July 17, 2008 by Zale.

So you have an injury claim and you’ve heard the adjuster mention the word “subrogation” but you don’t have a clue as to what they were talking about… right?

Simply put, subrogation is the act of one entity stepping into another entity’s shoes.  What?  That didn’t make it any plainer.  Sorry.  Let me try again.

If your insurance company pays $1,000 medical bill for you and you have the right to collect that amount from someone else (like the guy who rear ended you), then your insurance company is “subrogated” to that $1,000.  Your rights to collect that amount are transferred to your insurance company for that amount.  This is why when you go to the hospital for an automobile accident and give them your health insurance information, you usually receive a form from your health insurance company asking the details about to the accident.

Subrogation also goes by “subro” for short.  The whole world would probably be better off if this were known as “pay me back sucka” instead of subrogation, but until then, at least you know what the adjuster is talking about.

Posted in Injury Law, Insurance Law | No Comments »

July 17, 2008 by Zale.

Err.. what?  That’s right.  You just thought you could get busted for speeding, but it appears that you can get busted for slowing too.  In a recent Tennessee Supreme Court case, the court overturned a lower court’s ruling in which the court said:

We conclude, therefore, that a driver of a slow-moving automobile impedes traffic when his or her reduced speed interrupts the “normal and reasonable movement of traffic” by blocking or backing up traffic, unless the “reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with the law.”

So, don’t pull a Cheech and Chong and be cruising around at 10 mph with your stash in the car.  If you do, the officer has probable cause to pull you over.

Posted in Criminal Law | No Comments »