Berman & Simmons, Maine’s largest plaintiff law firm, is pleased to announce that six of its attorneys are among the The Best Lawyers in America for 2024 and three are cited as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence....
Berman & Simmons News Articles
Filing suit against gun maker Sig Sauer Five years after his family endured a tragedy that captivated Maine for several weeks in 2018, David A. Cole, the son of late Somerset County Sheriff’s Department Corporal Eugene Cole, filed suit against New Hampshire-based gun maker Sig Sauer, alleging that, in 2022, its widely distributed P320...
A policy change enacted in the mid-1990s aimed at reducing Maine’s reliance on nursing homes has led to a transformation of the elder care system. The number of nursing home beds decreased while the number of residential care facilities doubled, accommodating elderly residents with significant medical needs. However, an investigation by The Maine Monitor and...
Whether online, in print, or on TV, we’re proud our important work is routinely featured in the region’s top news forums and shared nationally. This recap of media coverage during the second quarter of 2023 spotlights the many ways in which we’re helping our clients find justice and recover fair compensation after experiencing a...
Berman & Simmons is proud to announce that Attorney Christopher Boots has successfully completed the Maine State Bar Association (MSBA) Leadership Academy for 2023. This accomplishment underscores Attorney Boots’ commitment to professional growth and leadership within the legal community. Leadership Academy participants gain skills to enhance their careers The MSBA Leadership Academy is a selective...
This spring, Berman & Simmons attorney Christopher Boots presented testimony in favor of LD 934, an act to amend the laws governing damages awarded for wrongful death, on behalf of the MTLA legislative committee. Read testimony: Maine Trial Lawyers Association – LD 934 – An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Damages Awarded for...
Whether online, in print, or on TV, we’re proud our important work is routinely featured in the region’s top news forums and shared nationally. This recap of media coverage during the first quarter of 2023 spotlights the many ways in which we’re helping our clients find justice and recover fair compensation after experiencing a...
Attorneys representing four more survivors of childhood sexual abuse by three different priests — all at St. Ann Parish in Indian Island, Maine — today filed civil complaints against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland seeking to hold the diocese accountable for damages. The sexual abuse in three of these cases happened between 1972 and...
Berman & Simmons Trial Attorneys emerged from the pandemic into the courtroom winning over $36.5 million in verdicts for their clients between September 2022 and February 2023. This is purported to be the largest collection of trial wins over the shortest duration of time by a law firm in New England and displays the extraordinary...
Attorneys representing four more survivors of childhood sexual abuse by three different priests—all at St. Ann Parish in Indian Island, Maine—today filed civil complaints against the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland seeking to hold the diocese accountable for damages. The sexual abuse in three of these cases happened between 1972 and 1979 when three of...
Attorney Susan Faunce has recently been appointed by Maine Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence. Susan will serve a 3-year term until September 2026. The Advisory Committee recommends improvements and amendments to the Maine Rules of Evidence to ensure the Rules sufficiently comply with...
Attorney Timothy M. Kenlan was recently invited to present to a group of post-doctoral students enrolled in the University of Maine’s Forensic Psychology Fellowship program. In his presentation “Forensic Applications in Civil Sex Abuse Applications,” Tim shared information about the role of Forensic Psychologists working with lawyers and survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the...
The Maine Trial Lawyer Association held its Annual Meeting and Spring Seminar in Freeport on Friday, March 17. Among the lawyers presenting, attorney Susan Faunce, who serves as the MTLA’s current president, was part of a panel discussion sharing notable medical malpractice cases, verdicts, and trial stories. Formed in 1963, the Maine Trial Lawyers Association is...
A Maine Superior Court judge has ruled that the law eliminating the statute of limitations for sex crimes is constitutional. Attorney Michael Bigos, who is representing 13 clients in lawsuits against the Maine Catholic Diocese with claims of sexual abuse by priests and a nun in Maine dating back to the 50s stated: “The Maine...
Berman & Simmons attorneys Jodi Nofsinger and Susan Faunce won a $6.5 million jury award on behalf of the family of Peter Smith who died from a negligent misdiagnosis of Lyme carditis in 2017. The Cumberland County jury found Mercy Hospital and one of its physicians, Dr. John Henson, were negligent in the care leading...
“We are thankful that the jury held Mercy Hospital and Dr. Henson accountable for the needless and tragic death of young Peter Smith. Peter’s family will be grieving his loss forever. They have some solace in knowing that justice has occurred and hope that this verdict helps to prevent this kind of negligence and wrongful...
Lawyers from Berman & Simmons have again been called upon to provide expertise to the legal profession, writing chapters for A Practical Guide to Superior Court Practice in Maine, a legal industry resource that provides invaluable insight into civil and criminal practice before the Maine Superior Court. Five Berman & Simmons lawyers agreed to provide their...
Whether online, in print, or on TV, we’re proud our important work is routinely featured in the region’s top news forums and shared nationally. This recap of media coverage during the fourth quarter of 2022 spotlights the many ways in which we’re helping our clients find justice and recover fair compensation after experiencing a serious...
The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and giving. During the holidays the attorneys and staff at Berman & Simmons select two local non-profit organizations to support. This year, we were happy to provide gifts, supplies, and financial donations to Kaydenz Kitchen and the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society Kaydenz Kitchen is a...
Have you met Berman & Simmons attorney Chuck Hehmeyer yet? In this Maine Lawyers Review article written by Jo Southard, Chuck talks about winning a record verdict in federal court, why he chose to move to Maine when he could practice anywhere, and the collegiality of the Maine Bar. “Maine Bar: Respect and Collegiality” article,...