San Francisco Injury Lawyer Blog

Civil lawsuits and criminal cases are very different cases—criminal cases are usually tried in front of a jury and the defendants must be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. However, in most civil lawsuits, the jury or the judge may find that there was only negligence, which means that the defendant does not even need to have the intent to commit the wrongdoing. For example, in a medical malpractice lawsuit, the doctors who caused the death of a patient because they failed to do something, or did something wrong, do not need to have intended the wrongful act to be liable for the lawsuit. The doctor only needs to meet a certain level of negligence, which is a standard that most other doctors in the field would have met. Whereas if the doctor were being convicted in criminal court, then it would have to be shown that he had intended the harm, or purposely caused the injury.

On Christmas day in 2007, a Siberian tiger in the San Francisco zoo leapt out of its cage and attacked Carlos Sousa, Amritpal Dhaliwal and Kulbir Dhaliwal. Carlos Sousa died as a result of the mauling, but the Dhaliwal brothers survived the attack. The Sousa family filed their own lawsuit, and has settled out of court with undisclosed details. The Dhaliwal brothers sued the San Francisco Zoological Society, the city of San Francisco and the zoo spokesman Sam Singer last November. The lawsuit claimed that the brothers’ civil rights had been violated, that the zoo was negligent and accused Singer of libel and slander. The Zoo is insured and its insurance company handled its legal defense. The brothers settled with the defendants for $900,000. Both parties considered this to be a win even though the amount is relatively modest in personal injury settlements.

Losing a family member can be incredibly tough on a family unit. We may not be able to bring your loved one back, but we may be able to obtain compensation for your damages. The legal system is very difficult to maneuver if you do not have any experience; that’s why having an experienced legal team on your side is so important. The attorneys at Greenberg & Rudman LLP can help you meet deadlines and make sure that the proper paperwork is filed, and in the proper place. Give us a call at 1-800-252-9776 (1-800-ALAWPRO) for a free and confidential consultation on your case. Don’t be fooled by other firms who sign up your case but are not prepared to fight for you and take your case to trial. Go to our website, www.alawpro.com to read more about our verdicts and settlements.