Betsy G. Ramos
Ms. Ramos is an Executive Committee Member and Co-Chair of the Litigation Department at Capehart Scatchard, P.A. located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. She is an experienced litigator with over 25 years experience handling diverse matters. Practice areas include tort defense, business litigation, estate litigation, tort claims and civil rights defense, construction litigation, insurance coverage, employment litigation, shareholder disputes, and general litigation.
Does New Jersey Permit Recording of Defense IME’s?
Under New Jersey Court rules, when a plaintiff has made a claim for personal injuries, the adverse party may require that the plaintiff submit to a physical or mental examination pursuant to R. 4:19. The issue sometimes arises as to whether the defense medical examination may be recorded or attended by a representative of the […]
Appellate Division Rules on Amount of Attorneys Fee Permitted in Lien Reimbursement to Workers’ Compensation Carrier in High Third Party Settlements
There has been a longstanding dispute as to the amount of the attorney’s fee permitted in calculating the lien reimbursement due to the workers’ compensation insurance carrier in high third party settlements (i.e., those that exceed $500,000). This dispute was recently resolved in the reported Appellate Division decision of Liberty Mutual Insurance o/b/o Sabert Corporation […]
Supreme Court Rules that Plaintiffs Injured in Auto Accident are Barred from Recovering Medical Expenses Less Than $250,000 Statutory Amount Regardless of PIP Coverage Selected
In Haines v. Taft, 2019 N.J. LEXIS 441 (March 26, 2019), in a split decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court reversed the Appellate Division and found that plaintiffs, who elected a $15,000 PIP coverage, were barred from seeking to recover the amount of their outstanding medical expenses, incurred as a result of an automobile accident, […]
Chiropractor’s Report Barred in Automobile Accident Case Due to Inability to Distinguish Between Lumbar Permanency Plaintiff Suffered in Two Different Accidents
Plaintiff Abigail Perdomo claimed to have suffered a lumbar injury causing two disc bulges at L4-5 and L5-S1 in a December 2010 automobile accident. Thereafter, in November 2013, plaintiff was again in an automobile accident and testing showed that she had the same two bulging discs. In Perdomo v. Orgacki, 2018 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS […]
Expert Testimony Not Needed to Substantiate Pecuniary Value of Loss of Child’s Advice, Guidance, and Companionship in Wrongful Death Action
This case arises from a tragic highway collision in which the defendant Stephen Rando’s SUV fatally struck the plaintiff’s son, Patrick Dutton, as he was riding his bicycle. The jury found that the defendant was 60% responsible for the accident while the plaintiff’s son Patrick was 40% responsible. The jury awarded the plaintiff, Patrick’s mother, […]
Retailer Found Not Liable for Fall in Parking Lot Due to Snow and Ice Based Upon Ongoing Snowstorm
Plaintiff Folusho Oyebola fell in the Walmart parking lot during a snowstorm and sued Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Tree Fellas, LLC, Walmart’s snow contractor, for her injuries. In Oyebola v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 2019 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 432 (App. Div. Feb. 25, 2019), the issue was whether either defendant breached a duty of care […]
Plaintiff’s Counsel Barred from Asking Plaintiff at Trial Whether Passenger in His Vehicle Suffered an Injury
Plaintiff Haroon Rashid claimed to have suffered an injury while working as a jitney driver when his vehicle was struck on the passenger side by defendant’s vehicle shortly after plaintiff picked up passengers from a local casino. One of the passengers was thrown from her seat, injured, and taken to the hospital by ambulance. In […]
Food Poisoning Claim Against Restaurant Dismissed Due to Lack of Proof
Plaintiff Kathleen Nicholson and John Nicholson sued the Outback Steakhouse (“Outback”) after Kathleen became ill after eating at the Outback. She claimed that her dinner at the Outback was the source of the Salmonella bacteria that caused her illness. In Nicholson v. Bloomin Brands, Inc., 2018 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 1817 (App. Div. July 30, […]
Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Claim Arising from Auto Accident Barred Due to His Inability to Establish a Permanent Injury as Required by Verbal Threshold Law
Plaintiff Hector Reyes claimed to have suffered personal injuries as a result of an automobile accident with defendant John Stanley. Plaintiff’s automobile insurance policy contained the limitation on lawsuit option (i.e., “verbal threshold”) which limited his ability to sue for noneconomic damages (i.e., his pain and suffering) under the Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act, specifically […]
Loss of Control Over Motor Vehicle Due to Slippery Substance on Roadway Does Not Definitively Establish Negligence
Plaintiff Fr. Babu T. Paramel (“Paramel”) was in a motor vehicle accident with defendant Merca Martinez (“Merca”) on Rt. 7 in Jersey City. Prior to the accident, Paramel had been driving eastbound on Rt. 7 and Merca was travelling westbound. As plaintiff was driving over a bridge, Merca lost control of her car due to […]
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