Civil Cases and Litigation

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If you’ve been severely injured in an accident, lost a loved one in a vehicle crash or to nursing home neglect, or you deal with illegal discrimination at work, Greene & Lloyd may be able to help you through a civil case and litigation. Call our office at 253-770-0808 to learn how our attorneys can help.

Civil litigation uses our court system to resolve disputes after other methods have failed. Most of our clients are injured by others and seek compensation. If a family member was killed, the next of kin might claim compensation for their loss. Other clients were treated illegally by their employers. If the opposing party isn’t reasonable when we try to settle the case, the issue will be decided in court.

Aggressive Litigators Ready to Go to Court

We are excellent negotiators. Nearly all the time, the parties reach an agreement before a jury makes a decision. We prepare a case as if we need to prove the case at trial. If negotiations fail, we’re ready to go. That level of preparation also helps when negotiating a settlement. It shows the other party we’re serious about our work and we shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Some of the civil cases we litigate include:

• Wrongful death in vehicle accidents
• Wrongful death in work accidents
• Nursing home neglect and abuse, including COVID-19 and nursing home negligence
  • Nursing home negligence toward residents
  • Negligent treatment of nursing home employees
• Employment law.

What Is Wrongful Death?

A wrongful death case is a civil action against a person, company, or organization that played a role in causing someone’s death. Such a lawsuit can be filed if a …

• Healthcare provider was negligent in treating a patient
• Fatal accident happened at work
• Vehicle accident caused a victim’s death.

The party being sued must have acted negligently or intentionally when causing the person’s death. There may be more than one responsible party. A doctor and a hospital may have been negligent. If a product malfunctioned, causing a fatality, the manufacturer and those who sold it could be liable.

State law allows for joint and several liability if two or more defendants are liable for the death. One or all could be responsible for paying the damages in the case. Washington’s wrongful death laws cover all responsible individuals and organizations, public or private, including hospitals, healthcare facilities, and providers.

The deceased’s spouse, a registered domestic partner, and children have the priority to bring a suit. If there are none, parents or siblings may recover through the personal representative of the victim’s estate. These potential beneficiaries may recover economic and noneconomic damages (such as for pain and suffering).

A Washington wrongful death claim must be filed in court within three years of the death. The case will probably be dismissed if that deadline is missed. If your loved one died due to the fault of others, you should contact us as soon as possible so this won’t be an issue.

Cases Handled by the Team at Greene & Lloyd

Wrongful Death in Vehicle Accidents

We take driving for granted. If we want to go somewhere, most of us drive there without thinking about it. But every vehicle trip may turn fatal. If that happened to a loved one, it can be a shocking experience. He or she is with you one moment and you never see them alive again.

A driver in a fatal car accident could be a defendant in a wrongful death case if he or she negligently or intentionally caused the crash. If a commercial truck caused the accident, the driver, the trucking company, the truck’s owner, and whoever maintained it could all possibly be responsible, depending on the facts.

We Handle Cases of Wrongful Death in Work Accidents

If a loved one was killed in an accident at work or by an occupational disease, your family might have options for seeking compensation. A workers’ compensation claim can be filed. Depending on the situation, your family may also be able to sue a third party who played a role in the accident or illness.

Workplace deaths often involve driving or construction sites.

• If your loved one was driving as part of his or her job and was killed in a vehicle accident caused by another party, that party could be sued.
• If a person working at a construction site was killed because of the negligence of another subcontractor, the general contractor or by a defective tool or piece of equipment, a lawsuit could be filed.

We Represent Those Who Suffer from Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse

Nursing homes often are understaffed, under-resourced, and poorly managed. There are chronic shortages of workers, so fewer people need to work more. Residents’ needs are neglected, causing infections, serious injuries, and deaths.

Sometimes staff intentionally abuse fragile and vulnerable residents. They may take out their frustrations on residents through physical or emotional abuse. Predators may sexually assault the elderly and disabled. Staff may also steal from residents or manipulate them into giving them access to bank and investment accounts.

COVID-19 Nursing Home Negligence Toward Residents

Almost a third of all Americans killed by this virus were nursing home residents. Nursing homes may not have had enough staff, knowledge, or protective equipment to keep residents safe. Infected staff may have passed the infection to many residents. If multiple residents lived in the same room, the infection easily could spread from person to person.

COVID-19 Negligent Treatment of Nursing Home Employees

Nursing home residents weren’t the only ones suffering from negligence. Employees were also infected, sickened, and allowed to spread COVID-19 to others. Nursing homes have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to be safe workplaces. In many cases, not enough personal protective equipment was available to staff, leaving them vulnerable to infection. As workers quit or called in sick, overworked employees spent more time, poorly protected, among infected staff and residents.

Legal Dispute at Work? Our Employment Lawyers Can Help.

Greene & Lloyd also represents current and former employees in legal disputes over their treatment at work. Our lawsuits involve state and federal laws covering illegal harassment and hostile work environment, unlawful discrimination (based on race, sex, age, pregnancy), and wrongful termination.

We help people who were denied pay and benefits because they were misclassified as independent contractors. We also represent employees involved in contract disputes, often with former employers, concerning their intellectual property or the client’s ability to work for a competing company.

Your Next Step: Contact a Civil Litigation Attorney

If you or a loved one was seriously injured or suffered abuse at a nursing home, or a family member was killed in an accident, or if you’re dealing with illegal discrimination at work, call our office at 253-770-0808. You and your family deserve to have tough, effective counsel in your corner, fighting for the best outcome possible.

Greene & Lloyd attorneys have helped clients throughout Puyallup, Olympia, Tacoma, Kirkland, Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Spokane, and Kennewick. We can help you, too. Wishful thinking and hope won’t protect your legal rights or get you the fair settlement you deserve. We will.