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$2,000,000 Tractor Trailer Accident

Terms and names of the parties are confindential

$1,500,000 for Pedestrian Struck by Motor Vehicle

$700,000 for Tractor-Trailer Accident

Langer Ramirez: A

Florida man was paid $700,000 in his Middlesex County suit Jan. 25 for back injuries he sustained when his car was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer

Plaintiff Robert Langer III, now 26, of Boca Raton, Florida, agreed to the settlement with Colony Specialty Insurance Co., the carrier for defendant Jose Ramirez, on Dec. 22, said Langer's attorney, Steven Haddad, who heads an Edison firm.

Langer was injured on Feb. 16, 2012, as he was driving north on Mill Road in Edison, Haddad said. His
car was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer owned by Ramirez and driven by an employee, Dionicio Montz. Haddad said Langer sustained injuries to discs in his lower back that required fusion, Haddad said. The suit in Middlesex County Superior Court, had been scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 29, but had not yet been assigned to a judge, Haddad said Colony retained Michael Leegan, of the Princeton office of Goldberg Segalla. He declined to comment.

By Michael Beath

Struck Pedestrian Gets $495K Settlement

Williamson v. Washington: A pedestrian who was struck by a car while crossing the street agreed to a $495,000 settlement of her Hudson County suit March 27. Veronica Williamson, now 45, was struck by a car while crossing Martin Luther King Drive in Jersey City at around 2 a.m. on March 31, 2012, according to her lawyer, Steven Haddad of Haddad Law Offices in Edison. She suffered fractures of the face and skull and required pen reduction and internal fixation on her right ankle. Williamson had just left a bar where she had been drinking, and she crossed the street in the middle of two parked cars instead of at the crosswalk, Haddad said. Williamson was determined to have a blood-alcohol content of .127, more than the legal limit of .08 for driving, and the defense claimed her judgment was impaired, Haddad said. Williamson filed suit against the driver of the car, Yusef Washington, and its owner, Pamela Lewis. Haddad said he was prepared to argue that Washington was driving too fast for conditions, which included light rain. The settlement was reached about a week before trial. The lawyer for Washington and Lewis, Thomas Morrone of Chasan, Leyner& Lamparello in Secaucus, confirmed the settlement.

-By Charles Toutant

$3,300,000 for Pediatric Nursing Malpractice

$1,900,000 Settlement premises liability

Terms of settlement are confidential

$1,500,000 for Construction Site Accident

$1,400,000 for Motor Vehicle Accident

Case Details Cannot Be Disclosed

$705,000 in Dram Shop in Monmouth

Russo Wells: A mother and daughter injured in a head on collision with a drunken driver will receive at total of $705,000 from the driver, a bar and their own insurers In May 2011, Rosemarie Caruso, then 42, was driving on Adelphia-Farmingdale Road in Howell, with her child and mother, Marie Russo, 70, in the backseat, Russo then unbuckled her safety belt to retrieve an item for the child at which time another motorist, Kevin Wells, from the opposite approached direction and attempted to turning the front-driver's left, side hit of Russo's vehicle, said her law er, Steven Haddad, who heads an Edison fi Wells, then 28, of Howell had been drinking at Tom's Tavern on Asbury Road in Farmingdale, and his blood- alcohol content after the accident was 23. nearly three times the legal limit for driving, according to Haddad. le said Russo sustained a comminuted femur fracture, rib facture and other injuries, while Caruso sustained soft tissue injuries, sprains and a herniated disc. Caruso also claimed the collision aggravated prior back injuries. The seat asserted a dram claim against Tom's Tavern shop and a negligence claim against Wells. A plaintiffs expert con ended that Wells even higher when BAC he was served his to Haddad last drink, according the parties settled June during of a September mediation, Haddad said trial in advance date, 22 Tom's Tavern, insured by Tower Insurance, agreed to pay $400,000. Wells, through High Point Insurance, paid $30.000. They plaintiffs also recovered $235,000 via Russo's underinsured motorist cover age and $40,000 via Caruo's underinsured motorist cover- age. Both those policies were through State Farm, according to Haddad Russo received $610,000, while Caruso received $95,000, he said Counsel for Tom's Tavern, Dan Jahnsen of Bolan Jahnsen Dacey in Shrewsbury, didn't return a call seeking comment Wells' counsel, Elaine of Debra Hart's Morganville Brennan firm, couldn't be reached.

-By Michael Booth

$825,000 for Auto Accident

Falcon v. Suburban Disposal Inc.: A Bayonne

Man who hurt his back and neck when his car was struck by a garbage truck accepted $825,000 in his Hudson County suit on March 7.

According to his lawyer, Steven Haddad, Hector Falcon was double- parked on Packard Street in Bayonne on March 7, 2009, when a garbage truck owned by Suburban Disposal of Fairfield began backing up in his direction. Because the street was a dead end, trash collectors routinely backed.

Their truck onto the block before making pickups. The truck, operating at about 12 mph, backed into the front of Falcon's car. He failed to sound his horn he tried for it but missed.

Further he had a cervical fusion and lumbar discectomy. Now 44, he is not able to return to work, Haddad says.

The defense contended Falcon was partly at fault for double-parking and that his symptoms were from pre-existing injuries, says Haddad. The parties settled just before mediation, he says law Suburban's Patrick Minter in of Graham Curtin Morristown, did not return a call. The defendant's carrier was Everest Insurance of Hamilton, Bermuda.

