Your Case Against the City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP)

Dear Friends,

Your team at the PARRIS law firm and Shenkman & Hughes is working hard to protect you in your case against the City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP). We are providing you with a copy of your signed retainer agreement and the Client Duties Letter. The Client Duties Letter has information which will help you gather information for your case. We will rely on you to provide complete and accurate information to obtain the best result for you and your family.

If you intend to seek further treatment for any symptoms or illnesses, please contact us to discuss the chemicals that should be shared with your doctors. We are here to help.

We will be reaching out to you in the coming months to obtain information regarding your health and the damages you sustained due to the gas leak. Clients involved in cases similar to yours reported they benefited from looking at the annual calendars to refresh the dates when they suffered from more painful injuries and then sending written notes to their lawyers of the types of health problems they experienced. The notes you send us or we can get from you should include all health complaints you noticed including information on prior health conditions, which may have worsened due to the leak.

In preparing your notes, we suggest you start from the present time and work back, trying to recall when your injuries may have started. To help create your timeline, you might relate illnesses and symptoms to holidays, birthdays, vacations, or other significant events. Did you miss days at work or school due to your injuries? Be sure to make a list of medicines you were prescribed or that you purchased over the counter for your symptoms.

We will be requesting pictures and other documents that support your injuries in the coming dates. You should provide pictures of injuries, such as bloody noses or skin rashes as well as any photos that show damage to your home caused by the gas leak. The more documentation you are able to provide for your damages, the stronger your case will be.

We will also be requesting assistance with a questionnaire that will be used to assess your damages from the gas leak. Written questions are common in litigation, and we will do our best to assist you in answering these questions.

Lawsuits involve various deadlines. We will need your help throughout the course of the litigation, and we will reach out as things arise to keep you informed of the dates when information is needed from you. It is important that you act promptly when asked to provide information.

Additionally, we at Parris Law Firm and Shenkman & Hughes would like to make you aware of a change in section two of our retainer agreement. The original language reads, “Client agrees to pay Attorneys for services a sum equal to forty percent (40%) of Client’s gross recovery.” The section now reads,”Client agrees to pay Attorneys for services a sum equal to thirty-five percent (35%) of Client’s gross recovery if the case resolves before the parties’ exchange of expert witness information, and forty percent (40%) of Client’s gross recovery if the case resolves after the parties’ exchange of expert witness information.” This change will help our clients recover more from any settlement.

We thank you for putting your trust in us to prosecute your case against DWP.

Sincerely,

Sylvia Torres-Guillén

PARRIS LAW FIRM