Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Medical malpractice case settled for $6 million

MERCER – A judge on Wednesday approved a $6 million settlement in a medical malpractice case.

Leigh A. Isaacs initiated the action in response to the death of her husband, Harold D. Isaacs Jr. of New Wilmington, who died at age 41 on June 21, 2013.

A notice of intent to sue was filed June 19, 2015, in Mercer County Common Pleas Court against Dr. Joseph J. Wizorek, UPMC Horizon in Greenville and University of Pittsburgh Physicians, but the parties reached the settlement in May without a formal complaint being filed.

According to a petition filed by Isaac’s attorney, Neil R. Rosen of Pittsburgh, Harold Isaacs was involved in a minor traffic crash. A CT scan of his chest revealed a “small, asymptomatic mass” in connecting tissue. Harold Isaacs was referred to Wizorek, who recommended surgery to remove the mass.

Surgery was performed June 20, 2013, but Isaacs died the next day of multi-system organ failure.

Rosen said he obtained an expert opinion that there “numerous deviations from the standard of care” in Harold Isaacs’ case, and initiated the wrongful death claim.

Of the settlement, $2.4 million will go to Leigh Isaacs and $1.2 million each will go to Harold Isaacs’ minor children. Rosen will receive $400,000.

Judge Christopher J. St. John approved the settlement. Read full article, click here.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Uptick in Lawyers’ Liability Claims; Business Transactions Top Claim: Study Shows

Law firms have seen an increase in the frequency of malpractice claims, which are becoming more costly to defend and could cause lasting reputational damage, according to a new study by insurance broker Ames & Gough. The study found that most legal malpractice insurers saw an increase in the frequency of new claims in 2015, including larger claims with costs in excess of $50 million.

In its sixth annual survey of lawyers’ professional liability claims, Ames & Gough examined the trend by polling nine lawyers’ professional liability insurance companies that on a combined basis provide insurance to more than 60 percent of the AM Law 100 firms.

Five of the insurers reported greater malpractice claim activity in 2015 compared to the prior year; four reported seeing a similar number of claims both years. Overall claim volume had been stable in 2013 and 2014, even as the number of larger claims continued to rise.

In the past two years, eight of the insurers surveyed participated in paying a claim of $50 million or more, including two that participated in a claim exceeding $100 million. Six of the nine insurers surveyed reported they had 21 or more claims with reserves of $500,000 or greater (combined indemnity and defense costs), the same number as in 2014.

Click here to read full article.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Vern Barclay attends ALFN event in Asheville

Vern Barclay has been at an ALFN event for the last few days in Asheville

About the ALFN

The ALFN is a national network of legal and residential mortgage banking professionals and leads the industry as a provider of strategic and timely education. The largest national organization of its kind, the ALFN offers members of the residential mortgage banking community high quality educational and training resources. ALFNs membership rosters include professionals from the following segments of the residential mortgage banking community: Legal, Residential Mortgage Bankers and Investors, Risk Evaluation, Investment Research, Consulting, Land and Title, Technology and Asset Protection.

Learn more about ALFN, click here.