By: Darrell Castle You should NOT talk to the other driver’s insurance adjuster without an attorney when you’re involved in a car accident. The insurance adjuster may try to manipulate you – in subtle ways – to say something that will potentially cost you a lot of money. You need an attorney to advise you about what you should – and shouldn’t – say. If you’re injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, this rule is especially true. The other driver’s insurance company may seem caring and ask you something like, “Are you okay?” A reply back as simple as “Yes, I’m fine,” could really hurt any potential personal injury claim you may file. Then you could be
Last week Shelby County Commission members cast preliminary votes on an ordinance to establish minimum standards of care for pets. The ordinance would provide regulations for adequate food, shelter, and health-related treatment of domestic animals.Regardless of your view on the law itself, one thing is certain: happier pets mean safer people. When pet owners refuse to take proper care of their dog or cat, they break a trust with the animal. As a result, any breed can become defensive or frightened – wondering if and when it will get attention or have its needs addressed. A neglected animal does not always behave violently, and violent animals have not always been neglected. But in general, dogs that face hunger, loneliness, uncomfortable
By: Darrell Castle If you’re injured in a car accident on an icy street and it wasn’t your fault, or you aren’t sure whose fault it was, you should speak to a car accident attorney immediately. Mid-south residents woke up Thursday morning to snow and ice in their driveway and on the streets. And, as it typically tends to, it’s caused some havoc on the roadways as people commute to work and take their children to school. Some examples: One man died after being ejected from his vehicle during a car accident on Bill Morris Parkway, an icy sheet of road this morning. Northbound I-240 was shut down at Lamar Avenue after a 10 car accident caused major cleanup. Multiple
Preserve the evidence if you think your injury was caused by a defective tire By: Darrell Castle If you’ve been injured in a car accident and think it was because of a defective tire, contact a personal injury attorney immediately. You can call (901) 327-1212 of fill out one of the contact forms on this page to schedule a FREE consolation. Video Transcript If a defective tire causes your accident, can you sue the manufacturer for your injuries? Hi, I’m Darrell Castle and I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee and the answer to that question is YES, but there are some very important things to remember. Every year in the United States, thousands of
Recently Memphis Daily News reported two stories in a row, both of which I found interesting: First, they reported the great news that US home prices have risen by over 12% in the last year. According to their report, “Steady price increases, along with stable job gains and historically low mortgage rates, have in turn encouraged more Americans to buy homes.” At the same time, they also revealed that consumer confidence has fallen. Consumer confidence has been at a 5 1/2-year high, and the recent dip in confidence was only slight. But still, what could explain both pieces of news happening together? Why, if everything is so great, are people still nervous? Consumer confidence hasn’t risen to pre-recession levels yet.
Common questions about bankruptcy and marriage Bankruptcy comes with a lot of myths, and some of the biggest involve how it might affect your spouse. Here are some answers to think about in the case of couples who are considering bankruptcy and are not separated or divorced: Do both spouses have to file for bankruptcy? No, it is not required that you file a joint bankruptcy. If one spouse has a lot of debt in his or her name only, it may help to file separately depending on the state in which you’re located. However, if you have assets you want to keep that are under both of your names – like a house, for example – or if you
Transcript: If I file for bankruptcy, what will I lose? If you file for bankruptcy what are you going to lose? Usually you won’t lose anything, because each state has a list of exemptions, and that just means that there’s a list of property that is exempt from creditors. They can’t take it from you [just] because you owe them money. And we can usually fit your bankruptcy within the state exemptions. Now you have two different chapters that you can choose: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. That term’s not as mysterious as it may sound. A Chapter just means it’s a chapter in the bankruptcy code, which is like a book – the law of bankruptcy. Chapter 7 may
If you file for bankruptcy after someone has sued you over a debt, the lawsuit will probably still show up on your credit report. But in my experience as a bankruptcy lawyer in Memphis, people who ask this question are thinking about their credit the wrong way. If you have enough debt to get sued, your credit is probably already bad. And while bankruptcy doesn’t help your credit score, it can get you to a place where you’re able to deal with your finances again, so you’re ready to get your credit score back to a good rating. If you’re worried about how bankruptcy may impact your credit, make sure to hire an attorney who cares about it. Too many bankruptcy lawyers
Last week, the stock market went through some scary moments, and a lot of people lost their investments or were in a state of panic. As a result, Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz told employees all over America to be sensitive to their customers: “Today’s financial market volatility, combined with great political uncertainty both at home and abroad, will undoubtedly have an effect on consumer confidence and perhaps even our customers’ attitudes and behavior. Our customers are likely to experience an increased level of anxiety and concern.” It was a thoughtful response to the crisis, and I wish more people would be so understanding. Unfortunately, debt collectors probably don’t feel that way. They don’t care about how the stock market crash
As a bankruptcy lawyer in Memphis I meet folks all the time who’ve had their cars repossessed. Sometimes they come to see me because they want their cars back and hope it isn’t too late.Sometimes, though, you might not want your car back after it’s been repossessed. Maybe you know you can’t afford it or don’t need it, and you don’t want to put up a fight for it. You might assume after they take your car that your debts are settled. Sadly, that’s not always the case. If the repo company sells your car for less than you owe on it, you can still be held responsible for the difference. If you owe $10,000 and they sell your car