By Charles Toutant

$500k for Fall at Lawyer's Office

Sersheck v. Deneglio: A Little Egg Harbor woman will receive $500,000 as compensation for back injuries she sustained when she slipped and fell on an icy deck at a lawyer's office. Plaintiff Debra Versheck, now 58, and Harleysville Ins. Co., the carrier for defendants Ralph Deneglio, Delo Bay Holding Co., and DDL Enterprises, the owners of the office building where the accident occurred, agreed to the settlement April 10 after a settlement conference before Ocean County Superior Court Judge Craig Wellerson, said Versheck's attorney, Clifton solo Steven Haddad. Versheck was injured Feb. 13, 2011, as she was leaving the Tuckerton office of an attorney, Joseph Kurzrok, Haddad said. The lawsuit alleged that Versheck slipped on ice that had accumulated on an illegally constructed deck. Haddad said Versheck aggravated existing lower back injuries, requiring her to undergo disc fusion. Kurzrok was not a party in the lawsuit, Haddad said. Harleysville retained Charles Little, of Little, Bigley, Baughman, Teague & Daprile-Ragoza in Mount Laurel to represent the defendants. He did not return a call seeking comment.

-By Michael Booth

*Reversed on Appeal

$3,000,000 for Motor Vehicle Accident

$1M for Auto Accident

McKenzie v. Pereira: A Bayonne man allegedly injured while a passenger in a van that was hit by a drunken driver will receive just over $1 million in settlement of his suit. On April 2, 2011, Kenneth McKenzie, then 48, was riding in a van that was hit from behind by a car driven by defendant Eric Pereira, 21, of Jackson, said McKenzie's attorney Steven Haddad. Pereira had been work- ing as an assistant for David Todd Photography of Marlboro at an event at the Rockleigh Country Club in Rockleigh, and had been served at least four cocktails before leaving, said Haddad, who handled the case with Nehal Modi, an associate in his Edison law office. McKenzie's van was in the southbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway when it was struck by Pereira's. The van hit a guardrail, flipped over and skidded into the southbound express lanes, where it collided with another car, driven Keith Wegle of Toms River, who also by was injured. The van's driver, 43, of Middletown, died Kevin in Donnelly the crash and a third occupant Small of Middetown, of also the was van, At the time of the Pereira had a blood-alcohol accident, 123 percent (the legal cent). He presently is year sentence after serving to one count of and three counts vehicular of assault pleading limit is.08 homicide Haddad said. by a level injured. seven- guilty auto, Erin per- of McKenzie suffered requiring cervical spine spine knee surgeries microdiscectomy, on both fusion, shoulder surgery, Haddad knees arthroscopic The suit, filed in County Superior Court, mediation before Court Judge John retired with Red Bank's Keefe Haddad said. Keefe settled Monmouth said. Sr., Superior Bartels, injuries and lumbar after now left Rockleigh's carrier, Peerless Co., paid $850,000 on on May 5, the carrier April for 21, Pereira, and Ins. High Point Ins. Co., agreed to $100,000, while David Todd's car- pay rier, New Donnelly's Hampshire carrier, Co., agreed to pay Progressive Ins. $50,000 Co., Ins. and and $2,000, respectively, The case had been Haddad Superior Court Judge Katie assigned but no trial date had been set. Gummer, said to Peerless retained Jack of Chatham's Maloof, Connahan & Oleske. High Lebowitz, Maloof, Point assigned the case to its in-house counsel, Elaine Brennan, of Morganville office of Debra New Hampshire retained Christopher Hart. the Connover, of Demers & McManus. Morristown's ssigned the case to its Progressive Ahmuty, in-house ounsel, Gary Nitsberg, of faren & Nitsberg in turned telephone calls Iselin. Cooper None

-By Michael Booth

Injured Motorcyclist Settles for $700K

Kerner v. Cook: A man who sustained a neck injury when his motorcycle collided with a car settled his Monmouth County suit for $700,000 on Dec. 2, 2016.

In 2012. Eric Kerner was riding on East Front Street, in the left of three lanes, when a car driven in the middle lane by Matthew Cook turned left in front of Kerner after which the motorcycle struck the car, according to Kerner's attorney, Steven Haddad of Haddad Law in Edison.

Kerner alleged he sustained a neck injury that required a one-level fusion procedure at the cervical level, and claimed about $130,000 in medical expenses, Haddad said.

Cook stipulated liability but challenged causation, con- tending that the neck issue was pre-existing and age- related, according to Haddad. Kerner, now 57, settled just before trial. Cook was insured by Encompass, according to Haddad, who handled the matter with Nehal Modi of the same firm.

Cook was represented by Michael Fitzgerald, a Brielle solo. Fitzgerald didn't return a call seeking comment on the case.

By David Gialanella

$625,000 for Automobile Injuries

Bishop v. Barajas: A North Bergen man who alleged a neck injury in a two-car crash agreed on Dec. 14 to a $625,000 settlement of his Hudson County suit. Cesar Bishop was driving west in the right-hand lane of Paterson Plank Road in Secaucus on Oct. 12, 2009, when his vehicle was cut off by one driven in the left lane by Jesus Barajas of Ivanhoe, Calif. Barajas and his passenger were in the course of their work for Newfield Wireless of Berkeley, Calif., testing cellular phone reception in the area, when the passenger told Barajas to make a right turn from the left lane, says plaintiff lawyer Steven Haddad of Jersey City. The collision caused Bishop's vehicle to veer off the road and strike a light pole. He claimed he sustained neck injuries that required cervical fusion surgery. Bishop sued Barajas and Newfield. The company agreed to pay $625,000 on behalf of itself and Barajas. Their lawyer, Peter Barber of Daly, Lamastra & Cunningham in Whitehouse Station, did not return a reporter's call.

-By Charles Toutant