People just like you make up the clientele we serve. From deckhands to galley hands, housewives to husbands, welders to blasters and painters, ordinary people from all walks of life have sought our help. We are committed to the basic principles of honesty, integrity and hard work, and we also see our clients as friends who are not forgotten when a case is resolved. Presented below are a few of the many types of cases we have handled over the years. You can see from these case spotlights the divergence of the clients themselves and the variety of ways injury and disability strike the unfortunate.
A roofing contractor who had gone to a loading dock for supplies tripped on a one-inch metal stud sticking up from the concrete walking surface at the dock and fell, injuring his shoulder and knee. When he realized the potential severity of his injuries, he contacted Kopfler & Hermann to handle his case, which was recently concluded for $325,000.00 after intense settlement negotiations.
Kopfler & Hermann represented a client whose low back was injured in a sudden and unexpected incident. After multiple medical evaluations and a course of conservative treatment that did not resolve the symptoms, our client required additional care for ongoing pain management. The case was resolved on behalf of our client.
Soft tissue and disc injuries to the low back are among the most heavily disputed by insurance carriers. They are also among the most common, and they can be life-altering — affecting a client’s ability to work, sleep, drive, and care for family. Properly developing a low back injury case requires complete diagnostic imaging, treatment from physicians who document objective findings, and a clear narrative connecting the incident to the lasting impact on the client’s life.
If you are suffering from a back injury and feel that the insurance company is not taking your claim seriously, please contact Kopfler & Hermann.
Kopfler & Hermann represented the family of a client who sustained a catastrophic brain injury while in the care of a group home. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and resolved on behalf of the family.
Cases involving institutional care — group homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and similar residential settings — turn on the standard of care owed to vulnerable residents. Federal and state regulations govern staffing levels, supervision protocols, medication management, and reporting of incidents. When a resident sustains a serious injury, our firm examines the facility’s records, training documentation, staffing logs, and incident history to establish whether the institution lived up to its obligations.
A brain injury changes everything for the injured person and for the family who loves them. The resolution in this case was structured to provide for long-term care needs while preserving the client’s eligibility for any government benefits that may apply.
If a loved one has been seriously injured while in the care of a residential facility, please call Kopfler & Hermann.
In a chain store trip and fall, a grandmother was entering a local branch when she was caused to trip and fall on a mat that had rippled up and created a tripping hazard. She fell forward with her arm extended and suffered a serious fracture of her arm. Kopfler & Hermann was able to obtain the video footage of the event. This chain store had an employee assigned to monitor the entrance but there were multiple entrances and she was not aware that the mat was rippling and causing a tripping hazard. Kopfler & Hermann consulted with the expert witness who had formulated the standard for rubber mats at entrance After review of the matter the expert rendered a report that there was a violation of the standard for floor mats. After depositions of various personnel, a settlement was entered where the grandmother was compensated in full for injuries, pain and suffering, and all medical expenses.
A tenant of a local landlord busted her knee and back when steps at the rent house collapsed as she was walking down them. Even with the qualified limitation of liability available to landlords under Louisiana law, Kopfler Personal Injury Attorneys achieved courtroom victory when they were able to show that the tenants had reported problems with the steps in the past sufficient to place the landlord on notice of their defect.
A crew boat captain returning from shore fell between the dock and the adjacent boat because of defects in the dock, causing a spinal injury resulting in major surgery. The case is in litigation in south Louisiana.
A customer at a local Wal Mart store slipped and fell on dried dog food which had been left in the aisle by store personnel. Extensive discovery showed that the department manager had failed to provide adequate cleanup for the store-created hazard.
A school teacher who suffered a severe shoulder injury when she tripped on a lump of carpet at the entrance to a large department store received just compensation in a post-mediated settlement agreement. The carpet in the narrow foyer entrance of the store had lumped up over the passage of time, creating a tripping hazard to customers entering the building. That is exactly what happened to this teacher, who had to undergo a surgical procedure to repair her shoulder injury.
A roofer broke his hip when a rotted face board caused him to lose his balance and fall atop an air conditioning compressor. The owner’s knowledge of the rot resulted in a jury verdict for the roofer against the homeowner’s insurer.
