Ken Metnick and Peter Dyson co-tried a tragic airplane crash case in Broward County, Florida, which resulted in the death of all four passengers and the pilot on board. The plane crashed over the ocean due to the onset of inclement weather which the pilot was unable to navigate through. The firm represented the widowed father of one of the deceased passengers who was an adult. The case was tried under an area of the law known as the Death on High Seas Act (DOHSA), which holds that only Loss of Companionship damages may be awarded to the survivor and not the typical Pain and Suffering damages which can be awarded under the Florida Wrongful Death Act. The firm tried the case after Defendant’s insurance carrier refused to pay our client only one-fourth of Defendant’s $1 million insurance policy. After this refusal by the Defendant, which offered nothing, Mr. Metnick and Mr. Dyson were able to obtain a verdict that was 20 times the amount of the firm’s monetary demand. Airplane case, Wrongful Death, Death on High Seas Act, Personal Injury.

Peter Dyson resolved a life insurance lawsuit that was litigated in the Federal Court on behalf of the family of an elderly man who had passed away from cancer shortly after purchasing a life insurance policy. The insurance company denied his family’s claim for the life insurance proceeds by failing to disclose that he had been diagnosed with cancer when he applied for and purchased the insurance policy. The insurance company also alleged that the Decedent had engaged in an illegal transaction that would have voided the insurance policy. However, an inter-office email transmission sent by the insurance company was discovered by Peter Dyson in a stack of thousands of pages of documents that moved up the effective date of the Decedent’s insurance policy to a date when the Decedent had yet to be diagnosed with cancer. This discovery destroyed the insurance company’s position in the case and resulted in a large settlement on behalf of the Decedent’s family. Life Insurance Denial, Life Insurance Dispute, Wills, and Trust.

Wrongful death. Peter Dyson successfully settled a wrongful death case for a grieving husband after a car crash killed his wife. The husband attempted with the insurance company on his own, but they gave him the runaround for months. Peter Dyson filed a lawsuit, hired one of the best experts in Florida, and settled the case. Although money will never replace his wife, the husband now has closure because by paying this money, the insurance companies acknowledged that his wife’s life mattered to them too. At Dyson Law, cases like this are bittersweet. While we are proud of the work we did to get clients a fair settlement, the situations are tragic.

Slip and fall. Plaintiff slipped and fell breaking her wrist. She required immediate surgery and later developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Rear-end car accident. Peter Dyson negotiated a settlement for his client who was rear-ended in a car crash on I-95. The client suffered a herniated disc that required back surgery.

Plaintiff tripped over a broken sidewalk resulting in spinal surgery. Defendant argued that the broken sidewalk was open and obvious and the Plaintiff assumed the risk of walking on that sidewalk. Peter Dyson successfully argued that being obvious does not excuse the landowner from failing to maintain its property.

Peter Dyson negotiated to dissolve a trust to distribute all of the money to the beneficiaries because the Trustee’s fees exceeded the income generated in the trust.

Big retailer. Plaintiff slipped and fell on water in a store resulting in neck and shoulder surgery. Defendant moved for summary judgment to have the judge throw out the case but Peter Dyson successfully won that Motion resulting in a confidential settlement.

Wrongful Death. On behalf of the family of a drunk driver, Peter Dyson successfully sued the bar for knowingly serving a habitual drunkard. Even though the deceased were drunk and caused the one-car accident themselves, Peter Dyson successfully argued that the law extended to a bar not serving someone habitually addicted to alcohol even if they only hurt themselves. The case settled for a confidential amount.

Plaintiff was injured in an automobile crash. After filing suit, the insurance company immediately tendered its policy limits in this car crash case. Plaintiff underwent a series of injections to her cervical spine and the doctor recommended surgery.

Big retailer. Slip and fall. Plaintiff slipped on produce and injured her knee. The torn knee required arthroscopic surgery. Through discovery, Peter Dyson established that several employees violated policy by not cleaning the aisle up.

Trip and fall. Plaintiff suffered post-concussion syndrome and herniated discs. Defendant failed to level a parking lot after removing a pole. Defendant argued that any symptoms were due to her age, (79 years old), but Peter Dyson was able to prove that she was mentally sharp before the fall and that any lingering symptoms were from the fall, not her age.

Plaintiff slipped on freshly painted yellow lines on a parking lot. Through discovery, it was determined that the paint did not have the proper grit to make it slip-proof on the ground. Plaintiff suffered a torn rotator cuff that required same-day surgery.