In the News
For our clients, we sometimes make history. Many of our major cases are reported in the Colorado news and set records. Here’s what Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. has been accomplishing lately.
Colorado Supreme Court Allows Negligence Claim for Injured Skier
In a significant legal victory, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in favor of Leventhal Puga Braley P.C.'s client, an Oklahoma man and his daughter, allowing them to pursue a negligence claim against Vail Resorts for a debilitating ski lift injury, despite having signed a waiver assuming "all risks." The case, Miller v. Crested Butte LLC, centered around Annalea "Annie" Miller, who was paralyzed after falling 30 feet from a chairlift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
The Court's 5-2 decision clarified that while liability waivers are generally enforceable, they do not absolve ski resorts of their statutory and regulatory duties to ensure skier safety. This ruling affirms the rights of injured customers to seek justice, marking a crucial step forward for ski safety in Colorado.- Pilot Files Lawsuit Against Denver International Airport After His Foot Is Caught in a Moving Walkway
February 15, 2024 – Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. attorney Brian Aleinikoff has begun a very high-profile injury case following a recent incident that occurred at Denver International Airport. A pilot has filed a lawsuit against the airport after he was injured due to his foot becoming caught in a moving walkway. Brian will be front and center, tackling the complex legal issues that will be in play as the case continues to unfold in the coming months.
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- Two wrongful death lawsuits filed in the partial collapse of an apartment building.
November 17, 2023 – Attorneys Bruce Braley and Elizabeth Bonnet are representing the victims of two wrongful death lawsuits in the partial collapse of the apartment building at 324 Main St. in Davenport.
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- Family of Woman Killed in Ski Lift Accident Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit
December 15, 2017 – On December 29, 2016, Kelly Huber of San Antonio and her two young daughters were ejected from the Quick Draw Express lift at Granby Ranch in Colorado. They landed 25 feet below in the hard-packed snow. Kelly was killed almost instantly, and her daughters were rushed to the hospital with debilitating injuries. Before this accident, multiple people had complained about the chairlift swinging and bouncing. A 151-page report released by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board afterward determined that the lift’s recently modified motor, as well as “rapid speed changes” made by an operator, caused the fatal fall. “They made a conscious decision that their revenue was more important that the safety of families and people getting onto that lift,” said Jim Leventhal, attorney for the Huber family. “You can’t ignore problems in front of you and hope they go away.”
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Read more from FOX31 Denver - Patients Falsely Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis File Suit Against Doctor
November 9, 2017 – Two women have filed federal lawsuits in Denver U.S. District Court against Dr. Gary Weiss, a neurologist who they claim misdiagnosed them (and others) with multiple sclerosis. Weiss proceeded to treat the women for MS, causing full-body pain, flu-like effects, and psychological difficulties. These false diagnoses were only discovered when Weiss was forced to sell his Vail-based practice over a separate allegation of unprofessional conduct.
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Read more from Canon City Daily Record - Super Lawyers – Colorado, 2017 Magazine Feature Story on Jim Leventhal
March 17, 2017 – It was 1980, and Leventhal, then 32, was taking his first medical malpractice case at his new firm to trial. The facts were in his favor: His client had been prescribed an unnecessary hysterectomy. The problem, his opponent suggested, was that Leventhal was out of his league. He was a clothing salesmen turned public defender. He had no formal medical training and was facing off against two seasoned attorneys: one was a doctor-turned-lawyer; the other had never lost a case. Face it, the doctor-turned-lawyer told him at the start of the trial: He had no chance.
Read more from Super Lawyers – Colorado - Surgical tech’s case exposes multiple failings in patient protections
February 28, 2016 – Rocky Allen’s long road of addiction passed through five hospitals, four states and a deployment in Afghanistan.
Read more from the Denver Post - More Swedish Hospital Patients Test Positive For Bloodborne Pathogens
February 23, 2016 – There are more reports of tests coming back positive from Swedish Medical Center patients. The hospital suggested nearly 3,000 former patients get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C after former surgical technician Rocky Allen was fired.
Read more from CBS Denver - Surgical tech accused of switching needles ID’d
February 4, 2016 – The now-former surgical technician who may be responsible for roughly 2,900 people needing to be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C has been identified. - Swedish: Technician Caught Swiping Needle In The Operating Room
February 4, 2016 – A doctor at Swedish Medical Center told CBS4 that a surgical technician was caught swiping a needle filled with fentanyl in the operating room at the beginning of a surgical procedure.
Read more from CBS Denver - Nearly 3,000 Swedish Medical Center Patients Urged To Get Blood Tests
February 3, 2016 – The Colorado Department of Public Health is investigating possible drug diversion by a former employee at Swedish Medical Center and some patients are being asked to be tested for possible exposure to diseases.
Read more from CBS Denver - Swedish Hospital patients being tested for Hep B, Hep C, HIV
February 3, 2016 – Roughly 2,900 people who had surgery at Swedish Medical Center the past five months are being notified that they need to be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C as part of an investigation into a now-former surgical technician. - Decisions and Incisions: Conveying the Medical Malpractice Client’s Perspective
January 21, 2016 – In medical malpractice cases, lawyers on either side can agree on one thing: Something terrible happened. But the stories about what happened diverge from there, and oftentimes so do the methods of telling them. - News release: Jury Awards Largest Medical Malpractice Verdict in Colorado
Denver, April 3, 2015 – Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. attorneys Jim Puga and Sean Leventhal obtained a $17.8 million verdict against Children’s Hospital Colorado on March 27, from a jury in Arapahoe County – the largest medical malpractice verdict in Colorado history.
Read more about the article - PDF Download - Former Congressman Joins Leventhal Puga Braley P.C.
April 2, 2015 — Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. announced today that Bruce Braley, a former Congressman from Iowa, has moved to Denver to join the firm.
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