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Tom Petersen Personal Injury Attorney Interview – KDRV Newswatch 12

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ART STEVENS AWARDED THE “DOUG SWANSON OUTSTANDING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ATTORNEY” AWARD BY OREGON TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION.

Art Stevens, a partner at Black, Chapman, Petersen & Stevens, recently was awarded the “Doug Swanson Outstanding Workers’ Compensation Attorney” award by the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association. Read More

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LAWSUIT FILED IN JACKSON COUNTY ALLEGES HIP IMPLANTS LEAK TOXIC METALS

A Central Point man who had heavy metals enter his bloodstream from his hip replacement device is joining nearly 100 others locally who have filed lawsuits against the device manufacturer.

According to a lawsuit filed in Jackson County Circuit Court Tuesday, Keith Cadwallader had a Stryker brand hip replacement device implanted in December 2011 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. Within months, doctors discovered that the device was causing large amounts of toxic metal ions and particles to be released into Cadwallader’s bloodstream and circulate through his organs, the claim states.

Cadwallader is suing Stryker Orthopedics for $5.1 million, claiming that Stryker was aware of the possible metal corrosion yet kept selling the device.

“It’s not that the device itself doesn’t replace the original hip — it does, but they are harming people,” said Dennis Black, of Black, Chapman, Petersen & Stevens, the Medford law firm representing Cadwallader. “They’re basically releasing heavy metals into people’s systems.”

“Some of (the devices) have yet to fail, but some started failing as soon as they were installed,” said Black. Read More

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VICTIM FILES SUIT AGAINST CONVICTED COACH

The victim of former Mazama High School volleyball coach Robert Lloyd Thompson has filed a civil suit against Thompson, the Klamath County School District and several district employees. The suit is seeking at least $1 million in damages for sexual abuse, false imprisonment and negligence.

Thompson, 54, was arrested in July of 2012. Twenty-five criminal charges were filed against him, including 23 second-degree sexual abuse charges, first-degree burglary and tampering with a witness.

According to paperwork filed Jan. 28 with the U.S. District Court in Medford, the victim (identified as “Jane Doe”) is seeking the damages for violations of her civil rights under various clauses of several amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The suit names Thompson as a defendant, along with the school district and three district employees, Superintendent Greg Thede, former MHS principal Terry Bennett and Vice-Principal/Athletic Director Randy Rose.

Jane Doe is being represented by Thomas Petersen of the Medford-based law firm Black, Chapman, Petersen & Stevens. Read More

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FAMILIES FILE SUIT OVER MEDFORD TEACHER’S CONDUCT

The families of three Howard Elementary students have sued the Medford School District in U.S. District Court for allegedly failing to protect the young girls from a teacher who had a history of inappropriately touching students.

The three pupils in a fourth/fifth-grade class at Howard accused teacher Chris Gilman in February of repeatedly touching their bottoms, legs and abdomens and having them sit in his lap during school hours, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit was filed five months after the families sent tort claim letters to the school district to indicate they were considering making a personal injury claim against the district. A trial date for the case has not yet been set but will likely occur in October or November of 2011, according to court records.

The families’ attorney, Thomas Petersen of Black, Chapman, Petersen & Stevens, Attorneys at Law, said he couldn’t comment on the case, as did the district’s attorney, Tim Gerking. Read More

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BLACK CHAPMAN WEBBER & STEVENS HOST CHAMBER LATINO NETWORK

The law offices of Black, Chapman, Webber & Stevens hosted the monthly meeting of the Chamber Latino Network (CLN), an action team of the Chamber of Commerce, Medford/Jackson County. The CLN is comprised of Latino and Anglo business owners dedicated to promoting a strong, effective, and diverse Chamber of Commerce. Over 20 of Southern Oregon’s most successful Latino owned businesses were represented. Special thanks is given to Clayton Cathcart of Listo Tax Solutions for helping to make this meeting successful.

The attorneys at Black, Chapman, Webber & Stevens provided these business owners with information about the services they provide and discussed the business benefits of its recent technological move to become a paperless office. The firm’s partners also provided legal tips that would be of benefit to local businessmen.

Black, Chapman, Webber & Stevens provides legal services in Personal Injury matters, Workers’ Compensation claims, and Social Security Disability claims. Although the firm does not provide legal services to employers on a Workers’ Compensation claim, the attorneys provided specific information regarding an employer’s rights when hiring workers who have had a Worker’s Compensation claim with a previous employer. There was then a question and answer session. The partners invited the business owners to contact the firm in the future with any legal questions they might have. Even though the firm’s practice is limited to injuries, attorneys and staff have the knowledge and experience to provide assistance in directing inquiries to the right resource within the community.

Black, Chapman, Webber & Stevens recognizes the value of the Latino community in Oregon. The firm works with groups such as the Chamber Latino Network in order to expand their services to the Latino sector and insure the community receives quality legal representation.

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Assault of teen, mother leads to negligence suit

By Paris Achen
Medford Mail Tribune

A Medford woman has filed a lawsuit against the Medford School District, the city of Medford and a city police officer for injuries she and her daughter sustained when they were assaulted in 2007 by a group of teenage girls on a walkway near North Medford High School.

The lawsuit by Brenda Tyler and on behalf of her daughter, Mellody Santibanez Tyler, a North Medford student, alleges that the school district and school resource officer Ernie Whiteman were negligent in failing to protect Mellody from a group of girls that repeatedly had threatened her. The girls had beaten up Mellody’s older sister only three days before Mellody and her mother were attacked, according to the lawsuit filed in Jackson County Circuit Court. Mellody’s sister was attacked during the course of trying to defend Mellody, the suit said.

“Hopefully there is way to put in institutional procedures to stop this (kind of violence) from happening,” said Dennis Black, Tyler’s attorney. “It needs to be confronted in a forceful way by the school district and police as soon as it happens.” Read More

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Webber named to state fish and wildlife panel

By Mark Freeman
Medford Mail Tribune

A former Medford attorney and long-time leader within the state’s largest hunting organization was confirmed this week for a seat on the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Bob Webber, 65, of Port Orford was confirmed Monday by the Oregon Senate to represent Oregon’s Fourth Congressional District on the seven-member commission.

Webber is a former Medford resident and partner in the law firm of Black, Chapman, Webber and Stevens.

For the past 16 years, Webber also has been a board member and past chairman of the 11,000-member Oregon Hunters Association, which is based in Medford.

Webber describes himself as an avid hunter and angler. He also volunteers as a special prosecutor handling wildlife-related cases for the Curry County District Attorney’s Office. Read More

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Black, Chapman, Webber and Stevens attorneys donate $5,000 to the Children’s Advocacy Center

By Sanne Specht
Medford Mail Tribune

Two local doctors have offered to provide part-time interim pediatrics for Jackson County’s abused children following the pending loss of the Children’s Advocacy Center’s permanent pediatrician.

Doctors Linda Harris and Richard Tripoli will cover shifts at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Medford while the center continues its search for a new medical director, said center Director Marlene Mish.

“We haven’t gotten the problem solved yet, but we’re thrilled with the progress,” said Mish. “We’re trying to fill a compelling need.”

Payment for services has also been supplemented by the center, grant funds and offender payments to victims. Black, Chapman, Webber & Stevens attorneys recently donated $5,000 to the cause after reading about the center’s predicament, said Mish. Read More

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FREE CASE EVALUATION

If you have a personal injury, workers' compensation, social security disability, elder or nursing home abuse, or sexual abuse case, please contact Black, Chapman, Petersen & Stevens by filling out the form below. The consultation is free and we only receive compensation if we obtain benefits for you.

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