STRATTON FAXON NAMED CT LAW TRIBUNE MOST INFLUENTIAL LAWYERS OF 2008!
December 22, 2008, The CT Law Tribune, by Christian Nolan
Since forming in 2003, New Haven’s Stratton Faxon law firm has been a force in personal injury, medical malpractice and product liability.
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CHAMBER HONORS LENDER, AREA BUSINESSES

October 24, 2008, New Haven Register, by Cara Baruzzi
At a time when the local business community acknowledges growing economic uncertainty, area business leaders gathered Thursday to honor people and companies that, they say, help make Greater New Haven a place well-equipped to weather the turbulence.

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FIGHTING BACK AGAINST ERISA LIENS

September 29, 2008, by Joel T. Faxon
When a case is about to settle, my
client’s first question is always: what am I going to net after fees, costs, and liens?
READ MORE

BANK REVELATIONS ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE

September 8, 2008, The CT Law Tribune, by Douglas S. Malan
Like many fathers of teenage children, attorney Michael Stratton is familiar with the process of prying information from them.

READ MORE

DESPITE DEATH, RAIL UNDERPASS FLOODING PERSISTS
September 2, 2008, New Haven Register, By Abbe Smith
It was just more than two years ago that a local woman drove her minivan along Morgan Lane, under a railroad bridge and into the rising floodwaters that eventually caused her death.

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RUNAWAY BRIDE: SOON-TO-BE-WED STEFFENS NEW U.S. WOMEN'S
20K CHAMPION

September 2, 2008, New Haven Register, By Dave Solomon
The United States road running community has five days to get used to the name Jill Steffens, the virtual unknown who never ran a 20K in her life and then stole the United States Women’s 20K Championship out from under an elite class of runners Monday at the Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race.

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NEW BRITAIN'S BLAKE, 20TH, TAKES STATE'S TOP HONORS

September 2, 2008, New Haven Register, By Chris Hunn
For Eric Blake, Monday’s 31st annual 20-kilometer (12.4 miles) Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race was just preparation.

READ MORE

Westporter excels in Half Marathon
June 26, 2008, Fairfield Minuteman, by Andy Hutchison
Runners from Kenya, various cities across the United States and throughout Fairfield County laced up their running shoes and took to the streets of Fairfield for the 28th Annual Fairfield Half Marathon on Sunday morning. Hosted by the Fairfield Firefighters, proceeds from the Stratton Faxon Road Races, which include a 5K race and fun run, benefit the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation.

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Lawsuit, unions press bank over data breach
June 7, 2008, New London Day, by Lee Howard
Wayne Camarro of Rocky Hill worries that the Bank of New York Mellon data breach that came to light last month will affect his credit.
READ MORE


Missing Bank Files Cause Customer Angst
June 6, 2008, The CT Law Tribune, by Christian Nolan
Here's a recipe for sleepless nights: Computer files containing your personal information and banking data are lost. The information could potentially be a gold mine for identity thieves, who could run up debts in your name, destroy your credit rating and ruin your good reputation.
READ MORE


Monroe man gets 5 years in tot's death
May 30, 2008, Connecticut Post, by Daniel Tepfer
A Monroe civic leader was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for killing a 1-year-old girl with his car in a drunken-driving crash outside a Connecticut Avenue store on July 4, 2007.
READ MORE


2 banks sued in security breach
May 28, 2008, New Haven Register, by Angela Carter
In response to a security breach that occurred in February, eight individual and business account holders of People’s United Bank have filed a class-action lawsuit against People’s and one of its vendors, The Bank of New York Mellon.
READ MORE

People's caught in data crossfire

May 28, 2008, Connecticut Post, by Pam Dawkins
The number of People's United Bank customers who have joined a civil suit grew over the holiday weekend, according to the lawyer who filed the suit Friday in New Haven Superior Court.
READ MORE


Blumenthal Seeks Tri-State Probe Of Bank Breach
May 24, 2008, Hartford Courant, by Janice Podsada
The state has broadened its investigation into the loss of a computer backup tape that reportedly contained personal and financial information about an undetermined number of Connecticut bank depositors, including 556,000 customers of People's United Bank.

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Sex Abuse Complaint Against Reardon 40 Years Old

May 21, 2008, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
Almost 20 years before what was believed to be the first child molestation complaint against Dr. George Reardon, a mother accused the prominent St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center doctor of abusing her son, court records show.
READ MORE

Monroe woman sues spouse in eye loss
April 24, 2008, Connecticut Post, by Daniel Tepfer
A Monroe woman is suing her husband because, she says, he threw a carrot at her during an argument, poking out her left eye.
READ MORE

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST PEOPLE'S UNITED BANK
April 21, 2008
A class action complaint on behalf of all impacted People's United Bank customers has been filed today following revelations over the past several days that the bank failed to protect their customers' financial records and critical identity information.
READ MORE

MOLESTATION CASES HEADED FOR MEDIATION

April 21, 2008, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Childhood patients of the late Dr. George Reardon, who have sued his estate and St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, are headed for mediation as of Oct. 1.
READ MORE

POLICE SEEK IDENTITY OF MEN IN REARDON PHOTOS
April 12, 2008
WATCH VIDEO

EIGHT MORE SUE ST.FRANCIS IN SEX ABUSE CASE
April 1, 2008, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
Eight more people — including a man who claims Dr. George Reardon raped him repeatedly — have filed a lawsuit against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center alleging negligence in not preventing the prominent endocrinologist from sexually abusing them.
READ MORE

NO NOTICE? NO PROBLEM: KELLY v. STOP & SHOP, INC.
Stratton Faxon earned the number four spot in the fifth annual edition of
"Top 25 — Leading Cases of the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2007," compiled by Daniel J. Klau and Richard F. Wareing.

