Attorney assigned to a pet

05/10/07

Attorney assigned to a pet

In an unusual development in Memphis, an attorney will now represent a pet belonging to Ron Callan Jr., 35, who died on New Year's Day. While the death was ruled as suicide, people close to the deceased were involved in a bitter fight for custody of his pet dog, Alex, a 13-year-old golden retriever.

Callan Jr. was a graduate of the Memphis University School and Tulane University. He was a partner in Callan Salvage & Appraisal Co., along with his father. He had no written will and left behind a $2 million estate. His father has been named administrator of the estate and took Alex with him to work during the day. However, the deceased's mother, Esther Snow Gnall, and his fiance Kim Guill also wanted to keep the dog.

The court decided to appoint a representative for Alex, when the battle for custody turned ugly with the lawyers also fighting. It has been ruled that the divorced parents, Callan Sr. and Gnall will share Alex's custody, as well as healthcare and medical expenses.

Butzel Long opens office in New York City
Butzel Long has opened an office in New York City. The firm has acquired Hollyer Brady Barrett & Hines, LLP, a commercial law firm focusing on financial services, corporate and real estate work, arbitration, and litigation.

With this acquisition, the firm plans to develop practice in New York, and enhance services for clients based in the City. The move is also part of Butzel Long's long-term growth plans. The core values of both the firms are similar, and this is expected to benefit the clients.

For Hollyer Brady, the move will help expand their services in keeping with their client base. Lawyers at the firm have experience working in respected New York City firms and serving a range of clients including international banks, prominent mutual funds, and cultural icons of New York.

Butzel Long was established in 1854 and is based in Detroit. One of Michigan's oldest firms, it has 225 attorneys and offices in many places including Washington, DC, Holland, Beijing, and Shanghai. The firm provides services to regional, national, and international clients.

BIZARRE NEWS

Death or debt?
The good news is that he doesn't have cancer, but the bad news is that he thought he did.

What do you do when your doctor informs you have only one year to live? Go on a world tour? Spend all your savings in luxuries? But, what if, a year later, it turns out that the doctor was wrong! And, you're not dying after all. Sounds cliched right, straight out of some movie or soap, ehh? Sadly, it turned out real for John Brandrick, a 62-year-old British man.

Two years ago, John was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a year to live. He did what was obvious — live a king-size life till alive. He quit his job, sold many of his possessions, stopped paying his mortgage, and began treating friends and family to extravagances he wouldn't normally afford. A year later, John realized that the pancreatic cancer was actually just a non-fatal inflammation. Now, was this good or bad news! John is completely broke and now seeks compensation from the hospital for causing this injury.

It does make sense, though. Looks like a case of medical malpractice to me. The wrong diagnosis had him suffer monetary losses. It is crystal clear that the doctors were wrong and the patient suffered financial injury owing to the misdiagnosis. Though hospital sympathizes with John, it disclaims any negligence. John's verdict? Get a second opinion.