Berman & Simmons News Articles

Monica and Randy Charette, the parents of a 17-year-old teenager who died during a haunted hayride in the fall of 2014, continue to call for comprehensive mandatory inspections of the vehicles used in such attractions in Maine.The Charettes were featured in an article today in the Bangor Daily News, about a legislative task force convened to review hayride safety....

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BELFAST, Maine – A judge in Waldo County has issued a final judgment of $1 million against Todd Gilday, who shot and killed a Belfast woman two years ago.Gilday shot Lynn Arsenault, 55, and her son Mathew Day, 22, on Aug. 28, 2013, following a dispute between the men. Arsenault died and Day suffered serious injuries. Gilday pleaded guilty and is serving a 50-year prison sentence....

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Oct. 12, 2015One year after she was killed during a haunted hayride, Cassidy Charette’s remarkable life and spirit continue to be celebrated by her family, friends, and community.WGME CBS 13 News produced an uplifting segment titled “Shine on Cass,” featuring interviews with her soccer teammates and coaches, and another segment featuring an interview with Cassidy’s younger brother, Colby....

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LEWISTON, Maine – Berman & Simmons’ $22.5 million court victory on behalf of an electrical lineworker has been recognized among the National Law Journal’s Top 100 Verdicts of 2014. The recognition represents a major achievement for the Berman & Simmons law firm, and also in the career of attorney Benjamin Gideon of Freeport. Gideon was the lead attorney...

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In today’s Kennebec Journal newspaper, staff writer Peter McGuire wrote an uplifting story about a summer farm camp in Albion and its plan to honor Cassidy Charette.Cassidy, 17, died in a hayride crash last fall. She was riding on a wagon that went out of control and flipped at Harvest Hill Farms in the town of Mechanic Falls. Cassidy was an honor student, a gifted athlete and beloved friend. Berman & Simmons represents her family....

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During the improbable playoff run of the girls lacrosse team at Messalonskee High School this spring, the players have found many ways to honor their former teammate, Cassidy Charette. They wear a patch with Cassidy’s initials. No one wears number 4. Instead, they keep Cassidy’s jersey on the sidelines and take it with them on every road game....

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The Berman & Simmons law firm has filed wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of the families of two men who died last September in an arson fire in Biddeford, Maine.Michael Moore, 23, and his friend and roommate James Ford, 21, were trapped in their attic apartment at 35 Main St. when the fire was set on Sept. 18. Moore died the next day at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Ford died nearly one month later. The men had been friends since grade school....

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Jodi Nofsinger and Daniel Kagan, attorneys with the Berman & Simmons law firm, are representing the family of a teenager from Oakland, Maine, who died in a haunted hayride crash last October.Cassidy Charette, 17, was an honor student and athlete at Messalonskee High School. On the night of Oct. 11, 2014, Cassidy and several friends went to “The Gauntlet” at Harvest Hill Farms, a popular Halloween attraction on Route 26 in Mechanic Falls....

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Berman & Simmons attorney Daniel Kagan has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the teenage driver who struck and killed a special education teacher from Berwick two years ago.On the morning of April 10, 2013, Amy Harris was driving with her two children on Route 4 in Berwick. Cameron Clair, a 17-year-old from Biddeford, was driving in the opposite direction. Clair crossed the center line and crashed into the Harris family station wagon head-on. Harris was killed instantly. Her two children, then 7 and 4 years old, suffered serious injuries....

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