Read about Your Rights

On the page below you can find links to documents, reports, publications and discussions provided by Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C.. As personal attorneys with years of experience practicing, We have acquired expertise in a number of personal injury areas. The documents below are available to the public so that they can gain a better understanding of the legal challenges facing them in the event of a personal injury, and why an experienced personal injury is so important for success.

Car Accidents

  • What to do in Wisconsin if you are in a Car Accident

    If you have the misfortune of being in a car accident, there are steps you should always take to insure that your legal rights and claims to injury stay intact. This page offers the critical steps to follow after a car accident. For more help, contact Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C.. Accepting roadway accident cases throughout Wisconsin, including Sun Prairie, Madison, Janesville, Racine and Sheboygan, Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. can assist you today.

  • Safest Cars of 2007

    The latest in safety technology is computerized stability control. The safest cars of 2007 all have this feature.

Personal Injury

  • Threats to Judicial Independence in Wisconsin [PDF]

    In the wake of three recent Supreme Court decisions, Wisconsin medical, business and insurance interests have embarked upon a public relations campaign decrying the allegedly negative impact these decisions will have on Wisconsin’s business and medical climate. Attorney Lynn Laufenberg offers commentary on the impact this campaign could have on Wisconsin’s judiciary.

  • Strength Training and Children

    For several decades now, all adults have heard and many have heeded the admonition to exercise. Maybe it’s time we extended this message to include our children, whose strongest muscles sometimes seem to be the ones developed while using the video game controller and the remote control.

  • Lowering the Risk of Falls by Seniors

    In July 2001, Katherine Graham, former president and CEO of The Washington Post, and author of the best selling memoir Personal History, fell at a colloquium in Sun Valley, Idaho, and died of her head injuries three days later. Ms. Graham was 84, and, sadly, one of 15,000 Americans annually who die from injuries sustained in falls.

  • The Right to a Trial by Jury

    Both the United States and Wisconsin Constitutions guarantee the right to a trial by jury in all civil disputes. Business, medical and insurance interests are using their influence with politicians on both the state and national level to try to undermine and even destroy the right to jury trial.

Products Liability

  • Helping Babies Sleep Safely

    Three thousand infants die every year from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, commonly known by the acronym SIDS, sometimes called “crib death.” In SIDS, the death of an infant less than one year old remains unexplained, even after the most thorough investigation. This tragedy can occur anytime, anywhere; 20 percent of SIDS cases occur in child-care settings.

  • Making Nail Guns Safer

    A nail gun is an aptly named tool – it operates like a hand gun, but shoots nails instead of bullets. It’s a powerful device that enables professional builders and serious do-it-yourself home owners to work quickly on projects that require fastening, such as framing, decking, flooring, roofing and cabinet-making.

  • Salmon to Dye For

    The artificial pigments fed to salmon are canthaxanthin and astaxanthin. These manufactured additives are a synthetic version of natural pigments in the same family as beta-carotene.

  • Suspect Salads in Supermarkets

    Most people consider a leafy green salad to be a healthy food choice, but a new study suggests that some lettuce might actually be bad for you. The reason? It’s contaminated with high levels of toxic rocket fuel from polluted water in the western United States.

Medical Malpractice

  • Stick Out Your Tongue, Lose Your Legal Rights

    If a patient signs a medical mandatory arbitration agreement and is injured by a health care professional, that patient cannot seek answers in court. Instead, the patient must pay a private company to resolve the dispute. These mandatory arbitration agreements, as opposed to voluntary arbitration agreements, force patients out of court whether they want to or not, and whether they understood the agreement they signed or not.

  • Making Sense of New Healthcare Privacy Rules

    If you’ve seen a doctor or pharmacist lately, you probably were given something in addition to medical advice or a prescription – a detailed brochure about health information privacy. A similar notice should have come in the mail from your health plan or insurance company.

  • Malpractice caps offer only illusion of help to struggling doctors

    Why does crossing the line (between Illinois and Wisconsin) cost your doctor $82,300 (in increased malpractice premiums)?” asks a June 9 Blue Cross/Blue Shield ad in the New York Times.

  • How Do I Blame Thee? Let Me Count The Ways.

    Health care providers routinely assert the plaintiff’s contributory negligence as an affirmative defense in medical negligence cases. The “blame the patient” defense takes many forms. It may be an overt claim of contributory fault that caused the bad outcome, such as a failure to provide a complete and accurate medical history.

  • Melanoma Misdiagnosis: A Tragic and Common Mistake

    Melanoma is one of the more difficult forms of cancer to recognize. Because of this, doctors are required to run screening tests on any mole or skin growth that appears abnormal. Failure to do so is considered negligence, and is grounds for a malpractice suit. If you or a loved one has melanoma and had a misdiagnosis delay treatment, contact the law offices of Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. for a free case assessment.

  • Staph Infections: Deadly Serious

    Staph and other hospital infections are responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths a year. What does the Center for Disease Control recommend that our hospitals do about it?

    Nothing.

  • The Medical Malpractice “Crisis” Revisited
  • Should California’s Law be America’s Law?

Dangerous Prescription Drugs

  • The Vioxx Trials

    Read quotes from the Texas jurors who handed down a $253 million award against pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. on Aug. 25th, 2005.

