Dog Bite Law

A storehouse of tips, tricks, moves and counter-moves for winning your dog bite cases! Nowhere else will you find such powerful strategies, techniques, moves and counter-moves for representing the dog bite victim.

You view it on your computer in the privacy of your office, with the complete script in front of you. Law and tactics good in all 50 states.

Familiarity with the law is only one ingredient of success. Phillips will tell you what the dog owner, the insurance adjuster, and their attorney are going to say -- and how to make their own words bite them hard.

For example, when the defense asserts that your client provoked the dog, you will learn how to use the defense allegations to put liability squarely on the shoulders of the dog owner.

Dog bite cases require specialized knowledge. You already know that you cannot expect to win a medical malpractice case without knowing details about medical procedures, anatomy, hospitals, etc. You cannot expect to win an auto accident case without knowledge about cars, roads, the meaning of skid marks, and on and on. The same is true of dog bite cases.

You can prove the true cause of an attack by using facts about the dog's health, confinement and training. To do this, you must have accurate information about canine aggression, and know where to get the witnesses, documents and experts for your particular case.

The information you will learn from this fast-moving seminar will enable you to recognize the winning claims, devastate the defense, avoid insurance scams that are the plague of structured settlements, and much more. It is applicable in all states. In addition to the video, you also will receive a copy of the speaker's script, which will make it easier to absorb the wealth of information you are going to hear. The video comes on a CD-ROM and is a .wmv file, so you watch it on your computer -- a very convenient way to study!

Topics covered in the video

1. Introduction: the Dog Bite Epidemic

a. The number of dog bite victims
b. The cost to society and the insurance industry
c. The typical victim – a child who is bitten in the face
d. Attitudes of government, the public and the insurance industry
e. Settlements and verdicts

2. The Prima Facia Case

a. Causes of action available to human victims

i. Statutory strict liability
ii. Common law strict liability – "dangerous propensity"
iii. Negligence
iv. Negligence per se – city and county ordinances
v. Landowner, occupier, manager, homeowner association

b. Causes of action for bystanders
c. Causes of action when a dog is injured or killed

3. Insurance

a. Homeowner and renters insurance
b. Excess and umbrella policies
c. Medical payment coverage
d. Automobile insurance
e. Pet sitters are included
f. The exclusion for residents of the insured home
g. The exclusion for business activities – daycare and renters
h. The exclusion for canine-inflicted injuries
i. No representation at the dangerous dog hearing

4. Defenses in Dog Bite Cases

a. Provocation
b. "Bad Dog" sign
c. Assumption of the risk
d. Trespass
e. Criminal conduct
f. Military or police dog
g. Comparative responsibility – victim, the child's parents
h. Rescuers
i. Employers
j. Ownership of the attacking dog
k. Which dog bit?
l. Was it a bite?

5. Unique Aspects of Dog Bite Cases

a. The dangerous dog hearing – opportunities and pitfalls
b. The initial client interview
c. Friends, family members and neighbors as defendants
d. Parents "playing lawyer"
e. Traumatized parents – non-cooperation, minimizing, overtreating, hostility
f. Motivating parents to stand by their children
g. Dog lovers as victims
h. Investigating the attacking dog
i. Injuries in dog parks
j. Lies, lies, lies – about the facts and the insurance
k. Humane society as defendant
l. Dealing with animal control officers
m. Dealing with veterinarians
n. Dealing with behaviorists
o. Why dogs bite – and how to use that information
p. Proving which dog bit the victim
q. Proving ownership of the attacking dog
r. Photography do's, don'ts and how-to's
s. Subsequent torts – infliction of emotional distress
t. Evaluating compensation for facial scars
u. The reserve letter and the settlement presentation
v. Recognizing good and bad cases
w. Case screening (form)
x. Typical case timetable

6. Structured Settlements

a. Since most victims are kids, attorneys need to know
b. Overview of structured settlement – benefits and tax treatment
c. How to negotiate the settlement
d. How to control the broker and the life insurance company
e. How to avoid the rampant fraud upon victims
f. Use of a trust to purchase the annuity in some cases
g. Documentation – what is needed and what to watch out for
h. Explaining the annuity to the Court

7. Court Approval of Minor's Settlements

a. Since most victims are kids, attorneys need to know
b. Essential pleadings and evidence – current medical report
c. The hearing – what the judges are looking for

8. Pleading the Dog Bite Case

a. Strategies in pleading
b. Essential elements of Complaint

9. Resources for dog bite cases

How To Get It

Click on the button below. This video will be mailed to you within 24 hours. After you pay, please remember to click on the button that says "Return to Law Offices of Kenneth Morgan Phillips." That is the law office of Attorney Kenneth Phillips, the author of Dog Bite Law. When you click that button, you will see a couple of very useful links!

www.dogbitelaw.com and each of its sections and products, including Dog Bite Law, The Dog Bite Law Adviser, Dog Bite Litigation Forms, What To Do If Your Dog Is Injured Or Killed, Avoiding Liability When You Train, Shelter or Adopt-Out, Anatomy of a Dog Bite Case, and the foregoing text, are (c) 1999-2009 Kenneth M. Phillips. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited except where advance permission is granted in writing. Please read the disclaimer and our rules for linking and quoting. Reporters seeking interviews are welcome to contact us by clicking here.