READ MORE

$1.3 MILLION FOR GIRL'S MRSA INFECTION
March 3, 2008, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
The University of Connecticut Medical Center in Farmington has agreed to pay a $1.3 million settlement to a young girl who has long-term hip problems as the result of an infection.
READ MORE

TRUCK OWNER'S WIFE TAKES PLEA
March 1, 2008, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
The wife of former dump truck owner David Wilcox pleaded no contest Friday to attempted insurance fraud related to a crash in Avon three years ago that killed
four people.
READ MORE

MOLESTATION SUITS MOUNT AGAINST HOSPITAL

January 14, 2008, Associated Press
Nearly 60 people have now filed suit against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, claiming it failed to protect them from a staff doctor who molested them when they were children.
READ MORE

11 SUE ST. FRANCIS OVER MOLESTATIONS
January 10, 2008, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
Eleven new plaintiffs have filed suits charging St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center with negligence for failing to prevent a prominent staff physician, the late Dr. George Reardon, from molesting them when they were children.
READ MORE

STEADY WON'T DO IT FOR LEGAL AID DONATIONS

December 31, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Douglas S. Malan
Donations to the state's three legal services agencies have been fairly steady in recent years — and that's the problem.
READ MORE

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

December 23, 2007
WATCH VIDEO

FIRST TO GO BEYOND CLAIMS OF FONDLING

December 12, 2007, Hartford Courant, by Hilary Waldman
The case of alleged child molester George Reardon took a new twist
Tuesday with an accusation in a lawsuit that the late West Hartford
endocrinologist raped a young boy.
READ MORE

SIBLINGS VICTIMIZED AND DISABLED PLAINTIFF RAPED

December 11, 2007
WATCH VIDEO

NEW REARDON LAWSUITS INCLUDE RAPE CHARGE
December 11, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
The latest lawsuits against a West Hartford doctor include allegations that he raped one boy and brandished a gun in front of other youngsters.
READ MORE

DOCTOR WIELDED FIREARM

December 11, 2007, Hartford Courant, by Hilary Waldman
Lawsuit Alleges Reardon Used Weapon, Cash To Coerce His Patients.
READ MORE

PLANTIFFS CLAIM DOCTOR ABUSED THEM

December 10, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Two attorneys begin filing suits against physician’s estate.
READ MORE

NO MORE BENEFITING FROM A BAD ACT

December 10, 2007, by Michael Stratton
New tort punishes those who engage in evidence destruction.
READ MORE

LAWSUIT IN SEX ABUSE CASE

December 3, 2007, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
Lawyers for a man who says that Dr. George Reardon molested and photographed him naked 30 years ago say they plan to go to court today to lodge what is believed to be the first lawsuit claiming that St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center shares responsibility for Reardon's alleged abuse.
READ MORE
WATCH VIDEO
WATCH VIDEO
WATCH VIDEO

GIRL'S DEATH SPARKS RACE DEBATE

October 15, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Michael Stratton is not the first person to offer hypothesis: A significant percentage of the crime in Bridgeport involves white suburbanites who drive into the city to buy drugs.
READ MORE

RAILINGS SEVERED BUT NOT REMOVED

October 8, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Douglas S. Malan
An unnamed construction worker with custody of three children and thousands of dollars in monthly medical expenses related to a worksite accident recently settled his workers’ compensation case in New Haven for $1.4 million.
READ MORE

TYKE KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVER

September 28, 2007, Connecticut Post, by Daniel Tepfer
The family of a 20-month-old girl, crushed under the wheels of a car driven by a Monroe man who allegedly was drunk last July 4, filed suit today against the driver and the Stratford bar where he was drinking before the crash.
READ MORE

PATIENT SUES NEW MILFORD HOSPITAL

September 14, 2007, Danbury NewsTimes, by Nanci G. Hutson
Harwinton woman says her leg had to be amputated because doctors failed to care for her after surgery.
READ MORE

2005 VICTIMS ASK WHY MOUNTAIN IS STILL OPEN TO TRUCKS

September 9, 2007, Hartford Courant, by David Owens
For some of the people whose lives were altered two years ago by the Avon Mountain crash that claimed four lives and injured 19, Friday's news of another truck crash caused heartache, frustration and anger.
READ MORE

LAWSUIT FILED IN WEST HAVEN FLOODWATER DROWNING

August 9, 2007, New Haven Register, by Marissa Yaremich
The widower of a local woman caught in a flash flood beneath a railroad overpass last year is blaming his wife's death on police negligence in a lawsuit filed just shy of the Morgan Lane tragedy's one-year anniversary.
READ MORE

NHCBA'S CHARTER CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION:
THE HISTORICAL EXHIBIT

See how the law has impacted famous cases and how the practice of law has changed from 1907 to today! Stroll through the centuries, highlighting the changing role lawyers play in their community and how some have gone on to change the nation. Catch a glimpse sponsored by Stratton Faxon.
WATCH VIDEO

