Brothers and Sisters-
First, and foremost, I want to wish you all
a safe new year. I also want to bring to those I have not
spoken to personally in some time, information on some of
the things that are going on with respect to your rights,
as well as what has occurred over the last year in my personal
practice on behalf of fire fighters.
During the past year, there have been some significant and
satisfying results, in addition to the rewarding day-to-day
practice that I am fortunate to have in representing so many
of you. I will highlight several below.
At the Office Level:
In order to maintain and promote enhanced communications
with fire fighters, I instituted a private line that is open
to any fire fighter who wishes to contact me directly and
not go through the switchboard and/or my secretary. The direct
line is 301-740-3300. I will always attempt to return your
call within 24 hours. Of course, if you prefer, you can still
call the main number, 301-670-7030, or the toll-free number,
1-800-287-COMP (2667).
At the Practice Level:
I resolved a wrongful death constitutional claim for the
family of a fire fighter recruit who died in training under
extreme and negligent conditions. It was referred to me by
a neighboring fire fighter’s Union. We pursued it for
4 years, all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The
family ultimately received compensation they deserved.
I compelled the appellate court of Maryland to reverse an
earlier decision by the Montgomery County Circuit Court which
had denied benefits for a Montgomery County fire fighter who
had developed wrist problems as a result of extensive use
of his hands in his job. With this decision, the fire fighter
should not only get his lost time returned but also be eligible
for medical coverage and permanency benefits.
Most recently, we received a decision from the
highest court affirming a jury verdict I obtained in favor
of a woman who went in for routine parathyroid surgery and
caught on fire. Many of you worked on the re-creation of the
fire for the local Fox news station which did several stories
on the case, I want to thank you all for your work.
On a Statewide Level
Mostly through the efforts of your Union leadership, we were
able to finally convince the State association to place their
focus on expanding the cancer presumptions for fire fighters.
Last year, we were able to put such presumptions in place
for Montgomery County's disability retirement system (the
only County in the State to have such presumptions). I plan
to consult with the State leadership to accomplish this on
the statewide level for workers' compensation cases, so that
each of you are protected.
If you have any questions or wish to speak directly to me,
please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be setting up
specific call-in hours when I will be at my desk. I will let
you know more about that in upcoming posts.
Again, thank you for allowing me the honor of representing
all of you and for putting your faith in my knowledge and
experience. After 27 years of focusing on Montgomery County
fire fighter issues, I feel uniquely qualified to represent
you. I am extremely proud never having taken any shortcuts
or compromising on obtaining you the maximum to which you
are entitled.
Stay Safe.
Ken Berman, Esq.
Firefighter Direct Access Phone Line: 301-740-3300
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