Louisiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Baton Rouge, Louisiana trial attorneys, Randy Piedrahita and Kirk Guidry, of the Louisiana personal injury law firm, Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita and Andrews, obtained a jury verdict in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, in excess of $15,000,000. Multiple members of the same family were burned when their house exploded due to fugitive natural gas that was negligently released into their rent house. The gas utility, CenterPoint Energy, had turned off their natural gas at the meter due to non-payment of their gas bill. After several weeks, a family member broke the plastic lock placed on the meter by CenterPoint with a household wrench, forgetting that he had left an open gas line in the house after removing a gas appliance. Plaintiff Attorney Randy Piedrahita presented evidence to the jury that the plastic lock did not meet industry standards and that a metal lock, as used by many competitors, should have been in place to prevent consumers from turning on their own gas, so as to prevent foreseeable explosions. CenterPoint alleged that in addition to the plastic lock, that it installed a metal blind plate inside the meter to prevent the flow of gas, and that the blind plate must have been removed by the consumer. After deliberating for several hours, the St. Landry Parish jury disagreed, finding CenterPoint Energy 50% at fault for the accident and resulting burn injuries.

Continue reading "St. Landry Parish Louisiana Jury Awards Over $15,000,000 to Burn Injury Victims" »

Louisiana Association for Justice President Donald W. Price of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana admiralty and maritime law firm of Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews will present a webinar entitled Gulf Oil Disaster: Claims for Economic Damages Under the Oil Pollution Act and General Maritime Law for LAFJ on July 8, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. CST.

Donald Price will discuss the bases for economic loss claims arising out of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig disaster under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and general maritime law. Discussion will include the basis for liability, potential defenses to liability and the unique procedural aspects of making federal law claims.

Randy Piedrahita of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana personal injury law firm of Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews completed an $800,000 settlement for a 51 year old man involved in a rear-end collision and who suffered aggravation of a pre-existing spine condition. As a result of the car wreck, plaintiff underwent spinal surgery on disks that had been symptomatic for years but worsened by the wreck. Plaintiff was disabled from work for one year and potentially faced forced early medical retirement due to the surgery. Plaintiff incurred $213,000 in medical bills. The defendants contested causation of injuries, especially whether several previous accidents necessitated the surgery.

Recently, Kirk Guidry and Randy Piedrahita of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana maritime law firm of Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews, obtained one of the largest (if not the largest) settlements for a paraplegic in Louisiana history. In Wooley v. Longnecker, No. 106577E, 17th JDC, Parish of Lafourche, Mr. Wooley was injured when a load shifted on an offshore debris barge, crushing his spine at his midsection. Suit was filed against the numerous corporations in charge of the offshore project, who blamed each other and Mr. Wooley for his injuries. Shortly before trial, Kirk and Randy negotiated a $15,000,000.00 settlement for Mr. Wooley, a substantial amount for an injury of this tragic nature.

After asking the East Baton Rouge Parish jury for $1.1 million, Louisiana Association for Justice President (LAJ) President Donald W. Price of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana personal injury law firm of Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews obtained a $2.1 million medical malpractice jury verdict on April 30, 2010. The East Baton Rouge Parish jury found a local pediatrician negligent for prescribing the wrong antibiotic to a Zachary, Louisiana child that caused Stevens-Johnson syndrome and led to the loss of 65% of her skin. The pediatrician told the patient's mother he was prescribing Omnicef for a sinus infection, but actually prescribed Septra DS, a sulfa antibiotic not approved for the treatment of sinus infections.

"It's not something that had ever happened to me before," Donald Price said of the jury awarding more than he requested. "We were gratified." Unfortunately, Louisiana's $500,000 medical malpractice cap will prevent recovery of the entire jury verdict.

Continue reading "Baton Rouge Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyer Obtains $2.1 Million Medical Malpractice Jury Verdict" »

I am sure that you, like me, have been sickened over the last few days by the developing events at BP's Deepwater Horizon well site. What began as an inconceivable tragedy for the human victims has, amazingly, expanded further into an environmental catastrophe that threatens not only Louisiana, but the entire Gulf coast.

As lawyers, we realize that many people will be in need of legal services as a result of these events. But we should be careful to ensure that this disaster for our state is not compounded by a disaster for our profession.

The Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ) fully supports the rights of the public to obtain information about legal services, and it supports the rights of lawyers to provide that information in a manner consistent with the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct. We should all do everything we can to make sure those rules are followed, for the good of the public and our profession.

Anyone who has direct knowledge of specific instances of unauthorized practice of law, runner-based solicitation, or improper direct contact by lawyers should report the conduct directly to the Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

Louisiana will get through this latest challenge. It is my hope that, as was the case with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our membership will not be part of the problem, but will instead be helping to provide solutions.