SUBCONTRACTOR PAYS OUT $1.8M TO WORKER'S FAMILY

July 2, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Christian Nolan
The wife of a Greenwich man, who was paralyzed and eventually died as a result of injuries sustained from falling down an elevator shaft at a construction site, has collected $1.8 million.
READ MORE

SKEWERED NERVE LEADS TO $904,000 VERDICT

June 25, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Glastonbury homemaker Carolyn Costello was hoping to get relief from leg and backpain on her left side when she agreed to a spinal fusion procedure in 2002.
READ MORE

NEW RULES NEEDED AFTER CHANGE

April 16, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
New Practice Book rules and forms will be needed, and additional discovery may be necessary, as litigants scramble to prepare their slip-and-fall cases for trial under the newly adopted "mode of operation" doctrine.
READ MORE

NEW LEGAL RULE ON BUSINESS NEGLIGENCE FOCUSES ON
SELF-SERVICE
March 24, 2007, Associated Press
The state Supreme Court has adopted a new legal rule making it easier for plaintiffs to sue businesses for negligence alleged in self-service operations.
READ MORE

STRATTON FAXON WINS LANDMARK CASE IN CONNECTICUT
SUPREME COURT
March 22, 2007
The Supreme Court in Kelly v. Stop & Shop, ruling in favor of Stratton Faxon client Maureen Kelly, altered over 150 years of premises liability law in Connecticut and adopted the mode of operation rule eliminating need to show that a landowner had knowledge of a defective condition in order to recover for personal injuries. Decision will revolutionize premises liability law in Connecticut.
READ MORE

CRASH RULING CLEARS WAY FOR CLAIMS

March 7, 2007, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
A federal judge's ruling that American Crushing & Recycling's dump truck
was not insured when it crashed in Avon in 2005, killing four people,
paves the way for victims to seek compensation from their own coverage
for uninsured motorists, lawyers for victims said Tuesday.
READ MORE

2006 P/I OVERVIEW: SKY WAS THE LIMIT FOR SIGNIFICANT INJURIES

February 12, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
The January 2006 award of $26.5 million to trucker Shawn Pouliot, who was rendered paraplegic due to a defective lift gate, was the year’s first and largest Connecticut jury verdict.
READ MORE

UNPLED DISTRESS CLAIM NETS $25K
February 5, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
A couple who bought a North Haven house four years ago, and later discovered hidden rot, mold and seepage in the finished basement, not only won $96,282 for repairs, they unexpectedly got $25,000 for an emotional distress claim not even alleged in their complaint.

READ MORE

KEY AIR SUED FOR BOOKING FATAL FLIGHT
December 14, 2006, Connecticut Post, by Matthew Higbee
NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol and his family are suing the town-based charter aircraft company they hired to arrange a November 2004 flight that crashed in icy conditions and killed Ebersol's 14-year old son, Edward "Teddy" Ebersol.
READ MORE

DOCTOR VS. INSURANCE COMPANY IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT CASE
November 3, 2006
A New Haven jury finds damages in excess of $850,000 for a Connecticut physician that sustained a brachial plexus injury in a car crash on the Merritt Parkway. The Stratton Faxon client, infectious disease specialist, Dr. Frederick Altice, sued Nationwide, his own insurer, for uninsured motorist / hit-and-run benefits, after the doctor was forced off the road by a hit-and-run driver. Nationwide did not believe that Dr. Altice was forced off the road and blamed him for the crash claiming it was his inattention that caused the mishap. The case illustrates how difficult it is for consumers to actually collect on their own automobile insurance policies - but the jury system in Connecticut continues to prove that insurance companies will be held responsible to their policy holders for the benefits they purchase. Please Note: In its original form, this article claimed that the jury's verdict was in excess of $900,000. This was erroneous. In fact, the verdict for damages was just in excess of $850,000 before comparative fault and apportionment party reduction. In addition, it was asserted in that article that Nationwide had made no offers prior to trial. In fact, Nationwide had made an offer of approximately $150,000 before trial. Stratton Faxon apologizes for this unintended and unnecessary puffery.

ANOTHER GROUNDBREAKING DECISION FROM THE CONNECTICUT SUPREME COURT
November 2, 2006
The Supreme Court ruled an exculpatory release forced on employees by an overreaching employer is void as against the public policy of the State of Connecticut. A Stratton Faxon client was badly injured when he was run down on a racetrack by a race car driver. Stratton Faxon sued the driver and others involved in the crash. The defendants attempted to avoid liability by arguing that regardless of the severity of their misconduct they could not be forced to pay damages because the plaintiff signed a mandatory release of liability. The trial court agreed and dismissed the case, but on appeal, the Supreme Court reversed the decision and held that Stratton Faxon's client could proceed with his lawsuit due to the inequity in forcing these types of releases on employees.
READ MORE

POLICE CHIEF DEFENDS PROBE OF DROWNING

October 31, 2006, New Haven Register, By Marissa Yaremich
Police are doing everything in their power to determine what caused a local mother to drown underneath a Morgan Lane railroad trestle during a summer storm, including attempts to re-create the fatal water levels during Saturday’s downpour, said Police Chief Ronald M. Quagliani.
READ MORE

