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I just finished an interview with a person and was reviewing our corporate medical benefits with them.  They informed me that they are currently getting $75 per month towards medical care.  I wondered to myself, what can cover?  To this point and in the news, more than 5,000 people are expected to show up for free medical care at a Los Angeles arena starting Thursday, organized by nonprofit CareNowLA.  People have already been lining up to get wristbands allowing them to enter the clinic on Thursday.

How do people that are injured and sick get healthcare? 

COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) can average a typical person or family in excess of $300 to over $1000 a month.  For some workers, the COBRA payments can amount to more than 60% to 70% of their monthly unemployment check.  Many laid-off workers who are eligible to continue their health insurance coverage through COBRA cannot afford to do so.  Other options include purchasing private insurance.  If you and other members of your family are healthy, you may be able to find a high deductible health plan that is less expensive than COBRA through Blue Cross or online at eHealthInsurance.

With insurance at the forefront of our national conversation, it got me thinking how valuable legal funding is when alternatives are so costly or unavailable.  Should a person be injured in an auto or premise liability case, legal funding may be the solution.  There is a way to fill the gap between medical need and lack of coverage when a plaintiff has a valid personal injury case. 

Pre-Settlement LOP Surgical Fundings are provided on behalf of a plaintiff that is underinsured or uninsured and has been approved for a specific medical treatment by a medical provider or medical facility.  These cases are approved for funding and surgical payment using CMG’s internal underwriting team composed of personal injury attorneys.  After a comprehensive review of the personal injury case’s liability and the defendant’s ability to pay, CMG provides a non-recourse funding to the medical provider and/or facility via a lien that is placed on the plaintiff’s case.  In this instance, the provider is paid the day after treatment is billed, the patient gets the treatment they need and payment is made only from the proceeds of the case settlement, not from the patient’s pocket. 

Have you been injured to no fault of your own and have no way to pay for necessary medical treatment?  CMG can help! Contact us at 1.800.CMG.CASH or apply online. 

This blog is not intended to be used as legal advice, but as a vehicle of litigation funding conversation.  We welcome your inquiries, comments and feedback. 

Medical Experts are used in an array of ways for personal injury cases.  If you were to Google medical expert, you will find hundreds, if not thousands of websites selling the services of medical experts.  The primary focus of these individuals is to address causality, mechanism of injuries, extent of damages, prognosis, degree of disability and potential for recovery.

Specifically these services involve and array of experts from board certified physicians to legal nurse consultants.   Each type of expert brings to the table an assortment of medical specialty and litigation process experience.   

-          Common services offered by medical experts include:

-          Independent Medical Evaluations (IME) provides impartial opinions are rendered to help determine cash, medical, and/or rehabilitation benefits for claim’s cases.  The issues in most independent medical evaluations are: diagnosis, causal relationship, prognosis, maximum medical improvement, % impairment rating, work capability, appropriateness of care, and recommendations with possible functional capacity assessments

-          Legal deposition & live testimony for use in court or serve as expert witnesses.

-          Chart review with a critical eye primarily used to organize, review, and summarize the essential records.

-          Legal Nurse Consulting (LNC) review the medical and non-medical issues of the case including: timing of the IME, appropriate physician selection, and pertinent medical records needed for a thorough, balanced and value added report. The legal nurse consulting can also educate on medical options and make sure that all elements of the IME report are appropriately addressed.

All successful plaintiff attorneys work with medical experts and/or legal nurse consultants.  However, autoaccident.com has taken it a step further.  They hired an on-staff, expert doctor to make sure the “firm’s clients receive a thorough review of their medical history. This thwarts a common insurance practice of distorting a victim’s past medical history in an effort to deny fair compensation.”

CMG similarly uses a team of legal nurses and physicians to help in the underwriting process for plaintiff fundings for medical malpractice cases.  These experts provide us with an in-depth understanding of the case and the plaintiff’s injuries.  This information gives us the confidence to fund with confidence.  WE have used experts for over 6 years for medical malpractice, personal injury, product liability and employment cases. 

If you have a failure to diagnose, wrongful diagnosis, auto accident or product liability case where a medical expert required, call CMG at 1.800.CMG.CASH or apply online.

