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Relatives of a woman killed in a botched police raid in January accused Houston city officials in a court filing this week of slow-walking the legal process in order to avoid a deeper investigation and to stymie the family’s efforts to sue.

The move came months after Mike Doyle, an attorney for the family of Rhogena Nicholas, asked a local court for permission to gather information and testimony from police in order to consider the possibility of a civil lawsuit.

Doyle LLP has filed suit on behalf of a Texas doctor against Baylor Scott & White Health alleging breach of contract, violations of the Texas Health and Safety Code, for his wrongful termination by the hospital system.  The suit was filed in Dallas County District Court, in Dallas, Texas.

In the suit, Doyle LLP has alleged that its client essentially was a whistleblower regarding unsafe practices that were occurring at the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Hilcrest.  For example, Doyle LLP’s physician client routinely raised serious concerns about about: (1) extremely cold operating rooms in the ambulatory surgery center, (2) dangerously sharp metal operating room doors in the ambulatory surgery center, (3) lack of safety straps to secure patients to operating tables, (4) lack of fire extinguishers, (5) use of dangerous cleaning chemicals, (6) lack of computers, (7) non-English anesthesia consent forms, (8) lack of training on newly implemented pain medication protocols, and (9) lack of prompt communication about medical procedures.

The suit further alleges that its client and other physicians who raised similar concerns clashed with hospital administration over the need to remedy issues involving patient safety.  As a result, these doctors, including Doyle LLP’s client, suffered from retaliation.  Specifically, Doyle LLP’s client was placed on leave, without the option to return, and ordered to sign a performance improvement plan.  In retaliation, the suit states, the hospital ultimately terminated the physician, but failed to follow specific requirements that were required of Baylor, including the Medical Staff Peer Review process.

As a result, the suit seeks damages, including damage to the physician’s reputation, lost earning capacity in the future, past lost wages, and mental anguish.  Doyle LLP’s attorneys have experience in representing physicians, doctors, and nurses in this specific area of retaliation, defamation, and violations of the Texas Health and Safety Code.  If you feel that you have been the victim of retaliator conduct or termination, Doyle LLP’s attorneys stand ready to complete a no-cost analysis of your claim to determine your rights under Texas law.

Doyle LLP Trial Lawyers has filed an insurance bad faith suit under Arizona law in Maricopa County Superior Court against Ace American Insurance Company, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc., and their adjusters.

The suit arises from Ace American and Gallagher Bassett’s wrongful handling of the Plaintiff’s workers’ compensation claim.  After a work injury at FedEx in May 2014, the Plaintiff was owed benefits due to serious shoulder and back injuries.  The case alleges that the Defendants wrongfully closed the injured worker’s claim based upon the misuse of the Independent Medical Exam (IME) process.  First, Defendants closed the claim based upon the report of Dr. Zoltan.  However, Dr. Zoltan’s opinions had already been rejected by the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) in an Award that was entered in June 2016.  And then, recognizing this unreasonable and bad faith basis to close the claim, Defendants attempted to manufacture a new basis to deny the claim and sent the Plaintiff for an IME with Dr. Theiler.  Arizona law holds that insurers and adjusters may not use the IME process in bad faith.  The lawsuit alleges that the Defendants engaged in this conduct by using an already-rejected IME report and then using the IME process to generate another excuse to deny the insurance claim in bad faith.

It was only through proceedings before the Industrial Commission of Arizona and with the assistance of an attorney that Plaintiff was able to force Ace American and Gallagher Bassett to reverse their denial.  On March 6, 2018, the Industrial Commission of Arizona entered an award finding that Defendants’ closure of Plaintiff’s claim was unfounded and that Ms. Mable was entitled to the benefits that had been unreasonably denied by Defendants, including income benefits and disability benefits.  Nonetheless, Defendants’ bad faith conduct did not end there.  Defendants repeatedly refused to follow the orders of the Industrial Commission of Arizona and ignored multiple written communications and telephone calls to Defendants and their attorney asking them to honor the award and pay the owed benefits.  It was not until approximately 11 months later, on or about, February 5, 2019, that Defendants issued the payment.  Not surprisingly, the Industrial Commission of Arizona found that the Defendants had acted in bad faith and ordered payment of $8,251.81 as a penalty.  However, the suit further alleges that the Defendants have continued their bad faith conduct and refused to pay the bad faith penalty that was ordered by the Industrial Commission of Arizona.

Plaintiff’s suit alleges that this conduct amounts to a breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing under Arizona law.

