Murane & Bostwick has been recognized as a "Top Tier" Best Law
Firm by U.S. News & World Report in the practice areas of Health Care Law and
Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants. The U.S. News listing is a
comprehensive list of nearly 9,000 law firms grouped by legal practice area and
geographic location. The selection is based on recommendations submitted
by clients and lawyers.
The Wyoming Supreme Court, affirming a summary judgment for the Wyoming
Insurance Guaranty Association, won by Murane & Bostwick member Jim Bell,
required the Wyoming Medical Center to reimburse the Association for deductibles
that the Association paid in settlement of medical malpractice claims against
the Medical Center.
Murane & Bostwick attorneys have recently won two major victories defending
companies who are active in Wyoming's Oil and Gas industry.
The Wyoming Supreme Court, affirming a summary judgment for
New Tech Engineering won by Murane & Bostwick member James Worthen, held
that an engineering company that provides referral services for consultants
to drilling companies, well owners and others, can provide independent
contractor safety consultants to a drilling company without affirmatively
assuming safety duties on location.
Following the Supreme Court's decision in New Tech
Engineering, the District Court for the Third Judicial District, ruling on a
motion by Murane & Bostwick members Hank Combs and James Worthen, granted
summary judgment to Allen & Crouch Engineering, finding that an engineering
company could provide an independent contractor consultant to act as a
"company man" for a well owner on a work over rig, without the engineering
company incurring liability for the acts or omissions of either the
independent consultant or the well owner.
Mountain States Super Lawyers magazine and Super Lawyers,
Corporate Counsel Edition, have recognized W. Henry "Hank" Combs, III, in Murane
& Bostwick Casper office, and Greg Greenlee in the Cheyenne office, as "Super
Lawyers", in the categories of Medical Malpractice Defense and Personal Injury
Defense, respectively. The selection is based on the recommendations of a
lawyer's peers. Mr. Combs is a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the
National Board of Trial Advocacy.
The Wyoming Supreme Court recently affirmed a summary judgment
for Communications Technology, won by Murane & Bostwick member James Worthen,
holding that private company owned no duty of care to a private citizen as a
result of a maintenance service contract for the county government's 911
communications equipment.
The jury in a recent two-truck accident trial in the United
States District Court for Wyoming, defended by Murane & Bostwick attorney
Heather Zadina, denied the claims of the plaintiff and rendered a verdict in
favor of the defendant on the defendant's counterclaim. The jury's
apportionment of fault prevented the plaintiff from recovering its claimed
damages of more than $200,000.
Claims against trucking companies in Wyoming have mushroomed in
recent years, primarily as a result of a near crusade by the plaintiff's bar to
assess fault to almost any trucking company with a "big rig" involved in any
accident. Murane & Bostwick's lawyers are experienced and knowledgeable
with regard to truck accident factual and legal issues, whether they involve
accident reconstruction or the interpretation and application of the intricate
and pervasive Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
The truck accident in the case of Logistiques Trans West, Inc.
v. WSE Transportation, LLC., tried in the United States District Court for the
District of Wyoming by Murane & Bostwick attorneys Loyd Smith and Heather Zadina,
was for the most part unremarkable, but it is important because of the presence
of a VORAD radar unit on the Logistiques Trans West ("Trans West") truck.
Many attorneys have little or no experience with this technology. The WSE
truck (our client) had become disabled and could not shift into higher gears to
maintain highway speed and was either in the emergency lane or straddling the
"fog" line. The Trans West truck approached from behind and collided with
the WSE trailer. The Trans West driver claimed that the WSE truck suddenly
pulled from the emergency lane into the right-hand drive lane. In addition
to providing audible and visual warnings to the driver of objects in or near his
lane, the VORAD module provides accident reconstruction data, including the
distance of objects from the host truck as the host truck approaches the object,
calculation of the host vehicle's speed and the speed of the object (usually
another vehicle) and records braking on the host vehicle. VORAD data lends
itself to animation by an accident reconstruction engineer which brings to life
the otherwise dry data. In this case the animation based on the VORAD data
effectively demonstrated the lack of attention of the Trans West driver,
resulting in a jury verdict for the defendant WSE and an award of damages to WSE
on its counterclaim.
Murane & Bostwick member James Worthen recently became a member
of the Trial Attorneys of America. The Trial Attorneys of America is a
select group of defense-oriented trial and corporate attorneys who defend
product liabilities claims. Membership is limited to 200 attorneys
nationwide.
