A very good snow contractor keeps their records for seven to 10 years. So what should you do when you are notified you are involved in a lawsuit? The very first move is to notify the insurance company. Normally, this is done through your agent. Forward the paperwork to them. Keep a copy for yourself and start a file. Have someone gather up copies of everything pertaining to that customer for the winter the incident happened. Eventually, you will be asked for it. If th

Records. Records. Records. You cannot have enough. And, surprisingly, it doesn't take that much extra time to keep thorough records. Ask the contractors who do keep copious records. They will tell you it's worth it in the long run. Along with records, depositions are utilized to determine what happened from the viewpoint of the parties involved. Depositions are not designed to "trip you up" or catch you being untruthful. However, often deponents try to skirt the truth in

Once the slip-and-fall claim becomes a lawsuit, the snow contractor is either named in the suit or is enjoined by the property manager or owner as a third party to the suit. Questions (or interrogatories) are provided in written form to the parties involved for answering. After interrogatories are exchanged, the parties ask for specific documents. This process is known as "discovery," which can last several months as the parties look to gain as much knowledge as possible a