1600 S. BRENTWOOD BLVD., PRST STD SUITE 220 • ST. LOUIS, MO 63144 US POSTAGE FINNEYINJURYLAW.COM // 314-293-4222 PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411 TRIALS & THEIR TALES 1600 S. BRENTWOOD BLVD., SUITE 220 • ST. LOUIS, MO 63144 // FINNEYINJURYLAW.COM // 314-293-4222 // APRIL 2019 INSIDE THIS ISSUE WHERE ELSE IS THIS OKAY? 1 Surveillance for Personal Injury?! UNBELIEVABLE TACTICS USED BY INSURANCE COMPANIES man is stationed outside a she could do before they took the video. 3 Great Opening Days in Baseball 2 newly single woman’s home There was no “gotcha” moment. There for hours and hours each day was nothing but pure intimidation and Swimming Pool Safety Tips for Summer A 2 in the back seat of a tinted minivan harassment. or in a nondescript compact car. Each Video surveillance is used to intimidate 3 A Chilly Legal Case Study time he's there, he has a camera rolling, pointed at the woman’s house. plaintiffs, to place them under such Sometimes it’s even focused on the mental anguish that they constantly Puzzle 3 inside of her house at night. Sometimes wonder who is outside and how their he follows her, filming her leaving Here are the men who did all of the activities might be manipulated on 4 Can the Cardinals Win It All in 2019? her home in the morning for work. above. This was a real occurrence, and film. It's a horrible way to live. Why do Sometimes he films her at home as late it happened to our client. All she did some of us think this okay or par for as 9:45 p.m. and as early as 5:45 a.m. was file a lawsuit for her injuries after the course? It is a violation of privacy Sometimes he’s parked within a few she was hit. AAA went after her. They and against all social norms outside of feet of her property line, just to get a hired these men to stake out her home. a lawsuit. This conduct by insurance THE REDBIRDS RETURN TO FORM? glimpse of her — anything, really. They only told us about one of them companies continues because we let it. after they were legally compelled by These companies, which are really just A 2019 CARDINALS PREVIEW If this was an ex-boyfriend, he would be the court to do so. We discovered the huge conglomerations of capital, have arrested for stalking and harassment. second man while cross-examining perpetuated baseless standards that There would be tremendous concern the first. These men worked for an presume all plaintiffs and claimants are ince the turn of the century, Cardinals to another playoff berth, he did right the ship, for the woman’s safety. There would international surveillance company fakers. But this was never true. The only the St. Louis Cardinals and in short order. Some St. Louis fans were worried about be outrage. If it were a neighbor, the whose client list includes the biggest way to stop this behavior is to expose have experienced an era of having a meaningless string of games at the end of the S same would happen. If it were a random insurers in the world. Their job is simple: it for what it really is: intimidation, sustained success. During that time, season, but they were delighted to find a competitive team peeping Tom, they’d be labeled a Save the insurers money by “catching” fearmongering, and manipulation. the Cards have posted a losing record who didn’t give up until the final game had been played. complete freak. the plaintiff doing something. By just once (2007) while winning the intimidating. By inducing fear. We were able to show the motives World Series twice (2006, 2011). The team Last year’s turnaround has transpired to high hopes in 2019. But when the woman is a plaintiff in a behind this surveillance. The jury has also become overlord of the NL Central, The Cards added Paul Goldschmidt in the offseason, who lawsuit, it is suddenly supposed to be These men were instructed to film understood. They returned a verdict of topping the division standings nine times. will help both at first base and behind the plate. The team’s okay — it's “expected” — like it comes our client, to sit outside her home $1,500,000 when the defense lawyer At the beginning of last season, it looked as rotation will surely be one of the most fearsome in baseball, with the territory of filing a lawsuit. for 12 hours at a time, to follow her said they should give $2,500. That's though the purple patch was ending. with Carlos Martinez and Miles Mikolas among the favorites if necessary, and to turn the camera how the jury system should work. to win the NL Cy Young Award. The big question for the on whenever they believed it was These events need to be out in the When the Cardinals fired long-term manager Mike season is whether Shildt can continue to inspire his players necessary. What did they catch after open for all of