Client, Justin King, claims he was a potential rising star (a singer) who had won the “National Idol Regional Contest” last year, on April 5th, in Chicago and that he was awarded a three year recording contract for $275,000 a yr plus a percentage of all sales with MCI Records. Mr. King further states that due to an accident on Interstate 57, just south of Chicago, he is now unable to fulfill his contractual duties because of injuries sustained to his jaw and face. Mr. King goes on to state that on or around the 8th of April he had left his agents house after signing his contract.
He states that he was driving his motorcycle and was on his way home and he was “pretty freaking happy. ” He said that he was driving in the left hand lane, going southbound on Interstate 57 when he noticed a beer truck going in the same direction (he’s unsure of the name-it’s either Coops, Coops Light or Coops Ultra), coming up behind him. He said at that point he noticed the truck had its flashers on indicating that the driver wanted to pass Mr. King so, Mr. King moved over to the right hand lane. After he moved over to let the truck pass, Mr.
King states, “Next thing I know, I saw a couple of cases of beer coming at me, so I swerved left to get out of the way. ” The next thing he remembers after that was being in the emergency room at the hospital in Paxton. Mr. King stated that he was in lot of pain because he had broken 9 facial bones and the Doctors had to wire his jaw shut. Mr. King also stated that he couldn’t eat for three days because they also put a tube down his throat. Mr. King went on to state the next day his agent called him and told him he had to withdraw from the National Idol Competition.
Mr. King still wanted to compete in the contest so he stated, “Well I wanted to compete in the contest, dude, so I started to loosen the wires in my jaw so I could practice singing. Then this idiot doctor and nurse saw me and told me to keep the wires in there, so it would keep my “face together. ” I started to get angry and then they gave me more drugs and I fell asleep and they handcuffed me to bed. ” The next day, after waking and finding his family and agent in his room, he indicated on a piece of paper that he wanted to be moved to a “real” hospital.
So his agent had him moved, by ambulance or AAA, to Metropolitan Memorial Hospital in Chicago where he was put into a private room. Mr. King is not sure but he thinks he may have signed some sort of release forms. He is also not clear if (he did) sign any forms if the Ambulance attendant gave them to the Doctor at Memorial. He is unable to remember clearly due to the heavy medication he was (and still is) on. He goes on to state that a couple of days later a Doctor came to check on him and told Mr.
King that “his jaws were moving” That, “the wires were loose and that the left side of his face was higher than the right side. ” Another Doctor was brought in to try to “re-set” the bones in his face, a procedure that was tried once before but also failed like this latest attempt. Mr. King stated that “the Doctors did not tell me much and I think they are trying to cover their a****! ” Mr. King states that because of the accident he can barely talk. That as a direct result of his accident, he is out of National Idol and MCI has cancelled his contract.
He has also stated that since leaving the hospital he has been placed on Anti-depressants because he tried to kill himself last year. He said that after he initially lost his recording contract, he tried to commit suicide and was placed in the psychiatric ward at the hospital in Kansas City. He remained there for over a year and was just released a few weeks ago. He has further stated that since his initial hospital stay, he has $145,000. 00 in hospital bills and with plastic surgery and counseling on the horizon he can expect upwards of $100,00.
00 or more in bills. Mr. Kings would like for our firm to represent him in a lawsuit against the Beer Company, the Truck Driver, and the Doctors that treated him. He is looking for a judgment of $100 Million Dollars. E. POTENTIAL DEFENDANTS: The Beer Company- the Truck Driver, the Doctors at the hospital in Paxton and the Doctors at the Metropolitan Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Because Mr. King kept stating that he wanted to “Sue Everyone,” other potential defendants may be his agent, the Producers of National Idol and MCI Records. F. FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS:
The firm needs to know if Mr. King actually won the National Idol finals or was a finalist as he states both in his initial interview. Did the accident take place during the day time or at night? Was Mr. King drinking at his agents home? Were there any other vehicles on the road at the time of the accident? Was Mr. King wearing a helmet? Does he have copies of his bills? Does he have a copy of his cancelled contract? Does he have any income since his initial accident? Has he ever sued anyone before? G. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH/INVESTIGATION NEEDED/DISCOVERED:
Check to see if there are any video surveillance cameras (used for speeders) anywhere along Interstate 57. If there is then we should view them to see if any of them picked up Mr. King and the Beer Truck right before, during and directly after the accident. Track down and talk to the Police Officers on the scene. Track down and talk to the Ambulance attendants on the scene to find out Mr. Kings condition at the scene of the accident. And try to locate and talk to the driver of the beer truck. Get a copy of the police report and the Doctors reports from both hospitals.
All Insurance Information is yet to be determined H. INSURANCE INFORMATION. Client Carrier: Address and Phone Number Policy Number Opposing Parties: Carrier #1: Address and Phone Number Policy Number Carrier #2: Address and Phone Number Policy Number Thanks David—for this assignment you were to complete the initial interview and investigation sheet, and include a brief explanation why each piece of evidence is necessary and discuss if there are any Statute of Limitation issues. Based on these criteria you have received full credit for the assignment. Any questions please let me know. Dave.