YOUR PREEXISTING CONDITION DOESN’T BAR YOU FROM JUSTICE From Pain to Pay Bobbie Is Unstoppable Opposition Fuels Laura Modi’s Success
Laura Modi was shopping for formula in 2016 to supplement her baby’s diet when she realized none of the options on the shelves of her local store were acceptable. They contained corn syrup, fillers, and palm oil, products she chose not to eat. A few years later, pregnant with her second child, Modi left her job at Airbnb to co-found Bobbie Baby, LLC, with fellow Airbnb manager Sarah Hardy. They aimed to make a healthier baby formula. With management experience as head of host operations at Airbnb and a previous position as a product operations manager at Google Finance, Modi thought her background would help her secure financing. THE CHALLENGE Modi couldn’t have chosen a more difficult industry to enter. Abbott Laboratories, Nestle, Mead Johnson, and Perrigo controlled the U.S. baby formula market. Additionally, Modi’s background proved to be of no help when she made the rounds of venture capital firms in 2018. Eight months pregnant, Modi was met with rejection after rejection from prospective funders. The chilly response just inspired her to work harder. “When someone comes in and personally doubts you, it creates this fire and fuel to exceed expectations beyond anything else,” Modi told listeners at a recent CNBC Changemakers conference in New York. THE SOLUTION Modi eventually won funding from venture capitalists who could see a need for an organic infant formula. Bobbie’s baby formula, which contained no fillers, corn syrup, or palm oil, was the first to win organic certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the European Union (EU). In 2021, Bobbie generated $18 million in revenue in its first year by selling subscriptions to mothers and delivering its product to their homes. THE CRISIS In 2022, one of the Big Four formula makers, Abbott Laboratories, recalled contaminated formula made at one of its plants, creating a shortage. Investors took another look at Bobbie and quickly anted up an additional $50 million. The company faced a huge challenge in scaling up operations to sustain its growth and adding a planned retail sales channel through Target. Bobbie enlisted the help of Saddle Creek, a logistics services provider, to help manage its growth. The company provided the tight systems integration, multiple distribution centers, and close collaboration Bobbie needed to meet soaring demand.
When you have suffered an injury in a car accident, you may be able to recover various damages, including when the accident worsens a preexisting injury. When a wreck aggravates an earlier injury, it can be a challenge to establish just how much compensation you should receive, but it could include factors like the cost of your medications, lost wages, and even pain and suffering. With the correct details and an experienced lawyer, you can successfully get the compensation you deserve to heal. We recently settled a case for $350,000 for our client, who suffered a back injury in a car accident. Our 30-year-old client’s vehicle was struck by an ambulette making a left turn. Several years earlier, he had previously suffered a back injury in another car accident. He was still symptomatic with back pain at the time of the second accident, causing him to experience even greater pain. In New York, if you have preexisting conditions and are injured in an accident, you can still recover damages in a personal injury case. Here’s how it generally works: New York says you “take your victim as you find him.” This means that if an accident exacerbates your preexisting condition, you can still pursue damages for the increased harm caused by the accident. In our case, we were able to establish that our client’s symptoms got more severe after the second accident and that a comparison of pre-accident and post-accident MRIs showed a worsening of the condition. While potentially complicating a case, and every case is fact-sensitive, preexisting conditions are not a bar to recovery. Given the complexities of personal injury cases involving preexisting conditions, consulting with Friedman & Simon is appropriate to ensure your rights are protected and you receive fair compensation.
If you are injured in a car accident and have a preexisting condition that has worsened as a result, contact Friedman & Simon today.
The company’s revenue surpassed $100 million in 2022.
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