FAMILY CLAIMS HARASSMENT OVER PHOTOS

October 30, 2006, New Haven Register, By Marissa Yaremich
The law firm representing Morgan Lane drowning victim Gladys E. Padula claims police threatened to arrest the family’s legal team when an investigator for the family took pictures of the officers’ accident reconstruction on the road.
READ MORE

MEALEY'S PRODUCT LIABILITY & RISK
September 25, 2006, LexisNexis
After finding that a trial court did not err in refusing to apportion liability to an intervening employer, the Connecticut Supreme Court on Sept. 12 upheld a $2.19 million jury award to two workers injured when allegedly defective roof brackets caused scaffolding to collapse.
READ MORE

STATE SUPREMES RECOGNIZE NEW TORT OF SPOLIATION
October 2, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Connecticut now expressly recognizes the tort of spoliation of evidence, the state Supreme Court announced today.
READ MORE

STRATTON CONGRATULATES BEATMAN ON JOB WELL DONE
September 25, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Lisa Siegel
No rulebook could prepare Zeisler & Zeisler bankruptcy attorney Matthew K. Beatman for what lay ahead when Hartford Superior Court Judge Vanessa L. Bryant tapped him as the receiver for American Crushing & Recycling (ACR) — the Bloomfield-based company that owned the dump truck behind the deadly 20-car crash on Avon Mountain in July 2005.
READ MORE

$2M AWARD FOR WORKERS NOT FREE AND CLEAR
September 16, 2006, New Haven Register, by Phil Helsel
A city carpenter seriously injured when he and another man tumbled from a roof at the New Canaan Nature Center eight years ago will receive part of more than $2 million from the company that manufactured a defective roof bracket, the state Supreme Court ruled this week.
READ MORE

SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS VERDICT FOR STRATTON FAXON CLIENTS REQUIRING PAYMENT OF OVER $2.7 MILLION FOR INJURIES
September 12, 2006
The Connecticut Supreme Court today affirmed a jury verdict obtained by Stratton Faxon partner Joel Faxon for the injuries sustained by Neil Barry and Bernard Cohade. The union carpenters were shingling a roof in New Canaan in 1998 when the scaffolding they were using manufactured by Quality Steel Products of Massachusetts collapsed. The Supreme Court held that the manufacturer's efforts to thwart the verdict were baseless and ordered that the case be ended and the clients finally compensated. The case made new law protecting workers injured on the job by requiring employers to provide safety equipment to their employees as well as holding manufacturers of dangerous products accountable to the jury.
READ MORE

INJURY SETTLED FOR SEVEN TIMES THE POLICY LIMIT
August 11, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Thomas Casciato, a clerk in the Bridgeport architectural firm of Fletcher & Thompson, suffered leg injuries in a November 2003 head-on collision in Shelton. Infinity Insurance Co., of Birmingham, Ala., represented the defendant driver, Luciano Marini, through its captive law firm, Levine & Sharp of Hartford.
READ MORE

AVON MOUNTAIN ANNIVERSAY
July 27, 2006, New England Cable News
It has been a year since the deadly crash on Route 44 and victims of that crash are furious that nothing has been to make the roads safer. Brian Burnell reports live from Hartford with the story.
WATCH VIDEO

ELLEN STOTLER CALLS ON DOT TO REPAIR ROADS
July 27, 2006, WFSB Channel 3 News
As part of a victim advocacy group formed by those affected by the deadly Avon Mt. Road crash, Ellen Stotler spoke out today about what has and has not been down to make residents of CT safer.
WATCH VIDEO

CALL FOR SAFER ROADS: VICTIMS OF CRASH ON ROUTE 44 SPEAK OUT
July 28, 2006, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
If it doesn't include a runaway-truck ramp, the road improvement project the state plans for Route 44 on Avon mountain won't prevent the kind of out-of-control truck crash that claimed four lives last summer, victims of the accident said Thursday.
READ MORE / WATCH VIDEO

SAFE ROADS ADVOCACY GROUP COMPILES DANGEROUS ROADS LIST
July 27, 2006, by News Channel 8's Erin Cox
The widow of a man killed in a fiery crash on Avon Mountain last year wants the state to make roads safer. Ellen Stotler wants change before tragedy strikes again.
READ MORE / WATCH VIDEO

OWNER OF TRUCKING COMPANY ARRESTED

July 25, 2006, WTIC AM Radio, The Ray & Diane Morning Show
Michael Stratton, attorney for Chip Stotler's family, speaks with Ray & Diane regarding David Wilcox, the truck owner involved in the Avon Mountain crash, who was arrested for manslaughter.
 HEAR AUDIO

TRUCKING COMPANY OWNER CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER
July 24, 2006, Associated Press
The owner of a dump truck that slammed into a line of cars at the bottom of Avon Mountain last year, killing four people, appeared in court Monday to face manslaughter and other charges.
READ MORE

HOW THE BACKLOG WAS CRUSHED
July 3, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
A decade ago, Connecticut trial lawyers complained bitterly about the waiting period of three years or more to bring a case to a jury trial.
READ MORE

POLICE OFFICER BEARS MOST FAULT
June 19, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Greenwich police officer Andrew Kelly had his siren and lights on as he headed north on Lake Street toward a serious accident on the Merritt Parkway. He never made it.
READ MORE

