Take a look at our September newsletter!
SEPTEMBER 2022 888-889-8899 DellutriLawGroup.com
A Statewide Law Firm
Many of our clients never come into the office. We use technology to handle their cases virtually all across Florida.
Growing Together with You
The 6 Magic Words I Love to Hear: ‘Why Don’t You Call My Lawyer?’
Every once in a while, I meet a client and we form an instant bond. It happened not too long ago with a man I’ll call Bob. I can’t say much about Bob’s case because I signed a confidentiality agreement after we won it — but we’ll say he was injured in a rather unique way. After his accident, Bob called three different ambulance chasers for help, and every one of them turned down his case. He felt incredibly frustrated, so he vented about the experience to a friend. The friend (I’ll call him Tim) listened to Bob rant for a while. Then, he gave him a look and said, “So, Bob, now that you’ve wasted your time with those guys, why don’t you call my lawyer?” Of course, that lawyer was yours truly! When Bob agreed to tell me his story, Tim called me up right then and there. “Hey, Carmen,” he said. “I’m sitting here with a friend of mine who was in an accident. He needs a lawyer, and he tried to get one, but three different guys turned him down. Can you help him? I told him you’d hear him out and wouldn’t waste his time like those knuckleheads.”
the confidence to call us up out of the blue. They know we’ll be at the top of our game and ready to do our best for their friends.
Now, the ball was in my court — so it was time to do some research! Tim put his faith in me, and I wouldn’t let him down. I dove deep into Bob’s case, and we hit it off immediately when we met in person. I listened, asked him questions, and listened some more to understand his situation fully. The more we talked, the more common ground we found! By the end of the meeting, I knew I’d made a good friend. “Okay, Bob,” I said, looking him right in the eye. “Here’s the deal. I think you have a case. It won’t be easy, but I’m willing to fight for you where those other guys wouldn’t. What do you say?” Tim’s trust in me paid off — Bob became my client that day, and I figured out a creative legal strategy to represent him. I wish I could tell you exactly how much money we won, but I’m sworn to secrecy! Let’s just say we settled Bob’s case for a substantial, confidential amount. He left our office fully compensated for his injuries. I’m sure next time one of his friends is in legal trouble, he’ll be the one to say, “Why don’t you call my lawyer?”
“I wish I could tell you exactly how much money we won, but I’m sworn to secrecy! Let’s just say we settled Bob’s case for a substantial, confidential amount.”
Those six magic words keep our firm in business.
Our clients send their friends, family, and coworkers to us because they believe in the “Dellutri Difference.” We never turn down a case outright. Instead, we take the time to listen, learn, and review all the facts — even when no one else will. Next time you’re in Tim’s shoes, do your friend a favor. Look over and say, “Why don’t you call my lawyer?” I’ll be waiting to pick up the phone. –Carmen Dellutri
Tim passed the phone over to Bob as soon as I said yes. It only took Bob a few minutes to share the basics of his case, and we set up a meeting at my office. When I hung up the phone, I thought, “I have the best clients.” It’s incredible that people who have worked with my firm, like Tim, have
If you know someone who would like a copy of this newsletter, please visit this link to add them to our mailing list: DellutriLawGroup.com/resources/newsletters
DellutriLawGroup.com | 1
So, you’re driving down the road, thinking about what you’re doing this weekend, when suddenly you are smacked from behind while sitting at a dead-stop for a red light. WHAT THE?! Your immediate reaction (after making sure everyone is okay, of course) might be to reach for your phone, tap the icon for Facebook, and let the world know some fool just hit you. However, if you are involved in an accident and subsequent personal injury claim, what you post on social media can impact your case, which is why you should not post about: Should You Post on Social Media After an Accident?
• The car wreck •
Your injuries, treatment plan, or any other medical information
about your injury claim, there may be other information in your social media posts that could help them keep money from you.