  • The Evidence Against Merck & Co.

    Read about the “enemies lists” and a few other of the many tactics used by Merck to squelch expert opinion on the dangers of Vioxx and aggressively market the arthritis medication, despite knowledge of the risks.

  • Consumer Notes on Vioxx

    Whether or not you or a loved one used Vioxx, as an American consumer you should understand the transgressions of the pharmaceutical industry against every standard of fairness and disclosure that exists to protect our health and our rights. Read this page to learn more about Vioxx.

  • Exercise Caution With All Medications and Supplements

    Every year, 300,000 adverse reactions to prescription drugs are reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch hotline. This number presumably represents just a small fraction of all such incidents.

  • Ephedra – A ‘Natural’ Health Risk?

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has linked the botanical supplement Ephedra to irregular heart beats, chest pain, tremor, and death. The FDA is now considering banning the substance.

General

  • A day to reflect on our civil rights

    As America celebrates Law Day on May 1, we should recognize that it was our civil justice system that has finally begun to lift the toxic cloud of tobacco pollution shrouding our state and federal Capitols. Our civil justice system unearthed Big Tobacco’s deceptive practices and is now holding the industry accountable.

  • Insurers: Good Neighbors or “Money Vultures”?

    Insurance companies spend millions to gain political influence in Washington, D.C., and reward their top executives with annual salaries as high as $6.8 million.

  • N.C. Asbestos Tragedy: Another Libby, Montana?

    Men who spent their lives working in the Weyerhaeuser Co.’s paper mill in rural Plymouth, North Carolina, used to consider themselves lucky. They had steady jobs that paid well, allowing them to provide a good life for their families. They looked forward to retiring and enjoying the good life.

  • Disclaimer

    Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C.

    Disclaimer

  • Workers Compensation Claims

    Getting your workers compensation benefits can be a nightmare. Laufenberg Law Group have the necessary experience to get you the benefits and treatment that you deserve. If you or a loved one have been injured or disabled on the job and have had your workers compensation claim denied, contact Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. today.

  • New Wisconsin Seatbelt Laws Will Save Lives

    At Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C., one of our priorities is representing victims of auto accidents. We take pride in providing legal representation for those who have suffered injuries due to no fault of their own, and sometimes we represent clients who went through particularly brutal auto accidents. We can say with absolute certainty that the difference between a recoverable injury and certain death in many of these cases was the proper use of seatbelts and child restraints. With the summer driving season upon us, and with many Americans taking driving vacations with their families, we thought it would be prudent to share some important statistics regarding seatbelt use.

  • Keeping Teens Safe on the Job

    Teenagers have just as much of a right to safe working conditions and fair wages as adults. Here are some tips to help ensure that your teenager is working in safe conditions.

  • Keeping Your Kids Safe Over The Summer

    Summertime in Wisconsin means increased outdoor activity for your kids. The Law Firm of Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. are proud to present a series of suggestions to help you keep your kids avoid accidents during the summer months.

  • H.R. 2830: Making Sure the Insurance Companies Get Paid First

    House Majority Leader John Boehner recently pushed through legislation that could prove disastrous for ERISA health and benefit policy holders. H.R. 2830 will make it much easier for insurers to take money out of your pockets.

  • Colossus Software and the Claims Process: How Insurance Software Can Be Bad For You

    Most insurance companies use a software called “Colossus” when making settlement offers. It allows them to assess your claim without even laying eyes on you. Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. know that their clients are real people, and not simply numbers that can be fed into a computer. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident and feel that the insurance companies are not treating you fairly, contact our offices today.

  • Senator Trent Lott on Tort Reform: “Justice” for Him, “Frivolous” for You

    Trent Lott was one of the leading voices on Tort Reform. Will his harsh treatment by State Farm help change his mind?

  • Lynn Laufenberg Chosen as Wisconsin Super Lawyer, Michael Laufenberg Chosen as Rising Star [PDF]

    The efforts of Lynn and Michael Laufenberg on behalf of their clients have earned them notice in Milwaukee Magazine.

  • Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers names Lynn Laufenberg “Trial Lawyer of the Year” for 2006 [PDF]

    The Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers has named Lynn Laufenberg as “Trial Lawyer of the Year” for 2006.

    Mr. Laufenberg is honored by the award, and promises to continue to his work on behalf of the accident victims of Wisconsin.

    We at Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. would also like to take this opportunity to thank our clients, who have both placed their trust in us and given us a chance to help them through their misfortunes.

  • Insurance Company Claims Information

    Insurance companies are not easy to get in touch with when you want to file a claim. Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. are pleased to provide you with claims contact information for every major insurance company operating in America today.

  • Lynn Laufenberg Named Trial Lawyer of the Year [PDF]

    The Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers (WATL) named Lynn R. Laufenberg the Robert L. Habush Trial Lawyer of the Year.

  • The Tort Reform Double Standard
  • Preventing Pool Accidents

    Pool accidents are a sad fact of summer. Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. present you with some ways to avoid some of the more common ones.

  • Lynn Laufenberg Chosen as 2007 Wisconsin Super Lawyer, Michael Laufenberg Chosen as 2007 Rising Star [PDF]

    Lynn and Michael Laufenberg are again recognized for their excellent representation of their clients