Pain, especially pain that doesn't quit, changes a person. And rarely for the better. The consequences of persistent pain extend well beyond the agonizing sensations of pain itself. Unremitting pain robs a person of the ability to enjoy life, maintain important relationships, fulfill spousal and parental responsibilities, perform well at a job or work at all. Pain may be invisible but,...
In legal terms, “emotional distress” or “mental anguish” has four identifiable aspects for a jury to consider: 1. grief and sorrow 2. worry, anxiety, and fear 3. loss of enjoyment of life 4. loss of self-identify or an inability to obtain self-satisfaction Many people, many jurors in fact, will ask rhetorically: Are these really damages we should compensate for in a personal injury case? This same juror...
The first time I stood in front of a jury, in a large superior courtroom in Spokane County, I was a younger lawyer with more energy than eloquence, more ambition than experience. I'll never forget the feeling as if my legs might give out and collapse as easily as the accordion files in my briefcase. My mouth...
Every day, we wake up to a world that feels more chaotic, more divided, and—too often—more unjust. The headlines bombard us with stories of pain and suffering, voices silenced, rights trampled. Injustice, when left unchallenged, does not fade. It grows. As a trial lawyer, I confront these harsh realities head-on. I've been in this fight for awhile. Behind every case,...
