[TheForge] Teaching blacksmithing and insurance

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

i really need to jump here and give a personal experience example of
just how broken the legal system is in the usa. to the lawyers, judges,
and politicians it is all a game.

26 nov 2003, was the seven year anniversary of the work related accident
which basically has kept me home-bound. seven years of legal nightmare.

i will give you the short version and timeline.

consulting company i worked for at the time of the accident, 26 nov
1996, had workman's compensation insurance coverage from legion
insurnace company of pennsylvania. legion insurance company of
pennsylvania, villanova insurance company of pennsylvania, and legion
indemnity of illinois were all owned by mutual risk management of
bermuda. 1 apr 2002, legion insurnace of pennsylvania and villanova
insurance of pennsylvania were placed in rehabilation by the insurance
commissioner of the commonwealth of pennsylvania. legion indemnity of
illinois was placed in rehabilation by the illinois department of
insurance. suddenly instead of begin able to get a hearing, we were sent
multiple stays of litigation, issued by a commonwealth of pennsylvania
judge. could not do anything. could not go after the consulting company
directly, nothing. illinois courts and illinois industrial commission
were honoring the commonwealth of pennsylvania stays of litigation.

in the middle of june 2003, sudden the illinois courts and illinois
industrial commission decide that they were wrong in honoring the stays
of litigation and that they would start hearing cases which involved the
three insurance companies. less than two weeks later the commonwealth of
pennsylvania judge decides that legion and villanova cannot be
rehabilated and need to be liquidated. shortly thereafter the illinois
department of insurance places legion indemnity of illinois in
liquidation. all these liquidations now causes illinois law to kick in
which requires a 120 stay of litigation. that 120 stay of litigation
expired on or around 4 nov 2003. ( depends on who you ask as to what
date you are given. ) with all three insurnace companies in liquidation
the ultimate parent company, mutual risk management of bermuda, seeks a
'scheme of arrangement' in bermuda. the entire case now kicks to the
illinois guarantee fund. the consulting company is off the hook. they
have no liabilty any longer. i can not go after them.

8 dec 2003, we have a court date, in chicago. in all likelyhood the
lawyers just hired by the illinois guarantee fund to handle the case
will probably walk into court the request a 90 days continuance so that
they may review the case. the judge will probably grant their request.
yet another wasted day.

i have left out many details concerning the lawyers, judges, and others
complete unethical behaviour in the past seven years.

i have over 500 pages of legal documents detailing this nightmare.
even if we do get to have a hearing on 8 dec 2003, the judge has 120
days to issue a ruling. the best guess is that this case will not be
finally settled until late 2005 or middle 2006. rules, appeals, more
rulings, more appeals, finally hits the illinois supreme court which can
either agree to hear arguments or not.

most details are still on the web. search google.

instead of a fair settlement i will probably be offered .25 to 35 cents
us on the dollar by the illinois guarantee fund. that will not even
cover the medical bills which neither the consulting company nor legion
insurance paid and at this point do not have to pay.

the legal system is all a game one big game played by the lawyers,
judges, and the politicans.

On Sat, 6 Dec 2003, Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer wrote:

peter>
peter> It's easy to blame the lawyers, and in some cases justified, but mostly
peter> the problem is the #@#@#@# who press frivolous lawsuits and the jurys
peter> who support them.
peter> The virtue of the system is it offers a way to settle conflicts short of
peter> firearms...fewer dead people are pretty much worth the incessant
peter> bullship...mostly.
peter> As the system ages, it picks up barnicles and parasites, but still
peter> generally functions. Eventually it gets cleaned up or collapses.
peter> RE digi camera...I want one too...but every time it comes down to a new
peter> camera or a tool...............Pete F
peter>

Bill Alleman wrote:
bill> > >
bill> > >
bill> > >
bill> > > But don't it just warm yer heart t' know the lawyers aren't forgotten?
bill> > >
bill> > >

andy wrote:
andy> >	The only ones that make out like bandits no matter how things
andy> >	turn out are the lawyers.  Stock brokers are in a similar
andy> >	position, though I can respect what they do a little more
andy> >	then the ambulance chaser.

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>