Firm News

The partners at Kormanik Hallam & Sneed continue to share their knowledge in the area of nursing home abuse and neglect via the Nursing Home Abuse Advocate Blog. It is our hope the blog will continue to be a trusted resource for news that is important to Idaho nursing home and assisted living facility residents and their families.

In October 2009, partner John R. Kormanik was a "Featured Athlete" of a Boise, Idaho, based triathlon coaching company. Performance High, LLC, a client of the Firm, has provided coaching to John since approximately January 2008, and has helped him successfully complete, among others, the 2008 Ironman Boise 70.3 and 2009 Ironman Coeur d'Alene races. The Ironman Coeur d'Alene event featured a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. John finished in 15:32:02. 

Please contact the Firm if you would like additional information about these news items.

RECENT RESULTS

Burris v. Travis, Ada County Case No. CV PI 0822589 - In January of 2011, the Firm successfully settled this automobile injury case on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Burris for approximately $113,000.  Mr. and Mrs. Burris were both injured when Defendant Travis rear-ended them both at a high rate of speed while they were stopped at a stoplight in separate cars.  Mr. Travis was extremely intoxicated at the time and caused Mr. Burris to incurr approximately $60,000 in medical expenses.  In March of 2010, the Firm secured a judgment against Mr. Travis in the amount of $474,675.64, but Mr. Travis was an uninsured motorist.  Luckily for Mr. and Mrs. Burris, they had collectively purchased $125,000 worth of uninsured motorist coverage from their own insurance companies for the two cars involved in the crash.

Godsill v. TRE Farms, LLC et al., Canyon County Case No. CV 10-7125 - In December of 2010, the Firm successfully settled this automobile injury case on behalf of Ms. Godsill for the sum of $14,000.  Ms. Godsill suffered relatively minor injuries after her car was struck by a fifteen-year-old driver who ran a stop sign.  The minor driver's insurance agreed to replace Ms. Godsill's brand new car, which was totaled as a result of the crash, but declined to properly compensate Ms. Godsill for her physical injuries and medical expenses.  The Firm filed suit on behalf of Ms. Godsill in July of 2010, and within five months, the minor driver's insurance agreed to pay Ms. Godsill the sum of $14,000.                             

Gardner v. Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. of Idaho, Payette County Case No. CV 2007-336 - In June of 2010, the Firm successfully negotiated a settlement of Mr. Gardner's claims against his insurer, Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. of Idaho, and his insurance agent, for the total payment of $340,000.  Mr. Gardner was a custom hay farmer who purchased an expensive swather from a local farm equipment dealer in July of 2006.  On the very day Mr. Gardner purchased the farm machinery, it was catastrophically damaged while Mr. Gardner trailored the swather to a job site.  Mr. Gardner timely submitted his claim to his insurance company.  At the time, Mr. Gardner only had $100,000 worth of insurance coverage because he did not have time to increase his coverage before the accident.  Thereafter, Farm Bureau conducted a so-called investigation into Mr. Gardner's claim, which lasted over 5 months.  Without ever giving Mr. Gardner a coverage decision, Farm Bureau filed suit against Mr. Gardner around Christmas of 2006.  Due to several uncontrollable circumstances, trial of the matter did not begin until January of 2010, but a mistrial occurred early on due to juror misconduct.  Thereafter, Farm Bureau agreed to pay Mr. Gardner $305,000 (even though he only had a policy of $100,000) instead of re-trying the case.  Mr. Gardner had previously settled his claims against his individual insurance agent for $35,000.           

Murphy-Sweet v. Q4, LLC, District of Idaho Case No. CV 09-155-S-CWD - In June 2010, members of the Firm successfully negotiated a settlement on behalf of Mr. Murphy-Sweet whose claims arose out of alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Idaho Human Rights Act. 

Hochstrasser v. Dupree, Canyon County Case No. CV 09-5787-C - In March 2010, members of the Firm successfully settled a personal injury matter on behalf of Ms. Hochstrasser, who was injured in a car crash. The settlement included the maximum amount available under Mr. Dupree's auto insurance policy as well as substantial funds from Ms. Hochsrtasser's own automobile insurance policy, which included "under-insured motorist" ("UIM") coverage.

Newman v. Teak, Inc. d/b/a Subway, Ada County Case No. CV PI 0818187 - In September 2009, members of the Firm successfully negotiated a settlement on behalf of Ms. Newman, who had to be treated in the emergency room after the unfortunate experience of ingesting an unknown foreign substance which was in her salad purchased from Teak, Inc.