• Regrets (concerning the accident) • “Check-ins” (i.e., information about where you are or what activities you are doing) • The case itself
A young lady once said to one of our attorneys, “But social media is my life.” We’re not asking you to cut social media out of your life — just to be mindful of what you post. Remember, you can be on social media, but you can’t post about the accident or your injuries. Social Media Can Hurt Your Personal Injury Case At Dellutri Law Group, we want to give our clients every advantage possible as we fight for fair compensation. So, as a general principle, we intentionally ask our clients to keep the details of their cases, the strategies we set forth, and any other case details private by not sharing them on social media. While it may seem old fashioned or overly cautious, some things are still better off not posted online.
After an automobile collision, we ask all our clients to stay away from posting anything accident-related on social media. Here’s why: Your social media accounts are not private. Even if you have privacy settings on your social media accounts, anything you post goes out into the public domain and is, therefore, discoverable by the insurance companies.
Insurance companies will use any information available to them to lower the value of your claim. If you post all over social media
“Just very pleased with the whole process. Ashley was always there to answer any questions we needed, and Carmen is very knowledgeable and helpful in many ways. Thanks again for your help to both of you and the whole team. Definitely recommend! Anyone who needs financial help, this is who to go to!” –A.W. GOOGLE REVIEW, JULY 2022 Testimonial Our Clients Say It Best
Get a FREE case evaluation!
2 | 888-889-8899
DLG EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
GREEN BEAN AND EGGPLANT STIR-FRY Inspired by ThePlantBasedWok.com
We’ll Miss
Jackie! Over the years, we’ve had amazing interns, and some have stuck around after their internships were completed to remain as an integral part of our team. Jackie Bradford is one of them! Jackie is part of the marketing team and manages our social media accounts as well as takes the lead on some of our campaigns and various projects. Jackie recently graduated from FGCU with a criminal justice and forensic studies degree.
In just 30 minutes, turn a pile of summer veggies into a Chinese‑inspired dish.
INGREDIENTS
• 2 Chinese eggplants, cut into 1/4-inch strips • Salt, to taste • 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided • 6 oz green beans, trimmed • 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced • 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced • 2 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tbsp vegan stir-fry sauce (like Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian) • 1/8 tsp pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, add the eggplant and coat with salt. Cover the eggplant with water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. 2. In a wok over medium heat, warm 2 tbsp of oil. Add the eggplant and fry for 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside. 3. Add the remaining oil and green beans to the wok. Fry for 5 minutes, then remove and set aside. 4. Add garlic, ginger, and chili before stir-frying for 1 minute. Return the green beans and eggplant to the wok and add the soy sauce, vegan stir-fry sauce, and pepper. Toss to coat, then serve over rice! What’s the Good News ? “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” PHILIPPIANS 4:8
We need your help with this next part of this spotlight. Jackie is actually heading up to FSU to start her graduate program and get her master’s in criminology! We want to send her off with all the positive vibes we can muster and figured asking our newsletter readers was the best place! If you’d like to congratulate Jackie and help us with all the good vibes, email your well wishes to CarmenDellutri@DellutriLawGroup.com (so we can compile them for her) OR feel free to post on our social media accounts. She will see them immediately!
Congratulations Jackie, we are very excited for you!
Last month we had ... • 31 referrals from friends, family, or previous clients • 27 returning clients for a new matter • 19 referrals from other attorneys • 4 referrals from other professionals in town • We sent out 93 referrals to our trusted referral partners A Huge Thank-You to Our Referral Partners!
DellutriLawGroup.com | 3
1436 Royal Palm Square Blvd. Fort Myers, FL 33919
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
888-889-8899 DellutriLawGroup.com
Check us out online!
Inside This Issue
1 Carmen’s 6 Magic Words 2 Should You Post on Social Media After an Accident? 2 Testimonial 3 Spotlighting Jackie 3 Green Bean and Eggplant Stir-Fry 4 Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit
CAMP LEJEUNE WATER CONTAMINATION LAWSUIT
As our avid readers know, we normally do not spend a lot of time on legal issues in this newsletter. However, President Biden recently signed legislation that allows individuals who were injured by water contamination at Camp Lejeune, the U.S. Marine Corps base, to seek damages. Since our inception, the Dellutri Law Group has always supported our troops. We’ve had the privilege of representing many veterans over our 25-year history. We pride ourselves on being there to help those who sacrificed to preserve liberty and freedom.
illness or have passed away, there is a limited time to bring a claim under this legislation.