JURY FINDS OFFICER NEGLIGENT IN CRASH
June 10, 2006, Greenwich Time, by Martin B. Cassidy
A jury yesterday concluded that a Greenwich police officer's reckless driving caused a collision on Lake Avenue four years ago and awarded a town man $910,000 in damages for injuries he sustained in the crash, attorneys said.
READ MORE

BRATTLEBORO SETTLES SUIT IN CHURCH SHOOTING
June 1, 2006, Rutland Herald (VT), by Daniel Barlow
Brattleboro has negotiated a settlement to end a wrongful-death civil lawsuit from the family of a Bellows Falls man killed by police in a church in 2001, lawyers for both sides said Wednesday.
READ MORE

TRUCKER'S $26M AWARD SURVIVES POST-VERDICT MOTIONS
May 29, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Honorable Judge Hall issues decision in Pouliot case, denying all post-trial motions and therefore, affirming $26 million verdict obtained by Stratton Faxon.
READ MORE

NAVIGATING THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACT MINEFIELD
May 22, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Joel T. Faxon
Partner Joel Faxon comments on reformed state law intended to bolster the integrity of the malpractice system.
READ MORE

BEYOND THE HEADLINES: AVON MOUNTAIN CRASH
April 2, 2006, WTXX-TV, Hosted by Shelly Sinland
State politicians address the tragedy's aftermath and SB 620.
READ MORE

WIDOW: STATE KNEW ROAD WAS UNSAFE
March 25, 2006, WTIC AM Radio, The Ray & Diane Morning Show
Ellen Stotler testifies: Families Involved in the Avon Mountain Crash Should Be Able To Get Damages For Negligence.
READ MORE  HEAR AUDIO

A WIDOW'S DAY TO TESTIFY
March 24, 2006
WATCH VIDEO

FAMILY FAULTS DMR, GROUPHOME SUPERVISION IN MAN'S JANUARY CHOKING
March 11, 2006, Hartford Courant, by Colin Poitras
A lawyer on Friday filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of a Branford man who choked to death while under the care of a private group home licensed by the state Department of Mental Retardation.
READ MORE

EVIDENCE IN HAMDEN LAWSUIT SLATED TO BE DESTROYED
February 14, 2006, by News Channel 8's Alan Cohn
Lawyers representing Police Officer Bo Kicak sent letter to Hamden's Town Attorney threatening legal action if evidence is destroyed.
WATCH VIDEO

JOEL FAXON COMMENTS ON RECENT SUPREME COURT CASE, URGING THE LEGISLATURE TO CHANGE UNFAIR WRONGFUL DEATH LAW THAT EXTINGUISHES MERITORIOUS CLAIMS
February 15, 2006, Hartford Courant, by Paul Marks
Sixty-one survivors of Pratt & Whitney employees who died of brain cancer lost their fight to sue the jet engine maker Tuesday when the state Supreme Court ruled against them.
READ MORE

TRUCKER AWARDED $26.3 MILLION FROM JURY
January 24, 2006, Connecticut Post, by Michael P. Mayko
Not only was Shaun Pouliot left crippled when an 800-pound load fell on him in 2001, but his wife ran off with his best friend, leaving the paraplegic to care for three young children.
READ MORE

$1.6 MILLION SETTLEMENT REACHED IN PRIEST ABUSE CASE - HIGHEST SETTLEMENT EVER OBTAINED IN CONNECTICUT

November 18, 2005, by News Channel 8's Alan Cohn
He's accused of sexually molesting a former altar boy. Now, years later, Father Daniel McSheffery is being forced to answer to those allegations.
READ MORE  /  WATCH VIDEO

SALE OF FIRM'S ASSETS PROPOSED – RECEIVER ACTING IN WAKE OF JULY CRASH
December 24, 2005, Hartford Courant, by David Owens
Trucks and other equipment owned by American Crushing & Recycling would be auctioned in February to pay off debts and prevent erosion of assets due to interest and other payments under a plan presented to a judge Friday.
READ MORE

LEEANA'S LAST DAY – HOW INCOMPETENCE AND NEGLECT LED TO A TODDLER'S DEATH AT A STATE-FUNDED GROUP HOME
December 18, 2005, Hartford Courant, by Kevin Rennie
Leeana Calendario might have died of any of the complex and chronic illnesses she developed as an infant. Instead, 13 days short of her third birthday, Leeana died of something quite ordinary - respiratory failure as a result of a clogged breathing tube.
READ MORE

BOMB THREAT DOESN'T SHAKE TENACIOUS ROOKIE – IN FIRST APPEARANCE BEFORE CONN. HIGH COURT, LAWYER SEEKS NEW CAUSE OF ACTION
December 12, 2005, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Michael L. Oh, a junior associate at New Haven, Conn.-based Stratton Faxon, already had plenty of reasons to be nervous Dec. 2. It was his first time arguing a case before the state Supreme Court, and he was asking the justices to break new ground by recognizing a tort cause of action in Connecticut against litigants who destroy evidence.
READ MORE

BOY’S FAMILY SEEKS SOURCE OF DRUGS

October 29, 2005, New Haven Register, by Brian McCready
The attorney for the family of a Stratford teen who died of an OxyContin overdose in June said Friday his clients plan to file a civil lawsuit against a doctor that he claims is ultimately responsible for overprescribing the drug.
READ MORE

