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LEGAL BRIEF
JUNE 2021 FRIEDMANSIMON.COM 516-800-8000
Lessons Learned From My Greek Immigrant Father
As a first-generation American, I don’t always think about how interesting the journey to America of my father and my mother’s parents was, but as I started to write the June Father’s Day newsletter piece, the appreciation for the story and the journey came rushing in. My father grew up on the island of Chios in Greece, known for its mastic farming. During the time my father was growing up, most people from the south of Chios ended up in that business. My father began working after he finished sixth grade, at the age of 12. Then, at the age of 16, I always hear about the story about how he left everything he knew behind, jumped on a ship, and worked on a ship traveling the world. After a few years working on the ship, he ended up in America at the age of 18, barely speaking the language. He found work as a cabinet maker, and within less than five years in the country, he was able to open up his own cabinet making business with another immigrant from his little town in Greece. The business thrived and is still going strong today almost 40 years later! It has always been a true inspiration to me to think of my father’s story and see how hard he has worked both before and after coming to America with nothing. With a sixth-grade education, he has been able to teach himself everything he needed to know to successfully run a business. Growing up, my father always reminded my brothers and I to focus on school. “Don’t work with your hands. Work with your brains.” He knew the physical toll that working with one’s hands daily takes and saw the possibilities of higher education for his children. The little sayings he has from his mother and the village in Greece along
the lines of “do what you can do today, don’t save it for tomorrow” or “make a plan and stick to it” are tremendous pieces of advice that I constantly try to apply to my work. In addition to being a role model for work ethic, my father’s love for his family has always been a tremendous influence for what truly matters. My father remains close to his family in Greece, with weekly phone calls to his mother before she passed and his sister to this date. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to leave home at the age of 16 and not see his parents again until his wedding eight years later. Once I went away to college — the first time I had ever been away from the family for an extended period of time — I would get daily phone calls from my father. I would pick up and say “Hi, Baba” — Greek for “Hi, Dad” — then get into conversations mixed between English and Greek. All of my roommates remember this vividly and would joke about the random English words they would understand in my string of Greek words. I
thought it was normal back then, but I now realize how truly special that was.
My father has something new to be proud of — as of this writing, he is a first-time grandfather! My brother and his wife recently had their first baby girl — and the obsession is real. All he and my mother do is look at pictures of the baby girl. I’m beyond excited to meet my niece and watch my father have his first experiences as a “papou” or grandpa.
Thank you for always being the best role model. Your love, support, and guidance have
been everything for me and are the reason I am the kind of person and lawyer that I am. I love you too, Baba. Wishing everyone a happy Father’s Day.
-John G. Papadopoulos
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Their Insurance Denies Liability — What Now?
IS ANIMAL THERAPY RIGHT FOR YOU? Your Guide to AAT
There are just some things only a dog can understand — same with a cat, or a horse, or a bird, for that matter. That’s the idea behind animal- assisted therapy (AAT), a treatment designed to help those with mental and physical challenges. AAT may look like snuggling and playing with animals, but it’s much more involved than you may think. What is AAT? AAT relies on an innate human need to connect with animals. The idea is that humans form bonds with living things, and this connection can have a calming effect on our minds. Physical therapy and massage therapy involve tangible actions on the part of the therapist, while AAT relies on the relationship between a human and an animal. This could help someone cope with grief, lessen a medical patient’s pain related to chemotherapy or surgery, provide connection to residents in long-term care facilities, or even offer exercise for those with limited mobility. Aren’t those just emotional support animals? In recent years, emotional support animals have become increasingly popular both in the media and in their use. Emotional support animals offer their owners vital emotional assistance, but they differ greatly from trained therapy animals. AAT requires the use of a trained animal under the direction of a handler, who will also coordinate with medical professionals to ensure the strategies that they deploy will target what a patient needs. Prior to practicing, trainers and their animals must each pass certification processes intended to help each party gain the skills needed to help patients. To qualify, animals also need to be clean and vaccinated, and the type of animal that is used during AAT also depends on a person’s condition, the location of the therapy, and a patient’s need. Is AAT right for you? AAT isn’t for everyone, but it can be a vital component of your healing process. It’s often seen as a supplemental form of therapy intended to bolster other therapies. The important thing to remember when considering AAT is to establish reasonable goals. Discuss the possibility of using AAT with your doctor or therapist and consider which animals may bring you the most comfort. Be realistic about what you want and need before attempting AAT. To learn more about AAT for yourself or someone you care about, here are links to two organizations that promote this approach. For a New York focus, please visit: https://newyorktherapyanimals.org/. For international resources, please visit: https://www.animalsandsociety.org/ animal-assisted-therapy-programs/
Hi, it’s John again. I know many people feel defeated when they receive a letter, email, or phone call from an insurance company essentially saying, “We are only obligated to pay claims where our insured is at fault, we believe you are 100% at fault for your accident.” Thankfully, that isn’t the end of your claim. I recently settled a case a few weeks ago where our client was in the same exact position. Following a car accident, our client suffered several fractures and required an extensive hospital stay. The insurance company for the other vehicle tried to deny responsibility and the client did not know what to do. Thankfully, we did not take no for an answer, and we used evidence such as photographs obtained after the fact confirming the points of impact to sway the insurance company to offer her the full insurance policy. Call an attorney as soon as possible: Even if the police report is against you, the other party lies, or the insurance company doesn’t accept your claim, it is crucial to get legal help and advice as soon as possible. With any luck, your legal team will be able to gather evidence or make arguments to help change the position of the insurance company on the claim. Take pictures: Take pictures of your injuries, any damages, and your surroundings if at all possible. Things like weather conditions, road conditions, points of impact on vehicles, and positioning of vehicles may be crucial down the road. Gather witness contact information: Police often arrive after initial witnesses have left the scene. If possible, obtain contact information of witnesses to the accident. It may not be necessary to obtain a statement, but if for whatever reason the cause of the accident is disputed, having the support of a witness will be a tremendous help. Consider keeping a log or journal: Keep track of doctor appointments and write down the way your injuries have affected your life. Some of the above advice may be impossible, especially if injuries prevent free movement immediately after an accident. If that is the case, hopefully a bystander is willing to take photographs and send to the injured person, don’t be shy to ask for help in a time of need. The key is to react quickly. This can be difficult to do during a destabilizing event to your health and well-being — but if you give your legal team a call, we can do the quick thinking for you.