The legislation allows those victims who unknowingly drank contaminated water to make a claim for their injuries. The Dellutri Law Group is investigating claims nationwide. So, if you have a loved one who lives in another state, please get this information into their hands. Even if you don’t know anyone personally, please share this information with everyone you know so that they can file a claim for their injuries. If they fail to make a claim before the deadline, they could be locked out forever. Have them visit DellutriLawGroup.com/ CampLejeune to learn more details about the upcoming contamination lawsuits.
Nothing can be more important now than helping those victims who served in the military, their spouses and children, and/ or civilians who worked at Camp Lejeune between August 1953 and December 1987. If you know anyone who spent time at Camp Lejeune during that time frame, it is imperative that they have their health checked immediately. If they are suffering from serious
Get a FREE case evaluation!
4 | 888-889-8899
Top 3 Legal Issues for Unmarried Couples
Living here in Southwest Florida, we all know unmarried couples who live together in loving and committed relationships but don’t intend to get married for myriad reasons. At the same time, they keep putting off creating an estate plan to protect each other for when “life happens.” I’d like to share a story with you of Bob and Sue, who represent a collage of clients I have had over the years and the dangers they face by not having a proper estate plan. Bob is divorced and moved from New Jersey to Florida eight years ago after retiring at the age of 67. He was renting a condo at the time he met Sue. Sue is a widow and moved from Ohio to Florida 10 years ago, owns a homesteaded, single-family home, and is the same age as Bob. They met at a local golf course, hit it off, and have been living together for the past seven years in Sue’s home. They have no plans of getting married and have no estate planning documents together, although Bob has a power of attorney and health care surrogate from his prior marriage naming his eldest son as his agent. Legal Issue No. 1 — Health Care One day, they are playing golf, and on a par three hole, Bob gets a hole in one! He gets excited and starts jumping up and down, and then, he begins to suffer chest pains and collapses on the course. He is rushed by ambulance to the hospital and placed into intensive care. Sue follows in her car, and when she gets to the hospital, they won’t let her see Bob because they are not married and she does not have a health care surrogate. Not only can’t she see him, but they can’t even disclose his medical condition to her. Sue has to call Bob’s son to let him know what has happened and has to ask him to call the hospital and call her back so she can know how Bob is doing. As horrible as the situation is for Sue, the hospital and doctor must comply with privacy laws. Legal Issue No. 2 — Government Benefits Bob fortunately recovers and, after a stint in rehab, goes back home to Sue’s house. As a couple, they are able to live comfortably on their Social Security income and small pension Sue receives from her late husband. Sue’s Social Security is $3,500 plus a $500 pension, and Bob only receives
$800 as he worked most of his career as a self-employed contractor underreporting his income to the IRS to save taxes. Sue also has about $127,000 in cash and investments, plus a new Lexus in her name she shares with Bob. After a couple of months, they get back on the golf course. On the second hole, they hear someone yell, “FOUR!” They both turn around to look and Sue gets struck in her right temple causing her to blackout. She gets rushed to the hospital and is put in intensive care. Now Bob can’t see her, and she has no documents appointing anyone to represent her. The prognosis is not good, and she will not be able to return home but will have to go into a nursing home as she suffered permanent brain damage and lost many of her motor functions and ability to communicate. Her daughter now has to go through the lengthy and expensive legal process of being appointed her guardian so she is authorized to make legal and medical decisions. While Bob asked the court to appoint him, the daughter has preference. The first issue with Medicaid benefits is that all of Sue’s income has to go pay for the nursing home, meaning that Bob only has $800 a month to live on. If they were married, he could apply to keep approximately $2,100 of Sue’s Social Security benefits to live on. Also, Sue is only able to keep her home, personal belongings, car, and $2,000 in other assets. Therefore, she will have to spend down $125,000 of her assets before she even qualifies for Medicaid. If they were married and Bob had a power of attorney, he could have transferred $125,000 to himself to protect the assets to pass to Sue’s daughter by creating an irrevocable special needs trust for the benefit of Sue. The next government benefit issue arises upon the death of Sue, who passed a year later. Since they were not married, Bob has no right to Sue’s Social Security benefit. If they were married, he would get her $3,500 and lose his $800. Now, he has only $800 to live on. Also, keep in mind, you have to be married at least nine months to qualify for a deceased spouse’s Social Security benefits.
