On October 13, 2022, a Multnomah County jury awarded several million dollars to two people who suffered physical and emotional injuries in a 2016 gas explosion in Portland, and assessed punitive damages of $4.6 million against Loy Clark Pipeline Co. Both plaintiffs were represented by Greg Kafoury and Mark McDougal of Portland. Firefighters responded after a natural gas explosion … Continue reading
Gregg Martin Jensen, a teacher at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Oregon, was charged on May 5, 2014, with using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct, and second degree sex abuse. Jensen was already facing charges of sexual abuse and encouraging child sex abuse. The question of civil liability arises whenever a predator emerges from an institution which … Continue reading
The time has come for the Portland City Council to approve the use of body video cameras on all Portland Police officers. The ineffectiveness of Portland Police review boards and internal affairs investigations have created a system where Portland Police officers can ignore their responsibilities as peacekeepers and civil servants. This allows officers to abuse citizens with no repercussions. Body … Continue reading
Allegations of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct against a Washington County jail employee are only the latest in a long series of cases involving the sex abuse of inmates by jail personnel. Jill Curry, a civilian employee at the jail, faces felony charges, based on her arrest of July 16, 2014; the nature of the charge indicates that the alleged victim … Continue reading
A quarter of a century ago, I had a case in which an elderly woman suffered a stroke after she had been awakened in the middle of the night by police bashing in her front door, ransacking her home. The City of Portland was the named defendant, but the target was the Portland Police Narcotics Unit, which received a warrant … Continue reading
Surgeon’s bloody trail finally comes to an end. With the revocation of his medical license a virtual certainty, neurosurgeon V. James Makker has finally surrendered his license. Dr. Makker, 42, has been the target this year of some 30 malpractice lawsuits, and of an investigation by the Oregon Medical Board. A Wall Street Journal article in March, 2011, noted that … Continue reading
Traditionally, Americans have been people who understood their rights and enforced them. Civil trials are much more than a means to resolve disputes, they are a great stage upon which we play out and renew our commitment to individual freedom, dignity and justice. The jury is the most democratic of our institutions; and it is where ordinary people have the … Continue reading
In 2002, an assistant coach in Penn State’s football team told his boss, the legendary coach Joe Paterno, that he caught Jerry Sandusky, Paterno’s former defensive coach, anally raping a 10-year-old boy in the team’s locker room. Coach Paterno reported the assault to the athletic director, and to the vice president of Penn State University. The President was told a … Continue reading
By all accounts, Portland neurosurgeon Vishal James Makker is a man who makes a strong impression. Young and handsome, gracious and articulate, a man with a compelling and charismatic personality. Among all the neurosurgeons in America, he was singled out by the Wall Street Journal on March 29, 2011, for his professional work. Unfortunately for his patients, what the press … Continue reading
“Do I Really Need a Lawyer? The Insurance People Seem So Nice . . .” “We are sorry our client ran into you. We’re here to help. I’m sure we can work this out. Let me just turn on the tape recorder and get your statement, and please sign this form, which just allows us to get your medical records. … Continue reading
A: Oregon law recognizes that trees on your residential property have great economic and aesthetic value. The term,”timber trespass” refers to unauthorized cutting of trees or other vegetation on another person’s property. This includes cutting a whole tree or just a few limbs. In many instances, neighbors are responsible for timber trespass, often to allow sunlight into their garden, or enhance a scenic … Continue reading