The information provided on this page is not legal advice and should not be taken as such.

CMG has reviewed nearly a 1000 assault cases ranging from police brutality to negligent security in apartment buildings.  Each of these cases that received lawsuit money from CMG, resulted in some level of injury.  However, none of these cases involved a superhero.  Yes… a super hero!

There is apparently a superhero movement afoot in America.  Salt Lake City has the Black Monday Society, Seattle has the Rain City Superhero Movement and the national Real Life Superhero Movement has taken cities like New York and Orlando by storm.  These groups claim to be “marketing good deeds,” says Peter Tangen who is a consulting producer of the documentary “superheroes.”

When does a good deed go wrong and become assualt?  According to ABC News:  Phoenix Jones, who has been unmasked by police as Benjamin Fodor, was arrested about 2:30 a.m. Sunday while still wearing his black and gold superhero costume, a bullet-proof vest and carrying two cans of pepper spray. Fodor is a member of Rain City Superhero Movement, a group of self-proclaimed superheroes who say they patrol the streets to fight crime. He was charged with assaulting two people who police said were “dancing and having a good time” as they walked to their car.

How do you prove an assault claim? According to litigationlawfirms.com, in proving a civil assault claim, the plaintiff typically has two routes to prove the basic elements of assault.

• The Defendant acted, intending to cause harmful or offensive contact, and
• That the Plaintiff reasonable believed that he or she was about to be touched in a harmful or offensive manner.

In addition to the above elements being proven, each require that the Plaintiff did not consent to the Defendant’s conduct, that the Plaintiff was harmed, and that the Defendant’s conduct was a substantial factor in causing the Plaintiff’s harm.

We will see how this case is handled in court.  I am sure that it will get a lot of coverage.

If you or somebody you know has been involved in an assault lawsuit, call us at 1-800-264-2274 or apply online at the top of this page for a free funding review!

When I started working for Cambridge Managment Group 5 years ago, lawyers didn’t have websites and email addresses!  Case documents were sent via lengthy faxes and snail mail.  But as you know, technology and the internet is contagious… especially when it means driving  new business!

A HUGE portion of internet marketing is claimed by law firms and attorneys.  You may say that it is saturated.  Lawyers want you to ”Friend” them, they blog, they Tweet and they are Linkedin.  So what is next?  This is….

My Lawyer – Travels with Me App - available for Droids and iPhones by Fuzzy Thinkers.   This app claims to be “the best accident preparedness and collection toolkit available for Apple devices!”  It is free and sponsored by Florida lawfirm - Avera & Smith, LLP. and New Jersey lawfirm - Blume Goldfaden.  This app helps you dial 911 for emergencies and then choose you state to find “good to know” information on your rights in an accident.  The most impressive part of the app is the prompting it provides to collect the correct information at the accident scene.  Then the option to send this information is available.  Where does it go?  i would assume to one of the sponsoring lawfirms.

Similar apps have been created by insurance firms like Liberty Mutual Mobile where you can: map your location using GPS, take pictures of damage, collect contact information, share your own insurance information, and record a voice note to help you remember key details.  This app inparticular is created to aid in the claims submission process. 

Regardless of app, prepared plaintiffs are good plaintiffs.

If you or somebody you know has been involved in an auto accident lawsuit, call us at 1-800-264-2274 or apply online at the top of this page for a free funding review!

There are two sides to every coin especially when it comes to police.  First and foremost they protect us.  However, with this duty comes power.  On one side, police need all the personal protection and technology possible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an accident or personal injury has occurred.  They are truly in the line of fire every day.  Depending on their “beat,” they are on guard every second of everyday so they can go home to their family at the end of the day. 

On the other hand, the few members of law enforcement that cause harm where harm is not warrented cause fear for some and may be causing additional expenses to be incurred by states, according to Seattle PI.  In fact, Seattle is looking into arming police personnel with wearable audio/visual video cameras.  These body cameras are one of many types of law enforcement surveillance equipment that is available to the police including:  In-Car Video System, Digital Video Flashlight, and thermal imaging cameras. Seattle is specifically looking to beta test   the wearable devises (they already employ the in-car systems) which will be used on a limited basis to begin and may be used to document arrests and accidents from the perspective of the officer.  These video devices are a proposed idea to deter and prevent unwarranted police brutality and misconduct.  There are many brands of these devises claiming to record evidence that can not be edited or deleted also capturing important details such as the date/time and location.