Continued on Back ...
... continued from Front
even if she left it to her daughter. He also may have had a right to the car as part of the statutory right to an elective share as the spouse. Conclusion As you can see, there are many issues most unmarried couples who are in loving and committed relationships don’t think about. While only marriage can fix the Social Security benefit issue, all of the other issues raised can be fixed with proper estate planning documents, as long as you don’t wait until it’s too late .
Legal Issue No. 3 — Housing Upon the death of Sue, since she had no Last Will and Testament leaving the house to Bob, or at least giving him a life estate to live there as long as he lived, the daughter tells him to get out as she is selling the property and Sue’s car. Bob is now homeless and carless. If they had an estate plan, Sue could have provided for him to live there as long as he lived and then have the house go to her daughter. Sue could have also left him the car. Or, if they were married, even if the house was just in her name, as the surviving spouse, he would have the right to live there COALITION CORNER New Opportunity for Growth: ‘Margin and Mission Ignition’ As I wrote about a few months ago, the Homeless Coalition moved its earned income venture, known as Fabulous Finds and Unique Boutique, to a new space. Almost simultaneously, it was presented with a great opportunity by The Patterson Foundation (ThePattersonFoundation.org) to increase the profitability of the store. However, before I explain this special opportunity, I would like to give you a brief history of Fabulous Finds. It was 10 years ago when the Coalition Board set out to come up with an earned income venture. After some failed experiments, it was decided to open a thrift store. However, it took three years to come up with a business plan and raise the initial capital of $100,000 to open the doors at its first location. While the store was always profitable, it was not generating enough of an income to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our clients who depend upon the Coalition. As a result, the Board, guided by the leadership of CEO Tina Figlioulo and her team, made the bold decision to move to a larger space and better location across from Lowe’s in the old LTM Party Store right on Route 41 in Port Charlotte. As a result, as they say, business has been booming, but the store still needs the infrastructure, support, and tools to maximize the benefits of the new location. That’s where The Patterson Foundation stepped in and chose the Coalition to participate in its initiative called Margin and Mission Ignition. As a result, I was part of a group of Board members and leadership of the Coalition that worked with the “No Margin, No Mission” team of Larry Clark and Michael Oxman (NoMarginNoMission.org) to coach and guide us in formulating a business plan to make a monetary “ask” of our supporters. After months of weekly meetings, multiple drafts, revisions, and massaging, a business plan was produced outlining the needs of the store to increase the profitability and, therefore, the benefits to the
–Mark Martella, Esq.
Coalition’s clients and mission to prevent hunger and homelessness in our community. It is an impressive 65-page document, providing a SWOT analysis and financial projections, along with a detailed explanation of how the funds will be used including, but not limited to, the purchase of a new box truck, point of sale system, and hiring a social media and internet marketing specialist to increase online sales. The total ask is $150,000, of which $100,000 is earmarked for a new box truck, which is essential for improving the most profitable area of the store, furniture sales. At the end of year three, we project to increase the store’s profitability by $90,000 a year. Following the Margin and Mission Ignition model, the next step was to have a Shark Tank-like presentation to potential donors (although a kinder and gentler version). The ask was presented by CEO Tina Figlioulo and Director of Operations Michael Davey. The event was held at the end of July at the Laishley Community room. To our amazement, we received two matching donations (meaning if we raise these funds, the donors will match dollar for dollar). The first was from Euro-Wall for $75,000, and then, at the end of the event, Michael Corley, representing The Patterson Foundation, announced a $50,000 matching grant. Therefore, we have an opportunity to raise an amount far exceeding our initial goal. If you would like a copy of the business plan, a tour of the Coalition’s campus, or to donate to the Margin and Mission Ignition initiative, please contact Jennifer Welch, Director of Development with the Coalition, at 941-627-4313. Please also visit Fabulous Finds, located at 1931 Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte. To donate gently used furniture, please call 941-979-8230. –Mark Martella, Esq.
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator