High Swartz Awards Scholarship to Two High School Graduates

Full-service law firm funds $5,000 scholarship in memory of partner Mary Cushing Doherty’s late husband, James Doherty

Norristown, PA, August 27, 2018High Swartz LLP, is pleased to announce the 2018 recipients of its James F. Doherty Scholarship, awarded to the child or grandchild of a full-time High Swartz employee. This year’s co-winners are Sophia Dantzic, daughter of attorney Douglas Wayne, and Megan Sellers, daughter of office manager Darlene Sellers.

Both students will use the $2,500 scholarship towards tuition at a 4-year college. Megan, originally from Warminster is attending Cedar Crest College majoring in Biology. Sophia, originally from Doylestown, is attending Bennington College in Vermont.

The scholarship honors the memory of law firm partner Mary Cushing Doherty’s late husband, James F. Doherty. An employee with Penn Color for 30 years, Jim was a proud chemist and a man of many passions. He loved the study of history, literature, language and more, and was avid bicyclist, competitive trivia master, and a natural humorist. For 30 years, the Dohertys served their church as pre-cana counselors, preparing couples for marriage.

“It’s special that our scholarship winners, Sophia and Megan, each worked for our firm and are pursing their college degrees” said Doherty. “I’m glad to know Sophia qualified for a second scholarship, and Megan supports LLS at the Light the Night Walk in memory of her grandfather (as I do in memory of Jim).”

Each year, High Swartz offers a scholarship of $5,000 in Jim’s name. It is awarded to one recipient or split evenly between two recipients. Recipients must be either a senior in high school or an older student in college or graduate school, who is planning on attending a trade school, college, or graduate school full-time at the beginning of the current school year.

Applicants are required to write an essay related to one of Jim’s passions. The essays are submitted to the judge’s panel anonymously. The applicants also are evaluated based on their community and volunteer activities. For more information about the scholarship, visit the firm’s website.

About High Swartz LLP: High Swartz LLP is a full-service law firm serving clients in the Delaware Valley and throughout Pennsylvania from offices in Norristown and Doylestown. Established in 1914, High Swartz serves the needs of businesses, municipalities, government entities, nonprofits and individuals. With offices in Bucks County and Montgomery County, the full-service law firm provides comprehensive counsel and legal support to individuals and business entities of all sizes across a broad spectrum of industries throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information, go to www.highswartz.com.

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Limited Tort! = Limited Recovery?

Pennsylvania drivers, when presented with car insurance coverage choices, are given the “Limited Tort Option” – at a discount of some 15% to 20% on annual premiums.  While such savings may be appealing at first glance, such a decision can have far reaching adverse consequences – and our personal injury law firm strongly recommends that our clients select the “Full Tort Option” whenever possible.

Not coincidentally, the word “Limited” has been defined as “restricted in size, amount, or extent” -- and various synonyms have been offered, such as “restricted, finite, little, slight.”  All of these appropriately describe the impact on your potential recovery of selecting the “Limited Tort Option” . . . should you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having been injured in a motor vehicle collision which is not your fault.

As a general rule, choosing Limited Tort restricts your right to make a claim for non-economic harms and losses which arise from personal injuries sustained as a result of a car collision – damages most often referred to as “pain and suffering.”  Regrettably, too many fail to appreciate what they have given up in this regard until it’s too late.  Even one lost opportunity to be fully compensated for all harms and losses will normally far outweigh any short-term savings by choosing the Limited Tort Option.  Therefore, our personal injury lawyers highly recommend Full Tort coverage to “fully” protect you and your loved ones.

Even if you have selected the Limited Tort Option, though, all is not necessarily lost.  Although many insurance companies will attempt to convince persons who have made such an election -- and who then suffer physical injuries in a motor vehicle collision -- that they are not entitled to any compensation for their pain and suffering, there are exceptions to the general rule precluding such recovery.  Therefore, it is very important that you talk to a personal injury lawyer before agreeing to be bound by any “limited” recovery.

What exceptions might apply?  A few, have nothing to do with the nature and extent of physical injuries which were caused by the collision, include the following . . .

  • The driver at fault is determined to have been driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance
  • The driver at fault is driving a car registered in another state
  • The driver at fault has not maintained proper car insurance
  • The injured party is the occupant of a motor vehicle other than a private motor vehicle

However, there are also exceptions which relate to how “serious” an injury was suffered.

Pennsylvania’s Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility law provides as follows:

Each person who elects the limited tort alternative remains eligible to seek compensation for economic loss sustained in a motor vehicle accident as the consequence of the fault of another person pursuant to applicable tort law. Unless the injury sustained is a serious injury, each person who is bound by the limited tort election shall be precluded from maintaining an action for any noneconomic loss . . .

75 Pa.C.S. § 1705 [Emphases added]

A “serious injury” is therein defined as a “personal injury resulting in death, serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement.” 75 Pa.C.S. § 1702 [Emphases added]  Therefore, one who has selected the “Limited Tort Option” may still make a claim for pain and suffering where he or she has sustained a “serious injury.” Whether or not a personal injury has resulted in “serious impairment of body function” is most often the hotly contested question faced by a personal injury lawyer.

