VanDerGinst Law is proud to announce that attorney Eric Reyes has joined the law firm. Eric is currently licensed in Illinois and the federal courts. He earned his undergraduate degree from Augustana College in Rock Island, Il and his Juris Doctorate degree from Northern Illinois University. He will be concentrating his practice in the areas of personal injury law, immigration law, family law, criminal and traffic law.

VanDerGinst Law is a proud sponsor of the Quad City Sled Hockey Fundraiser Golf Outing, June 26 at Rustic Ridge Golf Course in Eldridge, Ia. All Proceeds will go to the Quad City Sled Hockey Association. Attendees will have a chance to meet Paralympics Sled Hockey Gold Medalist, Andy Yohe. Members of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks will also be there along with members of members of the Quad City Sled Hockey Association. Tickets are $75.00 and include a round of golf and steak dinner. There will be great prizes and silent auction items available. Contact Cathy (563)343-7131 or Brian (563)210-2940 to register to play, be a sponsor or donate a silent auction item.hicago Blackhawks! Call Cathy at 563-343-7131 to register to golf, sponsor a hole or make a donation.

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April’s explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon caused 11 deaths among the oil platform’s crew. But, the full extent of the damages is yet to be seen. There will certainly be catastrophic damages to nature and wildlife, and devastating damages to fishing, tourism and other businesses along the Gulf of Mexico coast of Louisiana, Texas and other states.

These damages should not be borne by the state and federal governments or by the individuals and businesses that will be devastated by the oil spill’s aftermath. Liability should rest with the companies whose negligence led to this historic mess.

VanDerGinst Law is currently investigating means to help those who have suffered damages as a result of the oil spill.  Efforts will be made to gain financial compensation from those who were responsible. Liability remains to be worked out among BP PLC, the British energy giant which leased the platform, Transocean Ltd., the Houston company which provided it, and the companies that built and serviced the rig and its components, including Halliburton.

Louisiana alone stands to lose a nearly $3 billion fishing industry, with May harvests of shrimp, oysters and crabs likely to be wiped out by the encroaching oil spill. Also affected will be hotels, tourism and other related businesses along with Gulf of Mexico coastline from Texas and Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. For that coastal region, according to USA Today, tourism is a $100 billion industry.

BP has accepted responsibility for the oil spill cleanup. However, those persons and businesses who have sustained financial damages may have more difficulty in collecting from the massive company.  The energy giant will have its liability capped at $75 million by an oil trust fund set up by the U.S. government and funded by oil industry taxes. However, that fund could supply up to $1 billion in damages compensation to victims.

Those who suffer damages to their business due to the massive oil spill should contact VanDerGinst Law to investigate the possibility of reasonable compensation.

Some states allow a person who has been injured by a drunk driver to sue party hosts if the driver became intoxicated at their party. That is called “social host liability”. However, Illinois and Iowa do not have “social host liability”. Illinois and Iowa do have dram shop liability, which allows an injured person to sue a tavern if a person got drunk at their establishment and then caused an accident. Should there be a distinction between a tavern’s liability and a party hosts liability?