 2003, spending from age 17 until age 43 in prison. The 18-year-old Terry Harrington testified at his own sentencing hearing after the 1978 trial:

I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I know I’m innocent, and as long as, you know, I feel that inside, then I’m going to keep on fighting because I know I can’t see myself locked up for the rest of my life for something I didn’t do . . . . I feel I was judged by the color of my skin and not the content of my character, and I’ll always feel that way until I get, you know, the kind of verdict the testimony shows, and that’s innocent or not guilty as they would say in the courtroom.

Harrington and McGhee were finally freed in 2003 after evidence of misconduct by the prosecutors and police surfaced.  The civil rights case, Harrington v. City of Council Bluffs, is being tried to a jury in the federal district court for the District of Iowa, in Des Moines.  Read more about Gerry Spence here.

Vials of methylprednisolone acetate, a steroid that is injected around the spinal cord in the lower back to relieve pain caused by ruptured disks or spinal stenosis, may have been contaminated and then sent to health care clinics across the country in the last several months.  The CDC is currently investigating how the vials were contaminated.  The CDC agency is advising all medical practitioners to discontinue use of all products from the New England Compounding Center.

The contaminated vials of the steroid were shipped from New England Compounding Center to more than 23 states, to an estimated 75 different facilities and medical clinics.  According to the AP (10/5, Stobbe), Massachusetts Health Department officials said the compounding center has “recalled three lots consisting of a total of 17,676 single-dose vials of the steroid.” Health regulators said that “several hundred of the vials” have been returned unopened, but many “were used.” Federal health authorities have said that prior to the recall, an “unknown number of those vials reached 75 clinics and other facilities in 23 states between July and September.”

Reuters (10/5, Ghianni) reports that the CDC’s Dr. Park said the 75 clinics that received the compounded steroid vials are in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas and West Virginia.

More cases are expected to emerge.  Victims of such dangerous medications and drugs need experienced trial lawyers to advise them and represent them to protect their rights.  The Spence Law Firm has significant experience representing victims in pharmaceutical and product liability cases.  For more information, or if you or someone you know may have been contaminated or have contracted fungal meningitis, contact us immediately at 800-967-2117.

University of Wyoming Students

Nearly 70 volunteer attorneys and judges, mostly from Wyoming, offered valuable instruction to 24 third-year UW College of Law students during the recent two-week Summer Trial Institute at UW. Actual courtroom reporters also attended the second annual event.

The volunteer group served as faculty members for one or two days each, and some gave a week of their time, says Steve Easton, UW College of Law dean. He adds that the institute is an intensive “boot camp” experience for the UW students, who learn what it takes to become successful trial attorneys.

The institute culminated with a mock trial, complete with a defendant and attorneys on both sides of a case. The trials were heard before a judge and volunteer jury panel.

“Our students worked, in some fashion, on the Summer Trial Institute from dawn until past midnight, pretty much every night. This is very similar to what they will later experience as actual trial lawyers,” Easton says.

He says the institute is a “fantastic way to teach trial advocacy.”

“Few law students across the nation gain the experience our UW Summer Trial Institute students receive — learning from the best of the bench and bar, through direct interaction,” Easton says. “This is a great example of the university — in this case, the College of Law — interacting with the entire state of Wyoming. Though the Institute occurs in Laramie, it is very much a statewide program, with faculty and students from across the state.”

During the institute’s first week, UW law students attended sessions focusing on beneficial information about assorted parts of trial practice, such as direct and cross-examination of witnesses, opening statements and closing arguments. The lectures were followed by demonstrations in which faculty members showed students how they would approach these matters in trial, Easton says.

The student performances, and the outlines they prepared in advance, were critiqued by the volunteer faculty members.

During the institute’s final week, students prepared for two separate court cases. Each student was a member of a two-attorney team that tried a “bench trial” — a trial with a judge, but no jury. On the final day of the institute, the students were part of different two-attorney teams that tried cases in front of mock juries. Six different jury trials — some at the UW College of Law and others at the Albany County Courthouse — were tried. A sitting or retired judge presided over each trial.

Easton emphasized the value added by the volunteer faculty members, noting that “this program would not be possible without the contributions of experts.”