TRUCKING COMPANY TAKEOVER
October 15, 2005, Former Owner of American Crushing & Recycling Is Arrested.
WATCH VIDEO

JUDGE PLACES TRUCKING FIRM IN RECEIVERSHIP
October 4, 2005, Hartford Courant, by David Owens and Daniel P. Jones
A superior court judge today ordered American Crushing & Recycling into receivership and appointed a Bridgeport lawyer to oversee company operations and protect its assets.
READ MORE

WIDOW SUES DUMP TRUCK OWNER IN AVON CRASH – STATE ALSO PUT ON NOTICE OVER ROUTE 44 SAFETY
September 24, 2005, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones, David Owens and Christopher Keating
The estate of a father of five young girls killed in the fiery July 29 crash at the base of Avon Mountain has sued the Bloomfield company whose dump truck caused the accident - the first lawsuit seeking to freeze assets of American Crushing & Recycling and its principals.
READ MORE  WATCH VIDEO

POLICE SEEK IDENTITY OF MEN IN REARDON PHOTOS


EIGHT MORE SUE ST.FRANCIS IN SEX ABUSE CASE
April 1, 2008, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
Eight more people — including a man who claims Dr. George Reardon raped him repeatedly — have filed a lawsuit against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center alleging negligence in not preventing the prominent endocrinologist from sexually abusing them.
READ MORE

NO NOTICE? NO PROBLEM: KELLY v. STOP & SHOP, INC.
Stratton Faxon earned the number four spot in the fifth annual edition of
"Top 25 — Leading Cases of the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2007," compiled by Daniel J. Klau and Richard F. Wareing.

READ MORE

$1.3 MILLION FOR GIRL'S MRSA INFECTION
March 3, 2008, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
The University of Connecticut Medical Center in Farmington has agreed to pay a $1.3 million settlement to a young girl who has long-term hip problems as the result of an infection.
READ MORE

TRUCK OWNER'S WIFE TAKES PLEA
March 1, 2008, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
The wife of former dump truck owner David Wilcox pleaded no contest Friday to attempted insurance fraud related to a crash in Avon three years ago that killed
four people.
READ MORE

MOLESTATION SUITS MOUNT AGAINST HOSPITAL

January 14, 2008, Associated Press
Nearly 60 people have now filed suit against St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, claiming it failed to protect them from a staff doctor who molested them when they were children.
READ MORE

11 SUE ST. FRANCIS OVER MOLESTATIONS
January 10, 2008, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
Eleven new plaintiffs have filed suits charging St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center with negligence for failing to prevent a prominent staff physician, the late Dr. George Reardon, from molesting them when they were children.
READ MORE

STEADY WON'T DO IT FOR LEGAL AID DONATIONS

December 31, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Douglas S. Malan
Donations to the state's three legal services agencies have been fairly steady in recent years — and that's the problem.
READ MORE

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

December 23, 2007
WATCH VIDEO

FIRST TO GO BEYOND CLAIMS OF FONDLING

December 12, 2007, Hartford Courant, by Hilary Waldman
The case of alleged child molester George Reardon took a new twist
Tuesday with an accusation in a lawsuit that the late West Hartford
endocrinologist raped a young boy.
READ MORE

SIBLINGS VICTIMIZED AND DISABLED PLAINTIFF RAPED

December 11, 2007
WATCH VIDEO

NEW REARDON LAWSUITS INCLUDE RAPE CHARGE
December 11, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
The latest lawsuits against a West Hartford doctor include allegations that he raped one boy and brandished a gun in front of other youngsters.
READ MORE

DOCTOR WIELDED FIREARM

December 11, 2007, Hartford Courant, by Hilary Waldman
Lawsuit Alleges Reardon Used Weapon, Cash To Coerce His Patients.
READ MORE

PLANTIFFS CLAIM DOCTOR ABUSED THEM

December 10, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Two attorneys begin filing suits against physician’s estate.
READ MORE

NO MORE BENEFITING FROM A BAD ACT

December 10, 2007, by Michael Stratton
New tort punishes those who engage in evidence destruction.
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LAWSUIT IN SEX ABUSE CASE

December 3, 2007, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
Lawyers for a man who says that Dr. George Reardon molested and photographed him naked 30 years ago say they plan to go to court today to lodge what is believed to be the first lawsuit claiming that St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center shares responsibility for Reardon's alleged abuse.
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GIRL'S DEATH SPARKS RACE DEBATE

October 15, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Michael Stratton is not the first person to offer hypothesis: A significant percentage of the crime in Bridgeport involves white suburbanites who drive into the city to buy drugs.
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RAILINGS SEVERED BUT NOT REMOVED

October 8, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Douglas S. Malan
An unnamed construction worker with custody of three children and thousands of dollars in monthly medical expenses related to a worksite accident recently settled his workers’ compensation case in New Haven for $1.4 million.
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TYKE KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVER

September 28, 2007, Connecticut Post, by Daniel Tepfer
The family of a 20-month-old girl, crushed under the wheels of a car driven by a Monroe man who allegedly was drunk last July 4, filed suit today against the driver and the Stratford bar where he was drinking before the crash.
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PATIENT SUES NEW MILFORD HOSPITAL