Arguments against the video devices, other than cost, according to Seattle PI, are that “the recordings could be ruled inadmissible in court. Two, it’s a gross misdemeanor to record someone without their permission, opening the city to criminal and civil liability.”

CMG has reviewed over 100 police misconduct cases for lawsuit money and have funded about a dozen of them.  We have funded a lower percentage of these cases because these cases are typically lacking in evidence and rely on one persons word against another.   The police misconduct cases that we have funded were instances where the misconduct was severe and occurred primarily in public, offering witness statements as a source of evidence.  From a plaintiff’s point of view, this seems to protect the innocent and provide additional evidence that may not be available otherwise.

Use of cameras is not new to the US.  Most New York City blocks have them installed.  These cameras, in fact, were recently used to find Levi Aron’s killer in Brooklyn shortly after his abduction.  Installed primarily to ward off traffic abuse, it is easy to see how cameras can protect us in many ways. 

Are you wondering, “How do I get pre-settlement funding?” please call us at 1.800.264.2274 or apply online at the top of this page for a free litigation funding review. The information provided on this page is not legal advice and should not be taken as such.

The Wisconsin State Journal posted today: “As many as 2,345 Dean Clinic patients may have been exposed to the blood-borne illnesses hepatitis B and C and HIV because a diabetes nurse educator reused the handles of insulin demonstration pens and finger stick devices over a five-year period, from 2006 to 2011.”

Medication Error and medical malpractice lawsuits due to exposure to potentially lethal radiation, medication, and human error are unfortunately common.  Hospitals and surgical centers spend millions putting in place double and triple redundancy protocols to prevent errors just like this.   This case however was error while training.   Nurses, doctors and health care facilities in general are NOT careless, but careful.  Human error and training error are mostly to blame and are surely more likely as health care facilities become more strapped for resources each and every day.

Medical Malpractice suits have helped facilities become better at preventing situations like these, but patient education and intervention is always helpful and warrented.  The US Department of Health & Human Services published 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors spurred by the fact that “more people die from medical errors than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS.”  Further explanation of these tips can be found here, but to summarize:

1. Be an active member of your health care team.
2. Make sure that all of your doctors know about everything you are taking, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements such as vitamins and herbs.
3. Make sure your doctor knows about any allergies and adverse reactions you have had to medicines.
4. When your doctor writes you a prescription, make sure you can read it.
5. Ask for information about your medicines in terms you can understand—both when your medicines are prescribed and when you receive them.
6. When you pick up your medicine from the pharmacy, ask: Is this the medicine that my doctor prescribed?
7. If you have any questions about the directions on your medicine labels, ask.
8. Ask your pharmacist for the best device to measure your liquid medicine. Also, ask questions if you’re not sure how to use it.
9. Ask for written information about the side effects your medicine could cause.
10. If you have a choice, choose a hospital at which many patients have the procedure or surgery you need.
11. If you are in a hospital, consider asking all health care workers who have direct contact with you whether they have washed their hands.
12. When you are being discharged from the hospital, ask your doctor to explain the treatment plan you will use at home.
13. If you are having surgery, make sure that you, your doctor, and your surgeon all agree and are clear on exactly what will be done.
14. Speak up if you have questions or concerns.
15. Make sure that someone, such as your personal doctor, is in charge of your care.
16. Make sure that all health professionals involved in your care have important health information about you.
17. Ask a family member or friend to be there with you and to be your advocate 18.   Know that “more” is not always better.
18. If you have a test, don’t assume that no news is good news.
19. Learn about your condition and treatments by asking your doctor and nurse and by using other reliable sources.
20. Learn about your condition and treatments by asking your doctor and nurse and by using other reliable sources

Are you looking for a lawsuit cash, loan for settlement or lawsuit loan?  CMG doesn’t provide loans, but non-recourse plaintiff fundings an opportunity for lawsuit cash without the impending payback risk of a loan.  Should your case not settle, you keep the cash advanced to you.  Its’ that simple.  Contact CMG at 1.800.CMG.CASH or apply online.  This blog is not intended to be used as legal advise, but as a vehicle of litigation funding conversation.  We welcome your comments and feedback. 