“Each of them took time out of very busy schedules to travel to UW and share their expertise with our students. We are extremely grateful for their support of UW and our students,” he adds.

The Wyoming chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) co-sponsored the program.

“These are extremely prestigious organizations that one must be invited to join, and invitations go only to the best trial attorneys,” Easton says. “We work with the Wyoming ABOTA and ACTL leadership to identify the’ best of the best’ and invite them to serve as volunteer faculty members for our institute.”

The suit alleged that the A-leg bolts attaching the A-leg to the derrick had been loosened by the Defendant’s employees and were not properly reattached and tightened. One of the legs came lose during the lowering of the derrick, causing the derrick to crash down, which destroyed the drilling rig. At the time the Plaintiff was working as a consultant on the drilling operation and did not know the A-leg was loose. As he was walking down the stairs he was catapulted off the steps, falling approximately 25-30 feet onto the pedestal and then to the ground. He suffered severe and debilitating injuries.

The case was scheduled for jury trial with Judge Alan Johnson, on June, 18, 2012.The parties settled prior to trial and the details of the settlement are confidential.

The Spence Law Firm has been standing up for ordinary people against big corporations, insurance companies, and the government for over 60 years, fighting for the rights of ordinary people who are seriously injured.

The Spence Law Firm, LLC will take on corporations, insurance companies, and the government across the nation.  We have obtained substantial verdicts and settlements for countless clients. To learn more about The Spence Law Firm’s expertise, and whether we can help you with your case, please contact us or call today (800) 967-2117.

The Spence Law Firm is proud of its internship program and salutes the hard work and talent of these four young men.  If you are interested in working with The Spence Law Firm or learning more about our summer internship program, we encourage you to email us at infointake@spencelawyers.com or call (800) 967-2117.

The lawsuit was filed last Wednesday in Ada County district court on behalf of Eva Marosvari, a former friend of Scentsy CEO R. Orville Thompson, his wife, Scentsy president Heidi Thompson, and Heidi Thompson’s mother Alice Kalilmoku.

According to the complaint, Scentsy solicited ideas for children’s products early in 2009. Ms. Marosvari – a friend of the Thompsons who was an independent direct sales consultant responsible for about 50 “downline” sellers – created a concept with 19 stuffed animals and an interactive children’s video game.

Encouraged by Scentsy management, Ms. Marosvari developed, designed and refined the children’s product line later marketed as “Scentsy Buddies” in 2010. The idea was an instant hit within Scentsy management. Even before product development was completed, Scentsy directors were informed that Ms. Marosvari was developing the company’s new children’s product line. In December 2009, the company informed her that the product line was proceeding with the “Scentsy spin.”

Within weeks, Scentsy management, including Mr. Thompson, allegedly began ignoring Ms. Marosvari’s attempts to finalize a business arrangement and compensation. In early 2010, company legal counsel advised Ms. Marosvari the company has a policy against “paying for ideas” and that she would not be compensated for the concept, according to the lawsuit. In July 2010, the company introduced the “Scentsy Buddies” product line.

Ms. Marosvari is represented by G. Bryan Ulmer, III and Elizabeth A. Richards, of The Spence Law Firm, LLC, of Jackson, Wyo., and Charles F. Peterson and Courtney Peterson, of Peterson Law Offices, of Boise, Idaho.

Bryan Ulmer, of The Spence Law Firm LLC, said, “Scentsy misled and then pushed aside Ms. Marosvari and went on to sell throughout the world the products she created. Within the company, the ‘Scentsy Buddies’ product line is known to have evolved from Eva’s concepts and hard work.”

Chuck Peterson, of Peterson Law Offices, said, “Ms. Marosvari trusted the ‘family’ culture promoted by the Thompson’s and Scentsy management. Eva is understandably disappointed by the company and feels betrayed by the Thompson’s who she trusted as friends and leaders of the Boise business community.”

The lawsuit accuses Scentsy of misappropriation of intellectual property, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, and unjust enrichment, and seeks damages, court costs, interest, and attorneys’ fees. Ms. Marosvari’s lawyers have asked for a jury trial.

The case is “Eva Marosvari vs. Scentsy, Inc., et al.,” Case No. CV OC 1210673 in the District Court of the Fourth Judicial District in Ada County, Idaho.