Sincerely,

Donald W. Price
Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews
LAJ President

Law 360 interviewed Baton Rouge Maritime attorney, Kirk A. Guidry, of the Baton Rouge injury law firm of Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews. The article written by Jesse Greenspan appeared on April 23, 2010, and is entitled Much Litigation Expected After Oil Rig Explosion. Kirk Guidry told Law 360 that any personal injury or wrongful death cases would likely be brought under the Jones Act and would therefore not be removable to federal court. Kirk Guidry also stated that the first big issue that would have to be resolved is the limitation of liability issue, which will be argued in Federal Court.

Continue reading "Baton Rouge Maritime Attorney Interviewed about BP Oil Rig Explosion and Oil Leak Litigation" »

Louisiana injury lawyer Scott Andrews, of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana personal injury law firm of Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita and Andrews was certified elected as a 19th Judicial District Court delegate (2010-2012 term) to the House of Delegates of the Louisiana State Bar Association. The House of Delegates is the policy making body of the Louisiana State Bar Association and controls the non-fiscal affairs of the LSBA. This is Scott Andrews's third consecutive elected term to the LSBA House of Delegates.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana attorney, Paul H. Due', was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America ® 2010 for the sixteenth straight year (1995-2010), this time in the fields of Personal Injury Litigation and Products Liability. (Copyright 2010 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.). Inclusion in Best Lawyers ® is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 32,000 attorneys cast almost two million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their specialties. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed for inclusion in Best Lawyers ®.

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Paul H. Due' and Donald W. Price of the Louisiana injury law firm of Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were selected for inclusion for the fourth year in 2010 Louisiana Super Lawyers in the field of Personal Injury-Plaintiff.

Louisiana Super Lawyers magazine has been published in Louisiana since 2007, and it lists attorneys in private practice, prosecutors, in-house counsel and public service. The objective of the Super Lawyers selection process is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource to assist attorneys and sophisticated consumers in the search for legal counsel. Attorneys are chosen for inclusion by a peer polling, research, and selection process that attempts to identify the top five percent of lawyers in each state. Congratulations Paul Due' and Donald Price!

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From all of the attorneys and staff at Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

On this glorious day, we should all remember the things for which we are thankful. I am especially thankful for all of the sacrifices that the men and women in the armed services have made so that we can enjoy such a wonderful and bountiful holiday.

At its annual meeting in Natchitoches, the Northwestern State University Foundation Board of Directors elected Scott Andrews as its Treasurer for the 2009-2011 term. Scott Andrews, an attorney at Dué, Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, graduated from Northwestern State University in 1992 after serving as Student Government Association President. Scott Andrews has served on the NSU Foundation Board since 2003, having previously served a three year term on the NSU Alumni Association Board. Ths NSU Foundation Board serves the University, its students and its faculty, through fundraising and by promoting the educational and cultural welfare of the University.

Paul H. Due', the founding member of our Baton Rouge, Louisiana law firm, Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews, was honored during the Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ) Fall Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the LAJ Stalwart Award, for distinguishing himself through service to the legal profession and to the Association. Paul H. Due' is a Past President (1982-1983) of LAJ (formerly the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association) and a past member of the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America). Paul H. Due' has dedicated his legal career to promoting a fair justice system so that anyone injured by the misconduct or negligence of others can obtain justice. In accepting his award, Paul reminded the members of the Association how important it is to "have that fire in the belly" and to "take care, as best we can, of the rights of the less fortunate and less articulate, so they don't get railroaded by the dark side."

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Donald W. Price of our Baton Rouge, Louisiana law firm, Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andrews, was installed as the 2009-2010 President of the Louisiana Association for Justice (LAJ) at the LAJ Fall Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Addressing the LAJ Board of Governors, Donald W. Price praised them for their hard work and dedication to the preservation of the rights of the injured in Louisiana. Donald is the second member of the our five member law firm to serve as LAJ President. Our founding member, Paul H. Dué, served as President of LAJ (then the Louisiana Trial Lawyer's Association) in 1982-1983.

Continue reading "Baton Rouge Louisiana Injury Attorney Donald W. Price Installed as LAJ President" »

Scott Andrews of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, personal injury law firm of Due', Price, Guidry, Piedrahita & Andews was recently selected as the 2009-2010 President-Elect of the Wex Malone Chapter of the American Inns of Court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. American Inns of Court are designed to improve the skills, professionalism and ethics of the bench and bar. An American Inn of Court is an amalgam of judges, lawyers, law professors and law students. The Inn meets approximately once a month at the Russell B. Long Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, both to "break bread" and to hold programs and discussions on matters of ethics, skills and professionalism.