Western Community Insurance Co. v. Coman Collection, Inc., Ada County Case No. CV OC 0719870 - In July 2009, members of the Firm successfully negotiated a settlement on behalf of Coman Collection, Inc., a builder of custom homes. Coman was sued by a certain homeowner; this case eventually settled. When Coman tendered the homeowner's claim to his insurance company, Western Community Ins. Co., Western Community refused to defend Coman and, in fact, sued Coman on its insurance contract claiming it had no duty to defend or indemnify claims made under the insurance contract. Western Community and individual insurance agents eventually settled with Coman and agreed to pay a total of $56,000.00.

Alves v. Powered, Inc., Ada County Case No. CV OC 0815315 - In July 2009, members of the Firm successfully obtained relief for Powered, Inc., in the form of an order enforcing an arbitration clause in its contract with Mr. Alves, who had sued Powered Inc., claiming wages due and owing. During his employment, Mr. Alves signed an employment agreement containing a clause compelling arbitration of any and all disputes arising out of his employment. The Court ordered the arbitration provision enforced.

Addison v. Idaho Council on Domestic Violence & Victim Assistance, District of Idaho Case No. 08-cv-167-S-EJL - In June 2009, members of the Firm successfully negotiated a settlement with the State of Idaho on behalf of Mr. Addison who had claimed he was subject to quid pro quo sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of Title VII and the Idaho Human Rights Act. One of Mr. Addison's claims was that, in exchange for his employment, he was forced to have sexual intercourse with the individual in charge of hiring. Mr. Addison also claimed that, because he broke off the relationship, his employment was terminated. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

Carrillo v. Boise Tire Company, Ada County Case No. CV PI 0718437 - In May 2009, members of the Firm, along with the Guenin Law Office, P.C. of Wabash, Indiana, obtained a jury verdict in favor of Mr. Carrillo and his family against Boise Tire Co., in the amount of $3,500,000.00. The Carrillo family brought claims against Boise Tire Co. related to improper servicing of the family vehicle prior to a vacation. Within hours of the vehicle being serviced by Boise Tire Co. a wheel came off the vehicle at speed and a catastrophic crash occurred. The jury also found that Boise Tire Co. was willful or reckless in its negligent acts. Cross-appeals have been filed following post-trial motions. 

Confidential Settlement - In April 2009 the Firm negotiated a confidential settlement between the Firm's client, a former employee, and her employer. The employee claimed that she was owed unpaid commissions and that she had been sexually harassed by one of the owners of the company which employed her. The terms of the settlement agreement are confidential.

Jacobs v. R&B Sunrise, Say You Say Me, Inc., District of Idaho Case No. 08-cv-104-S-BLW - In March 2009, members of the Firm successfully negotiated a settlement with Ms. Jacobs on behalf of R&B in a case where Ms. Jacobs claimed she was sexually harassed in violation of Title VII and the Idaho Human Rights Act. Initially, a principal of R&B was sued in his individual capacity; the Firm successfully moved the Court for an order dismissing Title VII and Idaho Human Rights Act claims against the named individual. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

Doolittle v. Structured Investments, LLC, District of Idaho Case No. 07-cv-356-S-EJL - In March 2009, members of the Firm successfully negotiated a settlement on behalf of Mr. Doolittle whose claims included violations of the Idaho Wage Claim Act and breach its contract for work Mr. Doolittle performed as Marketing Manager. In his Complaint, Mr. Doolittle claimed to be entitled to $146,064.00 in wages. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

DISCLAIMER AND NOTE: The results in prior cases are not determinative of what result might be obtained in your case but instead are for informational purposes only. Every case is factually and legally unique. The results and the information contained on this web page and web site do not constitute legal advice nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of Kormanik Hallam & Sneed LLP or any of its attorneys, employees, or clients. There is no implicit guarantee that this information is correct, complete, or up-to-date. This web site may be considered advertising in some locations or jurisdictions. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon written information about past results, qualifications, and experience. This web site is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between you and Kormanik Hallam & Sneed LLP. You should not act or rely on any information in this web site without seeking the advice of an attorney.

UPCOMING TRIALS/MATTERS

In 2011, the Firm has various trials scheduled, including the matters of:

Boucher v. Idaho State Board of Education, CV OC 0918438, a case in Idaho state court, Ada County, wherein Ms. Boucher alleges her employment was terminated in violation of the Idaho Protection of Public Employees Act after she reported workplace fraud and/or waste.

Shackelford v. Centric Group, LLC, CV OC 1002212, a case in Idaho state court, Ada County - a pro se prisoner alleges various causes of action against Centric Group, LLC, a company that provides household and food items available for purchase by Idaho prisoners pursuant to a contract with the Idaho Department of Correction.  The Firm has been retained to defend Centric Group, LLC against Mr. Shackeldford's unfounded allegations.