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Questions Answered by William John Light
3 Answers | Asked in Car Accidents and Personal Injury for California on
Q: I want to file a lawsuit against the CHP. Do I have a case and if so what type of lawyer would I need? Contingency?

Back in October of 2021, my Mother and Aunt were ran over and killed by an 18 y/o girl. On the scene of the accident the first agency to respond was the CHP. The officer that conducted the questioning and such, opted to not conduct a sobriety test, nor in field or blood test. The 'girl'... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Nov 5, 2022

You have no case against CHP. You do not have a right to a competent investigation. The police frequently make mistakes and omissions, in almost every traffic collision report.

You have a claim against the girl, and the owner of the other vehicle. If she did not carry sufficient...
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2 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury, Health Care Law and Medical Malpractice for California on
Q: What do I do if UC Davis will not treat me for my conditions will not give me medication keep gaslighting

They won’t tell me why they won’t help me with my pain and why I’m not getting treated

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Oct 26, 2022

Get a second opinion. Doctors are not required to give you medication if s/he does not believe it is medically appropriate. If you think the doctors are wrong, you are free to go elsewhere.

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1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury for California on
Q: How do you fix a correctly-named defendant, but where the incorrect person with the same common name was served?

I sued a person with a common name. An Answer was filed by the person that I served but we've just discovered the wrong person was served. How do I procedurally fix that with the Court? I cannot file a Doe Amendment because it wasn't an "unknown defendant" or an incorrectly... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Oct 24, 2022

Serve the proper person, and file a Request for Dismissal w/o Prejudice of the incorrect person with the same name.

2 Answers | Asked in Insurance Bad Faith, Products Liability and Car Accidents for California on
Q: Under California insurance law how long does the insurance company have to settle a claim? What article # is this law?

Trying to find the article number if it is a real law.

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Oct 24, 2022

If you are talking about an insurance company for another person who might be liable to you for damages caused by an accident, the insurer can dispute its insured's liability, and the extent of the damages, until there is a settlement or a final judgment.

If you are talking about your...
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3 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury for California on
Q: Can I add myself to the cases of abuse at provo canyon
William John Light
William John Light
answered on May 9, 2024

Potentially, but you will need to ask Utah lawyers specializing in sexual abuse cases. Currently, you are in the California forum.

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2 Answers | Asked in Car Accidents and Insurance Bad Faith for California on
Q: At fault accident.is my insurance responsible for any amount excessive of my 25k/50k policy ??

Basically we were at red light.its turned green I let the brake go and the car suddenly stopped.probly 1mph and barely vumbed into the.yook a picture only a scratch on car.no police came nor ambulance.they said we can just get it fixed and not involve insurance.they lied as they filed a claim.my... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on May 3, 2024

It is potentially bad faith. Whether you can prevail may depend on whether your insurer is able to resolve the claims against you within your policy limit, or whether it agrees to pay any sums for which you are liable even above the policy limits.

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3 Answers | Asked in Car Accidents for California on
Q: I had an accident with a cyclist, we collided into each other. No damage to my car. Scuff marks on the right back fender

These can be rubbed out with compound. No paint removed. He fell on his left hand and there were scratches on fatty part of his palm. There was no blood or open cuts. He called the police and 2 paramedics vans, 2 police cars and a sheriff car came. I was not hurt and he refused to go with the... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Apr 30, 2024

You haven't asked a question. If you think you are going to get sued, notify your insurance carrier. If you want to make a claim against the bicycle rider, you would probably be better offer proceeding against your collision insurer and letting it try to collect against the rider.

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3 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury and Products Liability for California on
Q: If a torch lighter stays lit after you release the button and the lock is not on which then catches a bed on fire with i

With injury to someone the lighter was at fault can I hold the maker of the lighter responsible

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Apr 27, 2024

Maybe, but it’s unclear why the bed caught on fire. It’s not hard to see the flame, which calls into question why you didn’t see it.

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3 Answers | Asked in Car Accidents for California on
Q: Driving for a company. Got into an accident. Does company insurance cover, or mine?

The company I work for provides transportation for many reasons for individuals and groups in a variety of vehicles. I am employed as a driver. I got into an accident that was technically my fault.

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Apr 1, 2024

If you were in the course and scope of employment, the employers insurance covers the collision. Your private insurance will exclude coverage for commercial driving.

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2 Answers | Asked in Animal / Dog Law for California on
Q: Why is a pound aloud to TAKE a found dog and send it to a rescue?????

i found a bull terrior took her in for a chip chk the inhumance society vet took her. I told him she had pyometra and that I started her on antibiotic. my plan was surgery on the 4th day after searching for owner. when i call them & stated that I had 32 dogs and 1 cat animal control NEVER... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Mar 25, 2024

The dog you found was never yours and, therfore, could not be stolen from you.