Doyle LLP Trial Lawyers is a firm that focuses its practice on holding insurance companies responsible for wrongfully withholding benefits and engaging in bad faith conduct.  If you or a family member need advice on the wrongful handling of your insurance claim, Doyle LLP’s lawyers are available to discuss your claim at no cost to you.

Doyle LLP has filed suit against American Zurich Insurance Company and Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. for bad faith insurance claim handling.  The suit, which is pending in the United States District Court of Arizona, Phoenix Division, alleges that American Zurich violated the duty of good faith and fair dealing and that Sedgwick Claims and its adjusters aided and abetted American Zurich’s bad faith conduct.

The Plaintiff in the suit was an employee of JBS and was injured at work in November 2017, when he fell from a ladder and suffered injuries to his shoulder, neck, and low back.  Rather than properly handle the Plaintiff’s claim, American Zurich and Sedgwick Claims wrongfully denied the claim in its entirety.

The Plaintiff’s work injury was documented in an on-site incident report and at the onsite medical facility.  Moreover, the Plaintiff’s injury was confirmed by a treating physician.  Nonetheless, American Zurich and Sedgwick ignored this evidence and denied income and medical benefits that were required to ensure that the Plaintiff received timely medical care and had income to meet his living expenses.

It was only through proceedings before the Industrial Commission of Arizona and with the assistance of an attorney that the Plaintiff was able to force American Zurich and Sedgwick Claims to being paying benefits.  The suit seeks the damages caused by the delay in payment of these benefits, such as pain and suffering, physical impairment, mental anguish, and punitive damages.

If you or someone you know suffered a work injury in Arizona and have been the victim of a wrongful denial of benefits or other bad faith conduct, the lawyers at Doyle LLP stand ready to assist you in determining whether you have a viable claim.

In July 2020, Doyle LLP filed suit against Praetorian Insurance Company and Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. on behalf of the wife of a deceased worker. She has been the victim of bad faith handling of her workers’ compensation claim with regard to her husband’s death.  The suit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Phoenix Division, states that Praetorian Insurance Company and Sedgwick Claims Management Services violated the duty of good faith and fair dealing, under Arizona law.

The duty of good faith and fair dealing requires insurance companies, including Arizona workers’ compensation carriers, to complete a reasonable investigation of a workers’ compensation, without delay.  This means that the insurance company and its adjusters must gather documents, interview witnesses, and review the file in an unbiased way.  After the reasonable investigation is complete, the duty of good faith and fair dealing holds that an insurance carrier may not deny a claim, unless it has a reasonable basis to do so.  Arizona courts have held that this means that an insurance company should not handpick information and must take an unbiased and impartial view of all of the facts of the claim.

In this suit, Doyle LLP has alleged on behalf of its client, who was the wife of an employee of XP Services, that North Pointe Insurance Company and Sedgwick Claims Management Services denied her April 16, 2019 workers’ compensation claim in bad faith.  Doyle LLP Client’s husband’s death occurred when he was fatally injured in a helicopter crash, while in the course and scope of his employment. As his common law wife, Doyle LLP’s client was entitled to spousal benefits under the works’ compensation policy cover her late husband’s work. Despite the evidence, North Pointe and Sedgwick ignored their obligation to timely and appropriately approve reasonable and necessary benefits. Indeed, on July 9, 2019, Defendants denied the claim.  This had the effect of denying income benefits, medical benefits and death benefits that were necessary to meet living expenses for the deceased’s family. Doyle LLP’s client also faced significant economic impact, economic, physical and mental distress from the wrongful and unjustified delay. Doyle LLP’s client also had to seek out an attorney to go through rigorous and costly legal proceedings to prove a claim that was easily apparent and known. The approval and background of the claim was also supported from the beginning with evidence from the Employer, XP Services, of the deceased.

It was only through proceedings with the assistance of an attorney in the Superior Court of the State of Arizona and for the County of Yavapai the that North Pointe and Sedgwick took action to investigate the claim further.  However, by that point, as the suit alleges, the damage had been done.  The delay in providing benefits resulted in mental, physical, and financial consequences from which Doyle LLP’s client is still attempting to recover.

If you are an injured worker who has suffered from the delay in payment of workers’ compensation benefits, life insurance benefits, death benefits, property damage benefits, or other insurance payments, you may have a claim for insurance bad faith.  Doyle LLP Trial Lawyers would like to offer you a free initial evaluation of your claim helping you understand your rights and potential case.