Tag: wrongful death

Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Slain Anamosa Correctional Officer, Robert McFarland

Protect those who protect us.  Positive change must come out of a preventable tragedy. The mobilization of the corrections community to force change within the Iowa Department of Corrections starts now. According to the Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections, Beth Skinner, “staff safety is my main priority as director.”   Skinner has publicly claimed, “I recognize that Iowa Corrections System staff are our most important and valuable assets.”  The Iowa Department of Corrections, actions and inactions leading up to and since the murders of Robert McFarland and Lorena Schulte would say otherwise. On March 23, 2021, Corrections Officer, Robert […]

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Three Million Dollar Gross Negligence Verdict

Vinton, Benton County, Iowa. Cory F. Gourley was part of a legal team representing the family of a young man who was killed in a tragic mining accident.  The extraordinarily difficult part of such cases is that injured individuals, and even families of those who are killed in workplace accidents, generally have no recourse against their negligent employer, other than the limited recovery available through worker’s compensation claims. The primary exception however, is if a worker’s superior and/or co-worker acted in a grossly negligent manner.  Unfortunately for Iowans, the law surrounding such claims makes it extremely difficult to prevail on […]

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2022 Year in Review

What. A. Year!  2022 was a whirlwind at GRL.  The year seemed like it was in non-stop fast-forward from the very beginning.  Cases backlogged by COVID were finally able to proceed.  Insurance companies that had been sitting on their reserves throughout COVID finally found themselves staring down the reality of a jury trial on civil cases and saw the writing on the wall.  When trials are available, things begin to move.  Move they certainly did. The Civil Division secured over 5 MILLION dollars in verdicts and settlements making a positive impact for GRL’s clients and the community.  Founding Partner Cory […]

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Professional Referrals – The Key to Customer Loyalty

We have all spent our entire careers carefully creating, cultivating, and elevating our reputation as leaders in our specialized areas of business.  Whether it is in the legal, medical, financial, construction, entertainment or any other industry, businesses spend years, decades, and for some, centuries, building and protecting their respective reputations.  This is because in any professional industry, our reputation is our most valuable asset. We have all heard the quote: “It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”  This principle applies to every profession and proves itself daily.  One poor decision can tarnish an […]

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Paisley Park, Probate, and Purple Rain: Why Prince’s Failure to Have a Will is a Good Lesson in Preparation for Us All

My family members are all audiophiles.  Our upbringing revolved around music. My parents always had the radio on and there probably wasn’t a bigger fan of the 70’s rock group Boston than my dad.  My brother and I had a garage band with buddies growing up and concert-going has been a hobby of my wife and I since we met.  Music was even part of our Christmas celebration this year. My mom got my family tickets to visit Paisley Park this spring.  For those unfamiliar, located in Chanhassen, Minnesota, Paisely Park is the home and recording studio of the late […]

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