News

Attorney Tim Higgins acted as Judge at the Saratoga County Courthouse on February 7, 2019.  The 2019 High School Mock Trial Tournament was sponsored by The New York State Bar Association’s Law, Youth & Citizenship Program and the New York Bar Foundation in conjuction with  the Saratoga County Bar Association. 

During the snowy and icy winter season, we’re often asked whether or not workers’ compensation covers car accidents that occur due to hazardous weather conditions. Workers’ compensation cases can often be tricky, so it’s important to understand in what instances employees may qualify for workers’ compensation before moving forward with a lawsuit. First of all, to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, an injury must be “work-related”. [...]

 For some New Yorkers injured in auto accidents, the emotional impact of the crash can be worse than physical injuries like broken bones.  Now, a New York appellate court has ruled that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”) caused by an auto accident can be diagnosed by a non-doctor.  In the case Vergine v. Phillips, decided on December 20, 2018, the Appellate Division of New York Supreme Court, Third Department (based in Albany), reinstated a lawsuit [...]

Social Security Fast-Tracks Decisions for People with Severe Disabilities The Social Security Administration announced five new Compassionate Allowance conditions: Fibrolamellar Cancer, Megacystis Microcolon Intestinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrome (MMISH), Megalencephaly Capillary Malformation Syndrome (MCAP), Superficial Siderosis of the Central Nervous Systems, and Tetrasomy 18p. Compassionate Allowances is a program to quickly identify medical conditions and serious diseases that meet Social [...]

Imagine you are texting a friend, and you know your friend is driving a car while responding to your text messages.  Your friend causes a car crash and injures the other driver.  Can you be held responsible for the other driver’s injuries because your text messages may have distracted your friend and caused the accident? A New York appeals court recently considered that very question, and ruled that the person who texted the driver (who then caused the accident) cannot be held [...]