us to see, not in the back Matheny in July of 2018, the season looked like a and live up to the hype he created last season. If he does, four days of doing this? They presented seat of some tinted- complete loss. The Cardinals were struggling, the the sky's the limit for the Cardinals this year. 17 minutes of our client cutting her own window minivan in the playoffs seemed an impossibility, and a change was yard (a yard that took her two hours dark of night. desperately needed. When Matheny’s term came to an Opening day always brings a sense of optimism and to cut). They could not tell us why they end, the team replaced him with coach Mike Shildt. He was excitement. Whether or not that optimism lasts through only had 17 minutes when it had in fact expected to be an interim placeholder until the team could the dog days of summer remains to be seen, but chances taken much longer for her to cut the find a marquee candidate to be their next full-time manager. are good that the Cards will have a fighting chance come grass, and everything they caught her Well, Shildt had other plans. While he couldn’t lead the September. Who could ask for more than that? doing was exactly what she testified 4 | FINNEYINJURYLAW.COM Published by The Newsletter Pro | www.TheNewsletterPro.com Published by The Newsletter Pro | www.TheNewsletterPro.com 314-293-4222 | 1 PEANUTS AND EXPLORING THE CRIMES OF ANTARCTIC WILDLIFE CRACKER JACKS LEGAL CASE STUDY: ADÉLIE THE ROCK THIEF THE BEST OPENING DAYS IN BASEBALL HISTORY On an island off the coast of Antarctica, Theft is defined as “the taking of someone else’s a BBC film crew caught footage of a property with the intent to permanently deprive the naughty penguin engaging in criminal victim of that property.” In some places, when a thief Baseball’s opening day has been an uniform had already broken history. Babe Ruth, Mark Koenig, Bob Meusel, activity. In the video, as one male leaves the scene of the crime, the theft is considered American holiday of sorts since the Despite his nationally-recognized skills and Tony Lazzeri, it’s no wonder Adélie penguin leaves his nest to complete. If the thief returns and steals additional items, Cincinnati Red Stockings threw out — Robinson was named MVP of the this team went on to win its fifth search for additional rocks to add to it, that could be considered a new crime and result in the first major league pitch in 1869. MLB farm team league in 1946 — the championship that year. his neighbor waddles over, removes a additional charges. So, since the neighbor penguin takes To celebrate the start of the 150th backlash that followed his rise to the rock from the nest, and carries it back a rock, leaves the scene of the crime, and returns, he season of professional baseball, here pros, both from fans and teammates, THE HAMMER TIES BAMBINO to his own. When the first penguin could be found guilty of multiple theft charges. If he’d are three of the best opening days in was palpable. Still, as well-known returns from his search, his neighbor decided to go big and take his neighbor’s entire nest at baseball history. sportscaster Howard Cosell said, For decades, no one could match plays it cool, but at each opportunity, once, he might’ve been charged with grand theft. “Suddenly, it was a new beginning.” George Herman Ruth. The Great he repeats the crime and steals his A NEW BEGINNING Bambino’s all-time home run record neighbor’s rocks. Now, if the penguin who was stolen from had used force LOU, COMBS, AND BABE — OH MY! seemed like an impossible feat to protect his precious nest rocks, the case would be On April 15, 1947, an opening-day of strength — that is, until Henry While animals aren’t actually subject complicated even further. Allowable force is generally game changed the course of Major Considered one of the best teams in “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron came along. to legal action, and the Adélie penguin limited in cases of theft. To prove self-defense, the League Baseball. On this day, Jackie baseball history, the 1927 New York On opening day, April 4, 1974, Aaron was only behaving according to victim penguin would have to show there was a threat Robinson started for the Brooklyn Yankees started their historic run smashed his 714th homer, tying Babe natural instinct, the fine writers for of force against him, that he didn’t provoke the neighbor Dodgers, becoming the first African- and 25th season by dismantling the Ruth for the most home runs ever the blog Legal Grounds point out that penguin in any way, and that he didn’t have the option American player to start for a major Philadelphia Athletics with a score hit and extending the Atlanta Braves’ the rock thief situation presents an to escape.