Ohio Legal Issues Blog

Notaries are very important to law firms in order to bind documents and ensure documents are being executed properly. Now, Ohio is leading the way for change pertaining to a more modern way of notarizing documents.

Soon, electronic notarization will be allowed to make authenticating documents easier and faster. 

Good news! The Ohio legislature has passed House Bill 166, a law that prevents attorneys and health providers from soliciting or otherwise communicating with victims of motor vehicle accidents for thirty days following the accident. It will take effect in the coming months - likely October of this year.

For years, injury victims of motor vehicle accidents have received literally dozens of phone calls and mailings from predatory lawyers and health providers, who use police scanners and telemarketers to find out about the accident and then pressure the injured into hiring them. Many of these firms are not even from the area they solicit. The mailers come at a sensitive time, when the injured person is trying to heal from often devastating injuries and in most cases the solicitation is unwelcome. House Bill 166, aptly-named the "Embargo" law, protects the injured from this onslaught of stressful solicitation. 

When most of us purchase comprehensive insurance, bundling homeowners and auto insurance, we believe we are fully covered for all accidents that might happen. However, even though insurance companies advertise with catchy phrases that promise full coverage and protection, a close look at the policy often shows that is not true. Insurance companies often use tricky language that write exceptions into policies that allow them to deny coverage. And then we're stuck with paying for damages we expected to be covered.

Recently we were hired to represent a man who was badly injured when his relative lost control of a golf cart they were riding in, throwing our client off the cart. His relative thought he had full coverage through three separate policies with reputable insurance carriers, both home and auto. 

Recently, a gentleman called our office because his wife had fractured her arm in a boating accident. He said that he and his wife made a claim with Progressive Insurance Company and were assured by the Progressive adjuster that a fair settlement could be reached without the need for attorneys to be involved. Ultimately, Progressive offered to pay $5,000 for medical bills and 50,000 for her pain and suffering. He and his wife felt that the offer was fair, settled the claim with Progressive and signed paperwork releasing Progressive and the at fault person for any future claims.

Unfortunately, his wife's health insurance company paid $100,000 in medical bills and demanded to be paid out of the settlement proceeds. Progressive did not inform the man and his wife of their obligations to pay the health insurance company out of the settlement. The law in Ohio requires repayment of medical bills from settlements. Sadly, these people had already signed a settlement release which precluded their ability to obtain more money from Progressive to satisfy the health insurance company's lien.