Today we will focus on the intricacies of Premise Liability litigation. In a previous blog we described our knack for funding Slip and Fall cases to our readers, being that CMG has reviewed hundreds of Slip and Fall cases along with  a plethora of premise liability cases we consider our underwriters to be experts in this area of litigation. Below are a few more examples of accidents where the property owner’s negligence could potentially lead to litigation.   

Shopping cart injuries:  We use them every week… shopping carts.  That being said, they are one of the highest liabilities for a grocery store.   Injuries sustained from shopping carts can range from being trampled by a train of carts to children sustaining head injuries inflicted by a tipping.  Here are a few things stores are doing to prevent these injuries.  Many stores post an employee in the parking lot to find lose shopping carts, preventing them from car and personal injury.  Many retailers are started to enforce shopping cart safety.  Some Targets forbid children from holding on and riding on carts.  The American Academy of Pediatricians released the following statement on shopping carts and thier related injuries.  

Firework injuries: Fireworks are illegal in many states and for good reason. They are the reason for several hundred injuries a year! In 2009, hospital emergency rooms in the United States treated an estimated 8,800 fireworks-related injuries compared to 7,000 such injuries in 2008, according to a report published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  Many of these accidents result in lawsuits intended to cover the plaintiff’s medical bills and lost wages. The most commonly injured body parts are eye, legs, arms, and hands/fingers.

Security negligence: These lawsuits are typically filed by someone who was assaulted on a commercial or private property due to the negligence or absence or inadequacy of a security guard or security measures. These are generally filed due to lack of security personnel, faulty cameras, inadequate lighting, or malfunctioning locks.  There are law firms specializing in this type of case becuase of the detective work typically necessary to prove negligence.

As you can see, premise liability lawsuits come in many different forms, and we at CMG have seen just about all of them. Premise liability lawsuits are more common than people realize, and if you were injured due to no fault of your own it would why not call and get your free application and funding review for pre-settlement cash today!

CMG doesn not provide legal loans but non-recourse fundings which provide plaintiffs with an opportunity to receive cash without the impending payback risk of a loan.  Should your case not settle, you keep the cash advanced to you.  It’s that simple!  Contact CMG at 1.800.CMG.CASH or apply online.

Fact: Every year in North America over 540,000 people are injured in slip and fall (premise liability) accidents and require hospital care, while approximately 20,000 accidents result in fatality. 

Each year CMG encounters several hundred of these slip and fall cases, and the numbers dramatically increase during the winter months, largely due to ice patches on commercial or private property. In fact,  CMG has reviewed upwards of 3000 different incidents.  Of those funded, CMG Cash has advanced clients anywhere from $500 to $250,000.  Typical cash advances range from $10,000 to $30,000.

When reviewing slip and fall cases for settlement funding, the main challenge our underwriters face is determiningwhich party is at fault.   Strangly, it is not uncommon for the injured person to have been the negligent/liable party in the incident, as opposed to the home or business owner. That being said, CMG uses various pieces of  information to evaluate a case for funding such as: property owners record of maintenance or upkeep, photos or surveillance video of the accident site, weather reports, and witness statements.  In addition to assessing liability, CMG’s underwriters must also look at the severity of injury and subsequently whether the plaintiff required, often expensive, surgery. The most common injuries that tend to occur range from bruising and lacerations to broken bones to displaced joints.

Interestingly, weather does not free a property owner of liability, this was not always the case.  Laws have been changed based on a slip and fall incident in a Massachusetts parking lot. This change in case law proves that it is important for property owners to always be aware of the legal liabilities that exist on and around their property. For example, property owners are generally given 4 hours prior to the end of the storm to properly clear sidewalks, entry ways, parking lots, or other areas with elevated pedestrian traffic.   Current law leaves legal liablity  high for property owners and maintenance companies.  It is critical that they educate their employees on the legal ramifications and prevention of lawsuits. 

