Bad Faith Insurance Litigation
Our office is the leading firm in Oregon when it comes to holding insurance companies accountable when they do not honor the policies they sell.
In Goddard v. Farmers Insurance Company, a Multnomah County jury returned a verdict of $20,718,576 in punitive damages because Farmers failed to protect the interests of their policy holder. Litigation Against the Insurance Carrier: A Plaintiff's Perspective, follows the history of the Goddard case, providing a detailed analysis of the legal issues, including relevant jury instructions.
Catastrophic Injuries
Some injuries are so severely damaging that they permanently impact every aspect of your life. Your family, job, and financial security are all affected.
Add to that mounting medical care costs, liens from workers' compensation or health care plans, and a medically uncertain future. The need for experienced professional counsel quickly becomes apparent.
Barton & Strever has over 55 years of combined experience helping those who have suffered life-changing injuries. It has always been a part of what we do.
Medical Negligence
Medical negligence is a specialized area of litigation. There are more than 11,000 active attorneys in Oregon. Only seven, including both Bill Barton and Kevin Strever, are identified by the Best of the US under malpractice law.
Medical negligence cases are complex and expensive to prepare and try. Assembling a panel of doctors as expert witnesses who are willing to testify against other doctors is not easy.
At Barton & Strever, our unique trial team includes a doctor and registered nurse. Together, we carefully evaluate each case. If we agree to accept a case, it is because we are confident that negligence has occurred, that the client should be compensated and that the persons or institutions at fault should be held accountable.
In 2002, our firm obtained a record Oregon verdict in an obstetrical malpractice claim. Prior to trial, the highest offer to settle the matter out of court was $250,000. When the jury returned from deliberations, they handed down an $8,455,000 verdict. The verdict was not appealed by the insurance company. Our experience, combined with our resources, equals outstanding results.
Sexual Abuse & Exploitation
We wrote the books on obtaining compensation for victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. Bill is the author of Recovering for Psychological Injuries, 2nd Edition, and Kevin is the author of Chapter IV, Torts Arising From Sexual Misconduct, Oregon Torts, an Oregon State Bar Continuing Legal Education publication.
Barton & Strever has successfully litigated claims of sexual exploitation against some of the most influential institutions of American society. We have represented the most vulnerable members of our communities in court, obtaining groundbreaking jury verdicts against perpetrators of sexual abuse and those who allow them to access children.
Because of our repeated success in the courtroom, our firm continues to face new challenges as advocates for the sexually abused and exploited. In July, 2004, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon filed bankruptcy rather than face our office in front of a jury. This was the first time in history a Catholic Diocese attempted to protect its assets in such a manner. In our view, this is simply a temporary obstacle, and on behalf of our clients, we are up to the challenge.