September 14, 2007, Danbury NewsTimes, by Nanci G. Hutson
Harwinton woman says her leg had to be amputated because doctors failed to care for her after surgery.
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2005 VICTIMS ASK WHY MOUNTAIN IS STILL OPEN TO TRUCKS

September 9, 2007, Hartford Courant, by David Owens
For some of the people whose lives were altered two years ago by the Avon Mountain crash that claimed four lives and injured 19, Friday's news of another truck crash caused heartache, frustration and anger.
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LAWSUIT FILED IN WEST HAVEN FLOODWATER DROWNING

August 9, 2007, New Haven Register, by Marissa Yaremich
The widower of a local woman caught in a flash flood beneath a railroad overpass last year is blaming his wife's death on police negligence in a lawsuit filed just shy of the Morgan Lane tragedy's one-year anniversary.
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NHCBA'S CHARTER CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION:
THE HISTORICAL EXHIBIT

See how the law has impacted famous cases and how the practice of law has changed from 1907 to today! Stroll through the centuries, highlighting the changing role lawyers play in their community and how some have gone on to change the nation. Catch a glimpse sponsored by Stratton Faxon.
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SUBCONTRACTOR PAYS OUT $1.8M TO WORKER'S FAMILY

July 2, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Christian Nolan
The wife of a Greenwich man, who was paralyzed and eventually died as a result of injuries sustained from falling down an elevator shaft at a construction site, has collected $1.8 million.
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SKEWERED NERVE LEADS TO $904,000 VERDICT

June 25, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Glastonbury homemaker Carolyn Costello was hoping to get relief from leg and backpain on her left side when she agreed to a spinal fusion procedure in 2002.
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NEW RULES NEEDED AFTER CHANGE

April 16, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
New Practice Book rules and forms will be needed, and additional discovery may be necessary, as litigants scramble to prepare their slip-and-fall cases for trial under the newly adopted "mode of operation" doctrine.
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NEW LEGAL RULE ON BUSINESS NEGLIGENCE FOCUSES ON
SELF-SERVICE
March 24, 2007, Associated Press
The state Supreme Court has adopted a new legal rule making it easier for plaintiffs to sue businesses for negligence alleged in self-service operations.
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STRATTON FAXON WINS LANDMARK CASE IN CONNECTICUT
SUPREME COURT
March 22, 2007
The Supreme Court in Kelly v. Stop & Shop, ruling in favor of Stratton Faxon client Maureen Kelly, altered over 150 years of premises liability law in Connecticut and adopted the mode of operation rule eliminating need to show that a landowner had knowledge of a defective condition in order to recover for personal injuries. Decision will revolutionize premises liability law in Connecticut.
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CRASH RULING CLEARS WAY FOR CLAIMS

March 7, 2007, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
A federal judge's ruling that American Crushing & Recycling's dump truck
was not insured when it crashed in Avon in 2005, killing four people,
paves the way for victims to seek compensation from their own coverage
for uninsured motorists, lawyers for victims said Tuesday.
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2006 P/I OVERVIEW: SKY WAS THE LIMIT FOR SIGNIFICANT INJURIES

February 12, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
The January 2006 award of $26.5 million to trucker Shawn Pouliot, who was rendered paraplegic due to a defective lift gate, was the year’s first and largest Connecticut jury verdict.
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UNPLED DISTRESS CLAIM NETS $25K
February 5, 2007, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
A couple who bought a North Haven house four years ago, and later discovered hidden rot, mold and seepage in the finished basement, not only won $96,282 for repairs, they unexpectedly got $25,000 for an emotional distress claim not even alleged in their complaint.

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KEY AIR SUED FOR BOOKING FATAL FLIGHT
December 14, 2006, Connecticut Post, by Matthew Higbee
NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol and his family are suing the town-based charter aircraft company they hired to arrange a November 2004 flight that crashed in icy conditions and killed Ebersol's 14-year old son, Edward "Teddy" Ebersol.
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DOCTOR VS. INSURANCE COMPANY IN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT CASE
November 3, 2006
A New Haven jury finds damages in excess of $850,000 for a Connecticut physician that sustained a brachial plexus injury in a car crash on the Merritt Parkway. The Stratton Faxon client, infectious disease specialist, Dr. Frederick Altice, sued Nationwide, his own insurer, for uninsured motorist / hit-and-run benefits, after the doctor was forced off the road by a hit-and-run driver. Nationwide did not believe that Dr. Altice was forced off the road and blamed him for the crash claiming it was his inattention that caused the mishap. The case illustrates how difficult it is for consumers to actually collect on their own automobile insurance policies - but the jury system in Connecticut continues to prove that insurance companies will be held responsible to their policy holders for the benefits they purchase. Please Note: In its original form, this article claimed that the jury's verdict was in excess of $900,000. This was erroneous. In fact, the verdict for damages was just in excess of $850,000 before comparative fault and apportionment party reduction. In addition, it was asserted in that article that Nationwide had made no offers prior to trial. In fact, Nationwide had made an offer of approximately $150,000 before trial. Stratton Faxon apologizes for this unintended and unnecessary puffery.

