Dixon R. Gahnz Law Blog

The ballot box and the courthouse are two pillars of democracy that have long defined American democracy.  We have embraced the notion of one person one vote, and the ability to have our disagreements resolved by a jury of our peers.  These ideals have come under attack in Wisconsin this year and the result is bad for democracy.This blog post discusses recent laws that were passed in Wisconsin and how they limit democracy, taking away the rights of individuals.  ... Read More

Trial lawyers have long been a target of interest groups bent on protecting business.  The attacks are usually cloaked as tort reform, which is code for depriving citizens of their constitutional rights to a trial.  The latest attack is on the most basic of protections; the freedom to enter into a private contract.... Read More

What do these three terms have to do with each other and more importantly, you if you have been injured by someone else’s negligence?  In Wisconsin, a lot. If you have been hurt, and are permanently injured you deserve to be compensated for the rest of your life.  If someone ran a red light and smashed in to your car causing you to lose your leg, you will suffer that injury every single day of your life.  Let’s say you have a life expectancy of 32 years.  Tha... Read More

The state and federal constitutions guarantee citizens of Wisconsin the right to a civil trial by jury.  Yet, the so-called tort reformers want to limit your rights under the constitution.  These attacks come in many forms such as making it more difficult to file a lawsuit, adding protections for corporate defendants, and damage caps.   Damage caps directly limit your right to a trial by jury, and worse than that these caps artificially limit the compensation you can recover.... Read More

Wisconsin passed a law that prohibits texting while driving.  The law prohibits sending or composing text messages while driving, but not reading them.  The law imposes as modest fine for a violation of the law.  The fine may be as low as $20.00.  One would think the legislature could do better than that for an activity that is more dangerous than driving drunk.  Under the new law, a person can read all the text messages they want, and if they get caught texting, they... Read More

The question my clients ask me most is “Why does the insurance company get to look at my medical records from 15 years ago?”  The answers I gave were always unsatisfactory to me, and rested largely with the idea that discovery is wide open and the insurance companies get to dig around in the medical records to see if there is another explanation for the injury.The insurance defense lawyers abuse this power.  They will ask questions about childhood illnesses in a c... Read More

The Residential Rental Practices Code requires landlords to maintain their rental properties in a reasonably safe manner.  The landlord is also required to tell potential renters of any dangerous condition that the landlord knows about or should have known about if they did a reasonable inspection.  The code can be found at:  www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/code/atcp/atcp134.pdf . ... Read More

The time has come to re-examine the principles underlying the immunity afforded municipalities for the torts of their employees.  As a preliminary matter, we are not talking about huge verdicts or settlements against villages or cities.  The statutes provide a $50,000 cap, no matter how badly the person is injured.... Read More

I have written several times about the dangers of texting and driving.  The studies clearly demonstrate that a person is more distracted when they text and drive.  They have more difficulty staying in their lane of travel.  They are more likely to rear-end a car slowing in traffic, and are less likely to see children entering the road.The New York Times has created a game that demonstrates the difficulties encountered while texting and driving.  I have attached the... Read More

I discussed some of the ways to stop teens from texting while driving last week.  This week I want to show why it is so important.  The video is a public service announcement from the UK and shows the tragedy that can result from texting and driving.... Read More