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4 Answers | Asked in Elder Law, Health Care Law and Personal Injury for California on
Q: Hospital negligence and elder abuse

I have a case open since 2021 the hospital just filled for bankrupcty. And i feel like the lawyers i have are not pushing harder on the settlement. Is it a different procedure when a hospital files for bankrupcty. Can i still find a different lawyer to help me

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Mar 22, 2024

Attorneys cannot make the other party settle. Settlement is a voluntary process that requires both sides to agree. If the defendant doesn't agree, it doesn't matter how hard your attorney "pushes."

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3 Answers | Asked in Criminal Law and Personal Injury for California on
Q: California court case it’s on pending but no date court date?

C

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Mar 18, 2024

What is your question? Typically, the court sets a Case Management Conference with the Complaint is filed. If there is no date set, you will probably need to consult with an attorney to find out why. However, the bigger question is what you hope to achieve by suing someone without insurance (I... View More

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4 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury and Car Accidents for California on
Q: How much money from $27000 settlement is paid to a lawyer with a 60% contingency fee for 3 clients?

The money was split $10500, $10000 and $7000 but my lawyer is charging each of us 50% of each split.

Something sounds off to me and does not seem like the 60% contingency fee stated in our contract.

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Mar 3, 2024

Youor retainer agreement should state the percentage fee. It is typically 33 1/3% to 45%, depending on when the case is concluded. If the retainer agreement specifies 60%, you might want to talk to the State Bar.

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5 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury for California on
Q: Hello my question is when I settle my Lowyer put 5200 in a aside 5200 I asked him what that was for he said Lowyer fees

He said he said lawyer fees because I had a lawyer before him that I fired so he had to get paid which was only 1000 so that means there was money left over In the paperwork for the settlement in nowhere, did it say that the left over money would go to his office I emailed him about it he told that... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Mar 2, 2024

If your lawyer has overcharged fees, which I cannot tell from your message, you can file a complaint with the State Bar.

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3 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury for California on
Q: What should you do if the insurance company and property managment wants to have you file a claim with them.

This is a trip and fall, broke knee cap had surgery, fractured wrist and suffered conscusion . On going physical therapy and seeing primary care for pain. The management and insurance company want me to respond. Is this better then going through a law suit since they want me to start a claim?

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Feb 21, 2024

Starting a claim on your own, starting a lawsuit on your own. Both are extremely stupid. You have given yourself two disastrous choices.

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7 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury for California on
Q: How hard is it to win a case from a fall do to side walk being uneven and trip hazard.

79 yr old mom perfect health tripped on sidewalk sustaining broken knee cap required surgery ,fractered her wrist and hitting her head. Are these cases very complicated in Ca. This was at her apartment complex. It was clear sunny day in the afternoon when it took place. I have 3 good pictures of... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Feb 17, 2024

It depends on the condition of the sidewalk, the size of the deformity, how obvious it was, etc. You and your mother will need to consult with an attorney for advise about your specific situation.

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3 Answers | Asked in Car Accidents and Small Claims for California on
Q: Would Robertson's Trucking Company be liable for vehicle expenses related to tire blow-outs? Amount seeking $3,032.63

Hello, I live in Southern California. I was driving to work one morning when a gravel towing semi truck's tire blew out, flinging the debris in my immediate lane. With cars on either side of me and how quickly the incident occurred, I could not maneuver out of the way, resulting in my vehicle... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Feb 17, 2024

All of those things you don't know would be evidence of negligence. Without evidence, you have no case. If you had a case, it would be in Small Claims.

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2 Answers | Asked in Criminal Law and Traffic Tickets for California on
Q: Can a CA OC Sheriff give me a speeding ticket because he thinks I shouldn’t exceed 30 mph on a spare tire?

My spare tire literally reads do not exceed 50 mph. The last thing the Sheriff said was that I need to get the spare replaced in which I already informed him that I was in route to do that. He wrote the ticket I think for speeding!! Yet I wasn’t over the speed limit, and I don’t believe he made... View More

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Feb 14, 2024

You haven't asked a question, but you can contest the citation. Good luck.

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2 Answers | Asked in Libel & Slander and Sexual Harassment for California on
Q: Can a lawsuit be filed for sexual assault from a decade ago in CA, without much evidence?
William John Light
William John Light
answered on Feb 5, 2024

Yes, a complaint can be filed, Whether or not you can win depends on a lot of factors that cannot be resovled on Justia.

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2 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice and Workers' Compensation for California on
Q: Can I file suit against work comp insurance Co outside the comp system.

A work comp pain management Dr gave him uncharted diabetic meds. Those were not monitored and caused heart and kidney failure because he was not a diabetic. He had to take dialysis and then died from cardiac arrest.

William John Light
William John Light
answered on Jan 31, 2024

The heirs of the deceased worker can file a wrongful death medical malpractice claim against the doctor, although I foresee difficult issues of proving your contentions if the meds were "uncharted."

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