-John G. Papadopoulos
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SPOT, NO! Dog Bite 101
Dogs hold a dear place in many of our hearts, but what do you do when a dog causes an injury? Of course, the first step in “Dog Bite 101” is to assess the situation and receive medical attention. This may be as simple as getting into a car and going in for stitches, but if the situation is more serious, do not hesitate to get an ambulance. No matter what, you need to make sure the bite receives appropriate care and the authorities are aware of the incident. Remember, even if you think it’s no big deal, you aren’t the only person who can be hurt. What happens if instead of biting you, the dog attacked a child? That’s the kind of thing the police need to know about for public safety. Medical care is especially important because of the risk of infection — by whatever bacteria are living in the dog’s mouth, but also by rabies, which can be the reason a dog bit you in the first place. In humans, rabies is almost always fatal if not treated in time.
Believe it or not, even if your dog bite does not result in hospitalization, you have many legal rights in this situation — as you should! Being bitten by a dog is a traumatic experience physically, but it also carries emotional weight the courts are often sympathetic to. Having a carnivorous animal lunge at you, teeth bared, taps into some of our earliest, most primal fears, and the psychological effects can be significant. In the wake of this, you need to get help from someone who will preserve your legal rights while making sure you’re taken care of. It can be hard to know what to do next or what your options even are. Our firm answers questions about dog bite cases regularly and has serious experience litigating them as well. One phone call to us at 516-271-3489 will set you on the path to justice, or at least to justice after the attack.
But what happens next?
Grilled Chicken Shawarma
SUDOKU
Inspired by FeastingAtHome.com
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp ground cumin • 2 tbsp ground coriander • 2 tsp kosher salt • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper • 2 tsp turmeric • 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground black pepper • 2 tsp allspice • 8 garlic cloves, minced • 6 tbsp olive oil • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Directions
1. To create marinade, whisk all spices with the garlic and olive oil in a medium bowl. 2. Add chicken to the bowl, coat well with marinade, cover, and let sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes — or up to 48 hours. Strain off excess marinade before cooking. 3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill thighs for 10–12 minutes on each side, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 F. 4. Serve with rice, vegetables, or pita bread with tzatziki.
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Lessons Learned From My Greek Immigrant Father INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 2 Should You Try Animal Therapy?
How to Win a Claim Against All Odds
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Dog Bite 101
Grilled Chicken Shawarma
A Look at Tech Trends in 2021
PANDEMIC-INSPIRED TECHWITH STAYING POWER A Look at Tech Trends in 2021
The world’s largest consumer technology show, CES, takes place every January. This year’s show was virtual, but there was no less hype about new tech headed to market this year and prototypes that may never be consumer-ready but fuel innovation. This year’s CES offerings ranged from industry-changing battery technology for electric vehicles to aesthetic smartphone trends (spoiler: they roll up). But in 2021, one thing was undeniable: The pandemic has had a massive influence on where consumer technology is headed. As TechRadar writer Jamie Carter said in his write-up of the show, “While not all is designed to kill or protect from the virus that’s ruined lives for the last year, a lot of the latest tech from CES 2021 is clearly geared toward helping you stay healthier during the pandemic ...” Here’s a rundown of some of the pandemic-inspired consumer tech, ranging from the accessible to the eccentric. Mini Air Purifiers With heightened concern about indoor air quality, many commercial and whole-home options for air purification systems are racing to become market leaders. But what about people who just need
something for their office? Enter the LUFT Duo and LG PuriCare mini air purifiers. Both are designed for use in small enclosed spaces. LG’s mini machines kill 99% of germs and allergens (a win even in a nonpandemic year), and the LUFT Duo also has ultraviolet LEDS to decontaminate surfaces. Companion Robots The social isolation many older adults experienced during the pandemic created a new sense of urgency to develop a companion robot that could substitute for the human support network many older adults living alone rely on. The standout product at CES came from CareClever Cutii, whose companion robot will launch this year. Unlike Amazon’s stationary Alexa and older models of companion robots, CareClever’s Cutii is mobile and can dial an emergency contact, give reminders, and escort older adults around their home. Smart Toilets While the Toto Wellness Toilet can’t be tied directly to the pandemic, it caters to the market of folks newly concerned with finding more ways to stay healthy. Plus, it was only a matter of time before the smart home trend extended to the porcelain throne. Toto’s toilet has sensors that monitor then analyze “key outputs” from its users, who can then view suggested (and highly personalized) dietary changes through a linked mobile app.
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