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By criminal defense attorney Thomas Soldan, who is barred and practices in the state of Virginia, with Price Benowitz LLP. Soldan has focused his practice on reckless driving, DUI/DWI, traffic, and personal injury litigation.

An orthopedic surgeon in Manassas, Virginia, has been found civilly liable for the death of one of his patients.

Dr. Christopher Highfill was found liable for the death of Mary Jo Curtis after had prescribed Ms. Curtis over 7,000 doses of Percocet, the common brand name for oxycontin, over a four-year period.

Dr. Highfill operated on a broken ankle that Ms. Curtis suffered and continued to write weekly prescriptions for four years even though Ms. Curtis dealt with addiction issues in the past related to alcohol.

According to testimony, Dr. Highfill did not meet with Ms. Curtis a single time during the last 14 months of her life, even though he continued to write prescriptions for the narcotic.

“Doctors see dozens of patients each day and prescribe dozens of medications a day,” said Thomas Soldan, a wrongful death attorney with the law firm of Price Benowitz. “However, this verdict shows that healthcare providers cannot avoid liability in situations where basic monitoring of prescribing practices would have avoided harmful outcomes.”

“Here, the doctor clearly abdicated his duty to his client to ‘do no harm’ when he prescribed an addictive narcotic for four years to a patient with a history of addiction.”

This type of overprescribing has become one of the common themes in the current opioid crisis. Medications such as Percocet were widely viewed as better for pain treatment, even though they carried with them an increased risk of addiction and abuse.

Doctors began prescribing them as a matter of course in dealing with patient pain and injury and sometimes adequate follow up failed to take place, leading to continued refills well after the injury occurred. (more…)

By employment law attorney Tom Spiggle, who is barred and practices in the state of Virginia, with The Spiggle Law Firm.

The competition for Amazon’s new headquarters — commonly known as HQ2 — has been fierce across the country. Of the contending cities, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland are all near the top of the list which could be due to Amazon’s data centers located in Northern Virginia or Jeff Bezos’s home in Washington, D.C..

Unsurprisingly, the laws in the states being considered vary greatly. As the winning location is likely to see an employment boom — at least 50,000 new jobs for the headquarters alone, according to some reports — the rights of employees will become a primary focal point.

One of the clearest areas of difference will be laws related to workplace discrimination protections for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered) employees.

Of the 20 finalist cities, 11 are in states that have no laws extending workplace discrimination protections to LGBT individuals. These individuals have little to no recourse in the event they believe they were the subject of discrimination due to sexual or gender orientation.

It is surprising that over half of the cities identified as finalists are in states that lack these protections, given Amazon’s stance on equality for the LGBT community. However, this could a case where Amazon uses its financial power to exact political change. Most of the states on the list will be clamoring for Amazon to locate there and they may decide not to let a failure to provide equal rights to its citizens be the only impediment to serious economic growth.

If Amazon selects a state without these protections, individuals seeking to relocate for employment from a state with LGBT protections should be aware of how the difference in state law may impact them personally, from employment, to marriage, to estate planning.

“Whichever city and state Amazon selects will be impacted in both expected and unexpected ways,” said Tom Spiggle, an employment law attorney with The Spiggle Law Firm. “The employees they hire need to be aware that Amazon may have workplace rules that outline certain rights and conditions, but that state law controls. Being aware of how a state’s laws can impact you and your family will be very important.”

Another point to remember is that not only will Amazon be employing more people, but so will other businesses. Amazon may respect the rights of its LGBT employees in a state without those protections but other employers may not, so individuals considering relocation for an Amazon-related job may be faced with an even more challenging environment and need to be fully apprised of their rights.

SATURDAY, APRIL 7 & SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018
11 a.m.-4 p.m. (BOTH DAYS)

Celebrate the arrival of spring at the National Postal Museum’s Garden Party!

The festival will occur on Saturday, April 7 and Sunday, April 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Activity stations spread throughout the museum are designed to encourage awareness of and appreciation for the natural beauty all around you. Special guests from Smithsonian Gardens, Smithsonian Libraries and several local garden clubs will be on hand to share their love and knowledge of the greater Washington area’s native flowers, trees and plants. Activities include but are not limited to:

Gardening Workshop

Participate in a Gardening Workshop with local experts. These aficionados will teach you about ecosystem-friendly planting by sharing information about the flora best suited for the region and which invasive species to avoid. They will also answer any questions you may have and share tips to cultivate your own green thumb!

