After weathering increasingly harsh scrutiny from the media, activists and lawmakers alike, New Mexico’s state Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) is going to be reformed. Recently, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order designed to...
Personal Injury
New Mexico’s new attorney general wants to help fix CYFD
The State Attorney General plays a crucial role in enforcing the state's standards and protecting people across New Mexico. They have the authority to file lawsuits against businesses that violate state law and to prosecute individuals. This role is a crucial one for...
How often does the CYFD fail to properly protect children?
Children in New Mexico are vulnerable to abuse from family members and caregivers alike. New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) exists in no small part to intervene and protect children from abusive home environments. If a teacher, neighbor or...
How long do you have to file a claim against a state agency?
There are several state agencies in New Mexico that explicitly exist to protect the public. For example, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) performs the crucial role of investigating abuse allegations and intervening on behalf of those too...
Long-term impact of spinal cord trauma
A car accident can be a devastating event in the life of a New Mexico resident. Although some individuals escape serious injury when their vehicles are involved in collisions, others suffer serious and life-threatening harm. One significant form of injury that can...
What are pain and suffering damages?
Just like their name, personal injury incidents are as personal and as unique as the victims involved in them. Since there is a varying degree of pain that each person goes through, there is a specific category of compensation that a person can receive based on the...
Spinal cord injuries are not always easy to recognize
Many people have a simple and clear mental image of the symptoms of a spinal cord injury. A physician with extensive experience in spinal cord injuries is more likely to say, “it depends.” Among the most common and maybe most harmful myths is that a spinal cord...
Understanding the dangers of crush injury
Car accidents can cause a variety of horrifying injuries, many of which result in long-term pain and suffering, or even death. Of the most traumatic of these injuries are a type known as crush injuries. A crush injury is much like it sounds – an injury resulting from...
Host Liability: The Dangers of Over-Serving Alcohol
Did you know that as a social host, you have an obligation to act responsibly when serving alcohol to your guests? Much like the way a bartender may be held liable for over-serving someone who then drives intoxicated, the host of a house party is similarly responsible...
Tips for Preventing Workplace Injuries
Workplace injuries, though preventable, are growing increasingly more common. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, more than 13 people died a day while doing their jobs. At Berenson & Associates, P.C., we find...