Case Results

Recently Filed Cases

N.R. vs. City of Springfield, Massachusetts
Notice of intent to file suit given city under Mass. General Laws Chapter 258 (governmental tort claims act) for negligence of its police officer. The city employee is a detective. In the notice, it is alleged the detective was operating an unmarked police car without its headlights on after dusk when he failed to keep a proper lookout and failed to grant the right of way to an innocent female pedestrian, striking and seriously injuring her. She suffered extensive injuries from the crash, resulting in permanent loss of function.

Significant Cases (reported and unreported)

Debbie Irwin vs. Town of Ware 392 Mass. 745 (1984)
$874,000 jury verdict when the town was found liable for the negligence of its police officers in not removing from the road a drunk driver whom they had stopped and then let go. The driver 5 minutes later crashed head-on into the Irwin family car at 85 mph and killed the husband and baby daughter, Misty Jane, and seriously injured the young mother Debbie and her son. The trial Judge, Raymond Cross, wrote in his book that it was one of the most important cases of the century. Case was one of the first under the state's new "Governmental Tort Claims Act" M.G.L. Chapter 258.

See the NY Times article on Debbie Irwin and Town of Ware.

Gagnon vs. Shoblom and BFI 409 Mass. 63
$3,000,000 settlement to good samaritan truck driver who became paralyzed after a garbage truck driver on the interstate fell asleep due to obstructive sleep apnea and drifted into the breakdown lane where Gagnon was helping another driver fix her mud flaps. The trial judge praised Goodman's handling of the case as expeditious and lauded him for obtaining a "very fine result". The defense attorney said his Goodman's work on the case was "impressive".

Crowd crush case against famous Massachusetts "A-list" rock band arising out of a concert in San Jose, Costa Rica
This firm represented multiple plaintiffs who received fractured bones and an estate for the death of an individual. Allegations of negligence against the band, its manager and security company included poor planning, insufficient staff, promoting a rowdy mosh-pit atmosphere for the success of the concert, and lack of reserved seats in favor of all stadium style and on the field seats. The seating plan created a rush to the gate and crushed fans from the push of the line forming behind and the collapse of the main entrance gate. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, all discoveries done on the mainland, and the case eventually mediated to a successful conclusion and confidential settlement in San Jose, Costa Rica

Medical Malpractice

I have held doctors accountable for birth injuries, surgical blunders, misdiagnosis errors, and failure to diagnose cancer. We have assembled a team of experts that will help us understand and prove the case and render the written opinions and oral testimony the win the case.

$7,000,000 confidential settlement, assisted in case preparation mediation and settlement and strategy as paid legal consultant in 2009 bariatric surgery case where woman's Roux en-Y weight-loss surgery was mis-constructed, leaving her with catastrophic permanent injuries.

$2,500,000 confidential settlement in brain-damaged baby case where ominous signs of fetal distress were not recognized by doctor and C-section not performed in time, resulting in severe permanent birth trauma: physical and mental defects associated with cerebral palsy stemming from fetal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.

Shoulder dystocia recovery.

Failure to diagnose chorioamnionitis pursuant to guidelines.

Birth Injuries: Mechanical: Forceps/Vacuum.

Six figure settlement for over-40 mother and child who was born with Down's Syndrome and mother had not been offered choice to have amniocentesis performed to check on the health of the baby in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Temporal Arteritis Not Diagnosed in Time
Two women over 65, despite signs and symptoms of visual problems, were not diagnosed in time with temporal arteritis and sustained permanent vision loss in one which could have been averted with immediate massive dosages of steroids.

Stroke Victim Sues Emergency Department
Emergency doctor at hospital successful sued for failure to detect signs and symptoms of stroke and victim then sustained bilateral dissection of carotid arteries resulting in permanent cognitive and physical sequalae that disabled him from his job as a college science professor.

Emergency Department Sends Home Man With Broken Neck Without Exam By Neurosurgeon On Call
We sued successfully a hospital for the negligence of its ER doctor in sending home an elderly who had fallen out of bed at home and complained of a sore neck. Despite x-rays and a radiologist's report that indicated an unstable cervical fracture, after a phone call to the neurosurgeon on call, the doctor sent the man home with instructions to see the neurosurgeon in ten days. The man became paralyzed due to the unstable cervical fracture and died within a week of visiting the emergency department.

Elderly Woman's Stomach Blockage Goes Undetected
A senior citizen complaining to her doctor of stomach pains while in the hospital recovering from minor unrelated surgery was not diagnosed with a fatal blockage that led to sepsis and death. We sued the doctors and were successful in proving that they were not vigilant in recognizing the signs and symptoms of a serious bowel obstruction.

Pulmonary Embolism Goes Undetected Causing Death
An otherwise health middle-aged married woman was in a rehabilitation facility recovering from a hip replacement when she complained of tightness breathing and heavy chest pain. Doctors said it was anxiety and gave her medication instead of testing for deep vein thrombosis and a blood clot that traveled to her lungs. Within days she was dead because of the pulmonary embolism and the doctors' failure to recognize obvious signs and symptoms of an impending catastrophic event which could have been averted with blood thinning medications. Any surgery that renders a middle-age or older person to bed, non-ambulatory is at risk for embolism and extra weight makes the person even more prone to blood clots, usually emanating from the lower extremities.

