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The Stoddard Firm Blog

Young Survivors Discovered in Georgia’s Latest Sex Trafficking Bust Can Now Sue Their Exploiters for Compensation

As part of the “Operation Not Forgotten” series of sex trafficking investigations now in progress, no fewer than 20 missing minors, ranging in age from 17 years down to just six weeks, were located across Georgia this past May. Most were found in Cobb, Gwinnett, Fulton and DeKalb counties. Currently, authorities suspect that sex trafficking played a role in 16 of the 20 missing minor cases. The search was a collaborative effort between the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Marsha...

Hartwell Speedway May Be Responsible for Recent Spectator Death and Injuries

Most of the risks associated with auto racing are confined to the track, and even the danger to the drivers has decreased over the years as racecar and racetrack designs have improved. However, due to the high speeds involved in the sport, racing accidents still produce enormous amounts of force. When this force is not well distributed and contained, it can pose a danger not just to the drivers but to the spectators as well. This is what happened at the Hartwell Speedway in Hart County on ...

Family of Main Moon Restaurant Owner May Have Grounds for a Wrongful Death Suit

The city of Tucker, Georgia lost a beloved local figure on May 11th, 2021, when a meat cooker at the Main Moon Chinese restaurant exploded, killing the restaurant’s owner, Mei Ying Chen. Community members reacted to her loss with disbelief, describing her as someone everyone knew, and stating that the restaurant has been a local favorite for over 20 years. No one else was injured, there was no fire, and the building did not sustain severe structural damage, although neighboring business...

A Manufacturer May Be Liable for the Boat Explosion on Lake Lanier

During a Mother’s Day trip to Lake Lanier, the Coleman family’s boat exploded and went up in flames. Their dog was killed, and teenage brother and sister Gunner and Taylor had to be airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital, along with one adult bystander. Parents Steve and Annie and youngest brother Ryder were also on the boat and injured in the blast, Annie severely enough to require hospital care as well. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources says that the explosion occurred at the gas...

Another Possible Gas Explosion in a Georgia Home Has Killed Two People

A couple in their 70’s living in Union County near Blairsville were killed in early May when their home exploded. They have since been identified as Peggy Wood and Ralph Norris Wood Jr. Mourning neighbors, some of them left with damage to their own homes as well, describe the Woods’ house as completely leveled. Because of the extent of the damage, the investigation into the cause of the explosion may take weeks, but officials say they are checking into the home’s gas tank. Unintentional ga...

Victims of Underage Pornography on Reddit May Now Be Able to Sue the Site and Win

An anonymous young woman has recently filed a potentially ground-breaking lawsuit against the self-proclaimed “front page of the internet,” Reddit. In her claim, she states that her ex-boyfriend has repeatedly posted images and videos of her engaged in sexual acts, taken when she was 16 and without her knowledge or consent, on various subreddits that allegedly encourage such content. She says she repeatedly reported the content to Reddit, which often took several days to respond, allowed the ...

Sex Trafficking Sting at Fayette County Hotels Ends in 21 Arrests, but Many May Be Victims

Over the course of two nights at the end of last month, undercover police officers responded to prostitution advertisements and set up meetings at two hotels in Fayette County, one in Peachtree City and one in Fayetteville, as part of a coordinated human trafficking sting. Of the 21 women and men arrested in the sting, however, only four are suspected of pimping. Of the rest, 16 are being held only on prostitution and drug possession charges, and one on charges of prostitution and identity...

New Legislation Could Make It Easier for Georgia Sex Trafficking Survivors to Win Compensation in Civil Court

Two important bills in Georgia’s fight against sex trafficking passed the State Senate on March 8th, the General Assembly’s crossover day. These bills will now advance to the House for further debate, and could well become law in the near future. The first, Senate Bill 33, explicitly protects sex trafficking survivors’ right to sue their traffickers for monetary compensation, plus legal costs. Under Bill 33, survivors would have until 10 years after the trafficking incident in question, or...

The FAA Is Searching for the Cause of the Fatal Gainesville Cessna Crash

A single-engine airplane carrying three adults crashed in Gainesville this February. There were no survivors. The FAA is currently investigating the cause and details of the crash, and has so far confirmed that the three bodies found in the wreckage match the three people expected to be on board. The plane had recently taken off from nearby Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport and was on its way to Daytona Beach, Florida. In addition to the deaths of the pilot and passengers, the crash displaced a ...

Owner May Be Liable for Fire that Killed Five in a DeKalb County Home

Early in January, a home caught fire in DeKalb County with five people inside. By the time emergency response crews arrived, the fire had progressed too far to allow a rescue. The remains of the victims, 27-year-old Quaniece Gregory and her four small children, were later found in their bedrooms. The family dog was reportedly also killed in the fire. A sixth resident —Gregory’s husband, Thomas Reese — was in Maryland for work at the time of the fire. In addition to the devastating loss of his...