Make a Stamp “Bouquet”

Experience the joy of stamp collecting by hand-selecting your favorites from an ample buffet of vintage postage stamps. Make a floral-themed stamp collection and take home your beautiful stamp “bouquet.”

Learn the Language of Flowers

In the Victorian era, the “Language of Flowers” was a popular way to communicate emotions. What did it mean if you received a purple violet from someone? What about a yellow carnation? Learn the particular significance of specific flowers and colors, and practice this unique tradition of expression with specially-made postcards that you can mail right from the museum! (more…)

This column is written and sponsored by D.C. real estate agent and Edgewood resident Jessica Evans. Email her questions at  [email protected].

The next stop on the home buying journey is often a home inspection. Today I’ll be going over the ins and outs of inspections, the different types, who to hire and what to expect. Not everyone has a home inspection, but for most buyers, the information gained is very helpful.

Let’s start with what a home inspection is and what it isn’t. A home inspection is a visual inspection of the structure and components of a home to identify items that are not performing correctly or are unsafe. A home inspector will recommend further evaluation by a licensed professional if they suspect an issue that requires further diagnosis.  Home inspectors also can provide valuable preventative maintenance recommendations.

A home inspection is not a 100% examination of every inch of a home, and is limited to what is visible, accessible and testable. The overall objective of a home inspection isn’t to find every possible issue, it is to provide a buyer with an understanding of the condition of the home, identify issues that need to be corrected (and potentially negotiated) so that the buyer can proceed with their purchase with a level of comfort.

There are two times in a transaction when a buyer may decide to have a home inspection, one is before an offer is submitted (aka a pre-offer inspection) or more traditionally after an offer is accepted and a contract is ratified. (more…)

The Bullpen is thrilled to announce that it will return for the 2018 season.

The venue opens at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27 for the 4:05 p.m. Nationals v. Twins Preseason game at Nats Park.  On Thursday, April 5, The Bullpen opens at 10 a.m. for the Washington Nationals’ home opener against the New York Mets.

Admission is free and the venue is open to all ages until 9:30 p.m. when the venue is open to guests ages 21 and over.

On Opening Day, The Bullpen’s live music includes pregame entertainment from Sean Gaiser and a postgame performance from the DCeivers. Guests can grab hot dogs off the grill, daiquiris from the Bayou Daq Shack, barbecue from the Due South food truck and ice-cold drinks from the Bullpen Bar. As always, the Bullpen Happy Hour offers all drinks for $5 from the 3rd-7th innings.

Bullpen fans can now access a full event calendar, including information on opening times, live musical acts, special events, Truckeroo dates and more. View and subscribe to The Bullpen calendar at https://events.thebullpendc.com/.

The Bullpen has a brand-new roof deck that extends across the entire span of the Bullpen’s Half Street side. It’s a great spot for people-watching and catching the live music on the Bullpen stage. The roof deck, along with several “dugout” areas, are available for private parties and events. For more information, call 202-660-2165 or email [email protected].

This weekly column is written and sponsored by D.C. real estate agent and Kalorama resident Jeffrey Tanck.  He can be reached at [email protected].

You bought the perfect apartment when you were single. Close to work, near great places to eat, drink and get kicked out of. It was your first place and it was your palace.

Then you met your partner and now you’re consolidating households and don’t know what to do with that same great apartment that no longer works for your current sitch. You’re not ready to let it go, not yet.

You’re going to rent it! Great idea.

Personally, I think everyone should have a studio or one bedroom apartment in their investment portfolio. Rental real estate can be a wonderful investment. That said, it is not without risks. Below is part one of a two part series on practical strategies to reduce the stress of being a landlord.

Get the proper licenses. THIS IS IMPORTANT. DC has specific legal requirements for renting property and it is vitally important that you’re in compliance. Not having the proper licenses is a liability you do not want and can limit your rights.

Have a home inspection. A home inspection is like a physical for your property: it can establish a baseline for overall condition, as well as identify current and potential issues. Take care of any problems that are identified in the inspection before you begin marketing your property.

The City will also perform an inspection of your property as part of the licensing process to ensure certain property and safety standards are met. If you make sure your property meets these standards ahead of time the process will be much more efficient.

Cancel your Homestead Deduction. If the property that you are going to rent was owner occupied and you were receiving DC’s Homestead Deduction on your property taxes, you’ll need to notify the office of tax and revenue that you are no longer living in the property and are ineligible for the deduction.

Yes, this means that your property taxes will go up, but it also means that you won’t be penalized at some future point for taking the exemption when you were not eligible. (more…)