Family Sues City of Lynn for $35 Million for Lack of 13 year-olds Protection

March 22, 2010 (by Horatio Algren) According to reports the family of a 13 year old boy has brought a legal suit against the city of Lynn for not protecting the child. The family of 13 year old Matthew Mumbauer is suing the city of Lynn for $35 million claiming the child was not protected from a school bully.

Mumbauer states the bully allegedly pushed him down a staircase, which has left him in a wheelchair at Brickett Elementary School.

The attorney for the family sent a notice to eight city officials stating that the family claims administrators and teachers at the Brickett Elementary School ignored the bullying that then allegedly led up to Mumbauer being assaulted. The claim goes on to state that Mumbauer was left with a permanent spinal injury after allegedly being pushed down the staircase.

Doug Sheff, one of the attorneys for Mumbauer and his family stated he is hopeful some good will come out of this suit for others that are bullied and the schools will realize not only is it a moral obligation to stop this behavior, but also a financial one.

Sheff stated that the incident took place March 10, 2008 when Mumbauer was allegedly pushed down the school stairs and that there is also evidence the 13 year old complained prior to this incident. The evidence Sheff would not elaborate on he stated shows Mumbauer was bullied prior to the cervical spine injury that occurred March 10th.

City Solicitor Michael Barry stated that to prove their case the plaintiffs would have to prove that employees of the City of Lynn would have needed to have knowledge of the bullying prior to the incident. He also stated there is no school record of complaints by the child or family prior to the incident.

Barry stated there were no eyewitnesses to the incident to verify whether Mumbauer fell down the staircase or was pushed. He also said the 13 year old had two different accounts of the incident and who allegedly pushed him. The incident was not reported to police and contacted Alissa Cormier after learning about the incident through a fund raising fliers that were put up throughout the city March 31,2008.

Beacon Hill lawmakers have approved measures to handle bullying in schools, with required teacher training and requiring principals to report serious incidents to the police.

Multi-Million Dollar Settlement Approved in Lear Jet Crash

March 18, 2010 9by Horatio Algren) According to reports a judge approved a multi-million dollar settlement in a Lear jet crash.

Tuesday a judge approved more than $17 million dollar legal settlement over the life time of 3 year old Chris Bakers lifetime. This settlement was for a claim filed against Learjet Inc., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and other companies involved in the operation and ownership of a jet that crashed killing former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker’s assistant in 2008.

Federal investigators have not determined the cause of the airplane crash, but have stated the planes reverse were not in the right position.

The pilots were attempting to abort take off when the accident occurred in 2008 in Columbia South Carolina. There were four people killed in the crash including Baker, along with seriously injuring Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM. DJ AM later died of a drug overdose and his case in the crash was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Bakers widow Otilia was also awarded over $7.6 million in the settlement ordered by Los Angeles Superior Court JudgeMary Strobel. Otilia Baker’s attorney Brian Panish stated that while this was a sad case his clients were glad that a trial was avoided and they received the full compensation.

Why You Need Patent Protection For Your Invention

A patent is one of the many forms of intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets). Intellectual property or “IP” is about protecting “intangible” things, i.e. “intellectual” things or things of the mind. This is compared to “real” property which is about real estate. To break it down simply, patents protect inventions, like that new kitchen gadget, the novel online software, or unique medical device for example that an inventor has created. Trademarks protect the name or logo of the invention, typically for branding purposes, for example Nike is the trademark for their shoes. But Nike may have several patents that protect some of their novel shoe designs.

So why is getting a patent important? For several reasons. First, if you are a small inventor and you want to pitch your invention to companies, distributors, or investors. A primary concern is how you can protect the invention, and what will prevent others from stealing the idea. Protection of your invention boils down to two things, patent protection and/or a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). An NDA is a contract between the inventor and another party that forces the other party not to disclose to others what you are disclosing to them. But the problem with NDAs is that they are often ambiguous as to what is being disclosed and typically many companies will refuse to sign your NDA at all. Further, the NDA is only as good as the other person that signs it.

Patents in contrasts can be a much stronger right that allows the patent holder to sue infringers in court and to seek an injunction and damages, and in some cases of willfulness infringement, triple damages.

Further, an issued patent is a defined piece of property that you can sell in its entirety, or that you can license to allow other people the right to use what the patent is protecting. When you grant others a license you can receive patent royalties which can be very lucrative if negotiated properly. Another consideration is if you own a business that has issued patents and or other intellectual property like trademarks, it can greatly increase the value of the business if you ever intend to sell it or attract investors.

Other considerations, for marketing purposes having a “patented” product, or even a “patent pending” product adds so much credible to the company and the product or service itself in the mind of many consumers.

Lastly, you must have a patent in many cases if you want to sell you invention, particularly to larger companies. For example, many large companies have invention submission departments, but they will not even consider your idea and will actually return you idea to you if you do not have either an issued or pending patent. GM for example often will reject any new idea form outside the company if there is no patent in place.

If you are at the stage where you are ready to move forward for patent protection, make sure it is done properly with a competent and licensed patent attorney. For more information, call for a free consultation. Cohen IP Law Group, P.C., 1-310-288-4500
http://www.patentlawip.com