The first case in which the issue of “serious injury” was addressed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was that of Washington v. Baxter in 1998.  There, the Court stated:

The “serious impairment of body function” threshold contains two inquiries:

  1. a) What body function, if any, was impaired because of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident?
  2. b) Was the impairment of the body function serious? The focus of these inquiries is not on the injuries themselves, but on how the injuries affected a particular body function. Generally, medical testimony will be needed to establish the existence, extent, and permanency of the impairment . . . In determining whether the impairment was serious, several factors should be considered: the extent of the impairment, the length of time the impairment lasted, the treatment required to correct the impairment, and any other relevant factors. An impairment need not be permanent to be serious.

Washington v. Baxter, 553 Pa. 434, 447–48, 719 A.2d 733, 740 (1998).

Since then, parties have focused less on the physical injuries suffered and more on the effect which those injuries have had on a particular body function or functions.  For example, where physical injuries limit walking, lifting, working, sleeping – and even cognitive function – courts have decided that it is for a finder of fact to ultimately determine whether or not a “serious injury” has been sustained.

Factors to be considered include how the injury affected the actual functioning of certain injured areas; the extent of the impairment; the duration of the impairment; treatment required to address the impairment; and any and all other factors.  Indeed, it has been determined that subjective complaints of pain alone may constitute a “serious impairment of body function”—and that an impairment need not be permanent in order to be serious.

Accordingly, even where you have selected the Limited Tort Option, please talk to a personal injury lawyer in order to determine whether or not it may reasonably be contended that you have suffered a “serious injury.”  To be safe and secure, however, you should always select the Full Tort Option when possible so that you and your family are fully protected – and are unquestionably permitted to make claims for all harms and losses sustained as the result of a motor vehicle collision which is not your fault.

We certainly hope that you are never faced with a situation involving serious injury as a result of a motor vehicle collision or otherwise.  If this does occur, though, please be sure to contact a personal injury lawyer experienced in this area to fully explore your legal options and to seek all available remedies to be made whole.

If you have any questions about Limited Tort, please contact Eric G. Marttila at 215-345-8888 or emarttila@highswartz.com. At High Swartz, we advocate for the rights of injured people. With law offices in Doylestown, Bucks County and Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, our personal injury lawyers work with people who have been injured by the negligence of others throughout Pennsylvania.

The information above is general: we recommend that you consult an attorney regarding your specific circumstances.  The content of this information is not meant to be considered as legal advice or a substitute for legal representation.

10 High Swartz Attorneys Named Among U.S. News and World Report 2019 ‘Best Lawyers in America’

Montgomery County and Bucks County Lawyers Listed Among Best in U.S., Mary Cushing Doherty is Listed as 2019 Lawyer of the Year in Family Law Mediation

Norristown, PA, August 15, 2018– High Swartz LLP, a full-service law firm with offices in Norristown and Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce that 10 of its attorneys have been named U.S. News and World Report 2019 'Best Lawyers in America.'

The High Swartz attorneys 2019 Best Lawyers in America, and the practice areas for which they have been recognized, are:

Since it was first published in 1983, The Best Lawyers in America has become widely regarded as a respected reference guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on detailed peer-review evaluations, and lawyers are neither required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed. Votes were solicited from nearly 83,000 attorneys worldwide; 7.4 million votes were analyzed for the 2018 edition. The standalone Best Lawyers magazine will be distributed in more than 30 leading publications around the country, including The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. A digital edition also will be available.

About High Swartz LLP: High Swartz LLP is a full-service law firm serving clients in the Delaware Valley and throughout Pennsylvania from offices in Norristown and Doylestown. Established in 1914, High Swartz serves the needs of businesses, municipalities, government entities, nonprofits and individuals. With offices in Bucks County and Montgomery County, the full-service law firm provides comprehensive counsel and legal support to individuals and business entities of all sizes across a broad spectrum of industries throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information, go to www.highswartz.com.

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Elizabeth C. Early Elected to the Council of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section

High Swartz LLP, a full-service law firm with officesin Norristown and Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce that Elizabeth C. Early has been elected to the Council of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section for a term expiring in 2021.

The PBA was established in 1895; its FLS is comprised of approximately 1,400 attorneys, and is committed to the development and practical working of the law relating to marriage, divorce, child support and domestic relations matters. The council is the executive arm of the PBA Family Law Section and it oversees and manages the programs, activities and initiatives. More information about the PBA and the FLS may be found at https://www.pabar.org/.

Elizabeth C. Early focuses her practice at High Swartz on family law, her areas of specialization include divorce, custody, support, equitable distribution, pre and post-nuptial agreements and abuse matters. Liz also serves as court-appointed counsel and guardian for minor children. Ms. Early is adept in reaching amicable resolutions whenever possible and has served as a court mediator in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. When litigation is required, she is prepared to argue skillfully for her client’s rights.

Ms. Early is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association and a frequent speaker and writer on family law issues at the local and state levels. Liz has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer “Rising Star” by Philadelphia Magazine as well as a “Top Attorney” by both Montco Happening Magazine and Bucks Happening Magazine.

About High Swartz LLP: High Swartz LLP is a full-service law firm serving clients in the Delaware Valley and throughout Pennsylvania from offices in Norristown and Doylestown. Established in 1914, High Swartz serves the needs of businesses, municipalities, government entities, nonprofits and individuals. With offices in Bucks County and Montgomery County, the full-service law firm provides comprehensive counsel and legal support to individuals and business entities of all sizes across a broad spectrum of industries throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information, go to www.highswartz.com.

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