Are you injured and looking for a settlement loan or lawsuit loan?  CMG doesn’t provide litigation loans but something with far less financial risk.  Cambridge Management’s non-recourse fundings provide plaintiffs with an opportunity to receive cash without the impending payback risk and interest rates of a loan.  Should your case not settle, you keep the cash — it’s that simple!  Contact CMG at 1.800.CMG.CASH or apply online.

The most common case type encountered at CMG is Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs).  In fact, motor vehicle accidents represent nearly 30% of our total business. We have funded over 2,500 auto cases with cash fundings from $500 to $500,000.  By nature, motor vehical accidents typically offer us a lot of information to weigh our funding decision with.  Auto accidents typical involve a police report, commonly have witnesses and the injuries associated with most call for medical attention (MRIs, ER visits, operations, etc). 

Auto accidents come in all forms, drunk driving, texting while driving, parking lot accidents and traumatic T-bone accidents invovling 18 wheeled commercial trucks. We have a lot of experience in quickly deciphering the injury and accident information necessary for legal funding.  That being said, all accidents begin with driver negligence and distraction. 

Drunk driving is a common cause for accidents we review for litigation funding.  When driving intoxicated the chances of an accident can become 385 to 707 times more likely.  Motor vehicle accidents cannot all be attributed to DUI and DWIs because according to the U.S. census bureau of the 50,186 drivers who were involved in fatal car accidents in 2008, only 21.8% were above the legal limit of 0.08% BAC.

CMG provides cash advances for those plaintiffs involved in MVAs in which the fault does not land on them.   Through these accidents many plaintiffs come to us seeking funding to pay innumerable medical bills for injuries from bone fractures to joint displacements or even occasionally tragedies such as paralysis or death.

CMG’s underwriting team is well versed in quickly dissecting case details to glean the necessary information needed for litigation financing. Important factors considered are the defendant’s ability to pay (as shown by insurance coverage policies), liability of the accident (as shown by police reports and witness statements) and injuries sustained (as shown by medical records). This documentation helps CMG to appropriately fund personal injury plaintiffs with the most financial support as possible.

Are you looking for a cash settlement, litigation loan or settlment cash?  CMG doesn’t provide loans, but non-recourse fundings providing plaintiffs with an opportunity to receive cash with no credit checks and without the impending payback risk of a loan.  Should your case not settle, you keep the cash advanced to you.  It’s that simple!  Contact CMG at 1.800.CMG.CASH or apply online.

In an effort to furthure clarify the litgation funding case type landscape, we will continue our series on case type categories today.  This particular blog will focus on Commercial Cases.  There are few legal funding companies that will provide cash advances towards many commercial cases, however, CMG focuses our underwriting efforts where our expertise lies.

Commercial law is the body of law that governs commercial and business transactions, hence the propensity for it to be referred to as business law. Commercial law covers a broad range of business transactions, including but not limited to, corporate contracts, hiring practices, and the manufacture and sale of consumer goods. Despite the broad scope that commercial law covers, our experience with business law at CMG typically involves Breach of Contract or Intellectual Property Case types.

• Breach of Contract: Occurs when one of the parties fails to live up to his or her responsibilities under a contract. This can include failing to perform as promised, making it impossible for the other party to perform as promised, or making it known that there is an intention not to perform
• Misuse of Intellectual Property: Intellectual property is protected by copyrights, patent law, and trademarks. When these protective measures are breached, the inventor or innovator whose property has been misused can bring the perpetrator to court for misuse of intellectual property.

Commercial Cases comes in all shapes and sizes.  CMG is confident that we are able to cover and ultimately fund all these different types of cases. All we need from you is your online application, or for you to call 1-800-CMG-CASH to get started today! Pre-settlement funding is a simple, safe, and legal way for you to get the cash you need for medical and legal bills, as well as living expenses.  Should your case not settle, you keep the cash advanced to you.  It’s that simple!  Contact CMG at 1.800.CMG.CASH or apply online.