ANOTHER GROUNDBREAKING DECISION FROM THE CONNECTICUT SUPREME COURT
November 2, 2006
The Supreme Court ruled an exculpatory release forced on employees by an overreaching employer is void as against the public policy of the State of Connecticut. A Stratton Faxon client was badly injured when he was run down on a racetrack by a race car driver. Stratton Faxon sued the driver and others involved in the crash. The defendants attempted to avoid liability by arguing that regardless of the severity of their misconduct they could not be forced to pay damages because the plaintiff signed a mandatory release of liability. The trial court agreed and dismissed the case, but on appeal, the Supreme Court reversed the decision and held that Stratton Faxon's client could proceed with his lawsuit due to the inequity in forcing these types of releases on employees.
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POLICE CHIEF DEFENDS PROBE OF DROWNING

October 31, 2006, New Haven Register, By Marissa Yaremich
Police are doing everything in their power to determine what caused a local mother to drown underneath a Morgan Lane railroad trestle during a summer storm, including attempts to re-create the fatal water levels during Saturday’s downpour, said Police Chief Ronald M. Quagliani.
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FAMILY CLAIMS HARASSMENT OVER PHOTOS

October 30, 2006, New Haven Register, By Marissa Yaremich
The law firm representing Morgan Lane drowning victim Gladys E. Padula claims police threatened to arrest the family’s legal team when an investigator for the family took pictures of the officers’ accident reconstruction on the road.
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MEALEY'S PRODUCT LIABILITY & RISK
September 25, 2006, LexisNexis
After finding that a trial court did not err in refusing to apportion liability to an intervening employer, the Connecticut Supreme Court on Sept. 12 upheld a $2.19 million jury award to two workers injured when allegedly defective roof brackets caused scaffolding to collapse.
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STATE SUPREMES RECOGNIZE NEW TORT OF SPOLIATION
October 2, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Connecticut now expressly recognizes the tort of spoliation of evidence, the state Supreme Court announced today.
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STRATTON CONGRATULATES BEATMAN ON JOB WELL DONE
September 25, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Lisa Siegel
No rulebook could prepare Zeisler & Zeisler bankruptcy attorney Matthew K. Beatman for what lay ahead when Hartford Superior Court Judge Vanessa L. Bryant tapped him as the receiver for American Crushing & Recycling (ACR) — the Bloomfield-based company that owned the dump truck behind the deadly 20-car crash on Avon Mountain in July 2005.
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$2M AWARD FOR WORKERS NOT FREE AND CLEAR
September 16, 2006, New Haven Register, by Phil Helsel
A city carpenter seriously injured when he and another man tumbled from a roof at the New Canaan Nature Center eight years ago will receive part of more than $2 million from the company that manufactured a defective roof bracket, the state Supreme Court ruled this week.
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SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS VERDICT FOR STRATTON FAXON CLIENTS REQUIRING PAYMENT OF OVER $2.7 MILLION FOR INJURIES
September 12, 2006
The Connecticut Supreme Court today affirmed a jury verdict obtained by Stratton Faxon partner Joel Faxon for the injuries sustained by Neil Barry and Bernard Cohade. The union carpenters were shingling a roof in New Canaan in 1998 when the scaffolding they were using manufactured by Quality Steel Products of Massachusetts collapsed. The Supreme Court held that the manufacturer's efforts to thwart the verdict were baseless and ordered that the case be ended and the clients finally compensated. The case made new law protecting workers injured on the job by requiring employers to provide safety equipment to their employees as well as holding manufacturers of dangerous products accountable to the jury.
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INJURY SETTLED FOR SEVEN TIMES THE POLICY LIMIT
August 11, 2006, The CT Law Tribune, by Thomas B. Scheffey
Thomas Casciato, a clerk in the Bridgeport architectural firm of Fletcher & Thompson, suffered leg injuries in a November 2003 head-on collision in Shelton. Infinity Insurance Co., of Birmingham, Ala., represented the defendant driver, Luciano Marini, through its captive law firm, Levine & Sharp of Hartford.
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AVON MOUNTAIN ANNIVERSAY
July 27, 2006, New England Cable News
It has been a year since the deadly crash on Route 44 and victims of that crash are furious that nothing has been to make the roads safer. Brian Burnell reports live from Hartford with the story.
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ELLEN STOTLER CALLS ON DOT TO REPAIR ROADS
July 27, 2006, WFSB Channel 3 News
As part of a victim advocacy group formed by those affected by the deadly Avon Mt. Road crash, Ellen Stotler spoke out today about what has and has not been down to make residents of CT safer.
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CALL FOR SAFER ROADS: VICTIMS OF CRASH ON ROUTE 44 SPEAK OUT
July 28, 2006, Hartford Courant, by Daniel P. Jones
If it doesn't include a runaway-truck ramp, the road improvement project the state plans for Route 44 on Avon mountain won't prevent the kind of out-of-control truck crash that claimed four lives last summer, victims of the accident said Thursday.
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SAFE ROADS ADVOCACY GROUP COMPILES DANGEROUS ROADS LIST
July 27, 2006, by News Channel 8's Erin Cox
The widow of a man killed in a fiery crash on Avon Mountain last year wants the state to make roads safer. Ellen Stotler wants change before tragedy strikes again.
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OWNER OF TRUCKING COMPANY ARRESTED

July 25, 2006, WTIC AM Radio, The Ray & Diane Morning Show
Michael Stratton, attorney for Chip Stotler's family, speaks with Ray & Diane regarding David Wilcox, the truck owner involved in the Avon Mountain crash, who was arrested for manslaughter.