Failure to Diagnose Cancer
Victims of colon, prostrate, lymphoma, and breast cancer have recovered for failure to diagnose in time despite the signs and symptoms of cancer; recovery for damages included loss of chance, pain and suffering, and wrongful death.

Pharmacy Medicine Errors

Settlement in cases against large pharmacy chains that dispense the wrong medication and cause serious and permanent injuries to sick patients anxious to fill the prescription and immediately take the medication their doctor prescribed in order get better, but find instead that they now have permanent injuries due to a careless error by the pharmacist. We hold those corporations responsible for the negligence of their employees.

Nursing Home Negligence

Six figure settlements in the following cases:

Wrongful Death: fall and subdural hematoma.

Wrongful Death: decedent rolled off bed and was burned on wall heater, given too much pain medication and died of respiratory failure.

Bed Sores: Patient was not repositioned and staff failed to notice formation of decubitus ulcers (pressure sores) until they were stage IV and turned to gangrene.

Sepsis and Dehydration: Resident not monitored for intake and outtake; urinary tract infection undiagnosed leads to sepsis and death.

Car, Truck, Plane, Motorcycle, Boating, Recreational, ATV &Other Cases

Call us IMMEDIATELY in order to preserve the evidence at 413-736-1616. We need to have investigators go to the scene, take pictures and video, take measurements and survey the scene for other physical evidence and locate witnesses and take statements to preserve the evidence and prove the other person was at fault.

Plane Crash
Multi-million dollar settlement in Connecticut Federal Court after mediation for plane crash deaths that occurred when a sight-seeing plane flying over the crater in Maui, Hawaii flew too close and crashed and burned, killing the passengers and pilot.

Train Crash
Multi-million dollar settlement in Wilmington, Delaware for families of three young college girls hit by train at ungated crossing while driving to Florida for spring break.

Suit Against Foster Care and State
Natural mother won in landmark suit against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Social Services, a confidential settlement after her young son was removed from her home and placed in a foster care house that kept a Rottweiler in the backyard. The boy was decapitated when we attempted to play with the Rottweiler and the foster parents did not have a lock on the dog cage or a handle higher than the boy.

Swimming Pool Drownings and Death
Three different cases involving swimming pools:

• Above-ground pool victim sustained permanent paralysis when he dove off a platform into an above-ground pool; homeowners, manufacturer and installer/distributor sued for not providing sufficient explicit warnings of the dangers of diving.
• Child visiting his grandmother in New Hampshire in the spring slips onto slimy cover on outdoor in-ground pool and sustains near-drowning injuries that put him into a permanent comatose state.
• Child spending the day at his grandparents wanders outside to the in-ground pool and drowns when the grandparents lose track of him for 10 minutes and he slips through an open hole in the fence.

Burn Injuries at Hotel
High school teenager on camp field trip sustain third degree burns on a significant portion of her body when she passes out in the hotel shower and the scalding water burns her due to malfunction/defect in the mixing valve; hotel, plumber, manufacturer sued and a substantial recovery is made on behalf of the victim.

DRAM Shop - Claims Against Taverns, Bars, Liquor Establishments and Drunk Drivers
Numerous suits, verdicts/and or settlements in cases brought against defendants for overuse or over serving alcohol to intoxicated adult and underage drivers who went on to cause serious injury or death to innocent victims of drunk drivers. Those having control over alcohol in a commercial or business setting and sometimes social hosts under certain circumstances have been held liable for the catastrophic injuries and deaths suffered by innocent third parties.

Pedestrians

• Head Injuries: mild, moderate and significant traumatic brain injury to pedestrians struck by drivers.
• Death: wrongful death of pedestrians killed by drivers at dusk when the lights and time changes in the fall and driver is not accustomed to the differences.

Construction Site Injuries / Death
Recovery for City worker against private contractor when ditch collapses due to lack of protection and improper digging and piling of dirt; worker buried up to his neck and sustains serious injuries.

Worker for pool company is run over and killed by small tractor backing up while landscaping site; manufacturer sued for failure to have sufficient backup warning sounds or signals.

Auto Crashes
Plaintiff recovers against wrong-way driver on Interstate 91 despite the defendant's claim of "global transient amnesia".

Family recovers for death of wife and mother despite the defendant's claim of "sudden unforeseen diabetic shock".

Woman collects for personal injuries against driver who claims sudden unforeseen stroke.

$500,000 verdict in a trial in Hampshire Superior Court for woman who sustained ruptured lumbar disc and had surgery after drunk driver of school bus rear-ends her while she is on the job.

$110,000 verdict after a trial in Hampshire Superior Court for a woman who receives mild traumatic brain injury and PTSD and TMJ after a whiplash injury and no head contact with either the windshield or the interior of her vehicle that is hit by a telephone truck in a minor property damage collision.

Slip and Fall
Woman receives $50,000 verdict in Hampden Superior Court for soft tissue injuries after a fall at a laundromat.

Boating Accident
Tuber was on boat after day of being pulled by boat while on tube. Owner did not properly store rope on board and it unraveled, wrapped around tuber's arm and caused a closed compartment syndrome injury when delay in ER treatment was caused by running out of gas on the river.