Buffalo

TikTok Settlement

Published on: February 10, 2026 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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TikTok has agreed to settle a high-profile lawsuit that accused the company of intentionally introducing design features it knew would make children “addicted” to social media.

The lawsuit was originally filed on behalf of a California woman identified in court documents by the initials “K.G.M.” Attorneys for K.G.M. described how their 20-year-old client began engaging with social media at an early age, signing up for YouTube when she was 8, TikTok at 10, and Snapchat at 11. Taken together, K.G.M. argued, these platforms had a profoundly negative influence on her mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, and recurring body-image issues.

If TikTok had not settled K.G.M.’s claim, it likely would have been forced to trial in January 2026. However, K.G.M.’s lawsuit is only one of hundreds of cases currently pending against TikTok and other social media giants, including Meta, YouTube, and Snapchat. All make similar claims, alleging that the social media industry, much like Big Tobacco before it, knew that its practices were harmful but, instead of coming clean and warning the public, put profits above the well-being of its most vulnerable users.

5 Steps to Take After a Car Crash

Published on: February 3, 2026 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

5 Steps to Take After a Car Accident

New York is a no-fault state, meaning most accident victims will have to file a claim with their own insurance company before taking any further action. However, if you sustained serious or life-altering injuries, you could be entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit does not always mean taking your case to trial, though negotiating a settlement, let alone obtaining a court-ordered award, usually means coming to court prepared with strong evidence and a compelling set of arguments.

You may need to retain an experienced personal injury lawyer to make the most of your claim, but there are steps you can take right now to start protecting your rights. Some of the most important of these steps include:

Silicosis and Personal Injury Lawsuit

Published on: January 27, 2026 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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Stone kitchen countertops are fashionable, but their widespread popularity could conceal a serious risk for contractors and construction workers.

In Massachusetts, health officials recently confirmed the state’s first recorded case of silicosis in a stone countertop worker. Investigators believe that the 40-year-old man, who spent more than a decade in the industry, developed silicosis after working with quartz-based countertops.

“The confirmation of this case in Massachusetts is a tragic reminder that silicosis is not just a distant threat,” the state Department of Health said. “It is here, and it is seriously impacting the health of workers in Massachusetts.”

AI Chatbot Teen Suicide

Published on: January 22, 2026 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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A Florida mother has reached an unprecedented legal settlement with Google and Character.AI, the creators of a Game of Thrones-inspired chatbot that Megan L. Garcia claims encouraged her 14-year-old son to take his own life.

Garcia’s lawsuit was the first-ever wrongful death case filed against a technology company.

In court documents, Garcia described how her son, Sewell Setzer III, spent increasing amounts of time talking to a Character.AI chatbot modeled after Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. The chatbot presented itself as Setzer’s lover and sent sexually explicit messages to the 14-year-old; at one point, it even claimed to be a licensed psychotherapist.

New York State Med Spa Violations

Published on: January 16, 2026 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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The New York Department of State recently concluded a state-wide investigation into the med spa industry. In a press release, Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said that more than one-third of the 223 med spa businesses inspected have since been issued citations for varied safety and regulatory violations, including the unlawful practice of medicine.

“Consumers need to be aware of the dangers when medical procedures, including cosmetic medical procedures, are being performed by individuals without an appropriate license,” Mosley said in a statement. “Unlicensed or unqualified staff, dirty needles, expired or counterfeit Botox and fillers, and unsanitary conditions can lead to serious injury or death.”

Mosley’s assessment of the risk is not speculative. Outside of its inspections, the New York Department of State’s Division of Licensing Services is pursuing criminal charges against multiple med spas. In one case, a woman was told that she would receive appearance-enhancing injections consisting of Botox, stem cells, and other compounds. Instead, she was given a cocktail of “unknown substances” that left her in serious pain. In another case, an unlicensed Warwick spa performed a series of procedures that resulted in a life-threatening bacterial infection accompanied by sepsis.

Motorcycle Insurance

Published on: January 7, 2026 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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Most people think of New York as a no-fault state. However, no-fault coverage has limitations, and it does not apply to every vehicle. Motorcycles, for instance, are typically exempt from no-fault insurance. In other words, if you are injured, you cannot expect the same support you would receive after a car accident. Your insurer might still be liable to pay benefits for any additional motorcycle coverage that you have already purchased, but they probably would not provide the level of compensation you would expect from a standard no-fault claim.

No-Fault Insurance In New York

New York is a no-fault state, which means that accident victims are usually expected to file a claim with their own insurance company after an accident. Even if you were found at fault for an accident, you are entitled to receive certain benefits, including:

How to Get Compensation for Wrongful Death After a Product Liability Accident

Published on: December 30, 2025 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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Few people are ever fully prepared to file a lawsuit, let alone a wrongful death claim.

Losing a loved one, after all, entails much more than grief. Grief alone is often enough to make everyday life unrecognizable. Beyond emotional hardship, losing a loved one also means losing a critical pillar of support. Funerals can cost substantial amounts of money, and reconfiguring your finances to account for a loss of income could make an unwelcome change seem inevitable.

However, no amount of money can ever compensate for the loss of a parent, spouse, or child; however, filing a product liability lawsuit may serve a greater purpose. Negotiating a settlement could provide a means to guarantee your financial stability or present an opportunity to ensure that a negligent company is compelled to reform, thereby protecting others from enduring the unthinkable.

How to Get Compensation for Emotional Distress After a Product Liability Accident

Published on: December 23, 2025 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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Product manufacturers and retailers have responsibilities beyond the market.

If you buy a new product, you have a legal right to expect that it will work safely and as advertised. However, it is no secret that manufacturers cut corners, sometimes because they had no reason to believe that a particular component was defective, and sometimes because they prioritize cost-cutting and profitability over consumers’ well-being. In either case, you should never have to feel like you are on the line for a corporation’s mistake.

Under New York law, you could be entitled to file a product liability lawsuit against the person or party who caused your injuries. Aside from recovering damages for your economic losses, you could also obtain compensation for emotional pain, suffering, and hardship.

How to Get Compensation for Pain and Suffering After a Product Liability Accident

Published on: December 18, 2025 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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Few people would ever buy a product they knew was dangerous.

In New York, a state with some of the strongest consumer-protection laws in the country, you have every right to expect that the products you buy are safe. However, companies make mistakes, and sometimes they deliberately cut corners, too. Even minor omissions during a product’s design phase or manufacturing process can have serious later repercussions, though they are not always apparent until it is too late.

Defective products can cause lasting harm, but not all injuries are visible. A broken bone, for instance, is an inherently serious and painful injury. In the first stages of recovery, your priority might be regaining your mobility or managing medical debt. But recovery, whether it lasts for weeks or months, can take a toll on the body and mind, making everyday life extraordinarily unpleasant.

Product Liability Lost Wages

Published on: December 9, 2025 | By Dietrich Law Firm P.C.

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Defective products can look safe and modern but fail when they are most needed.

If you have been injured by a defective or poorly-designed product, you could be entitled to significant compensation. However, no two cases are exactly the same. Proving that your brakes malfunctioned, for instance, requires a different type and range of evidence than establishing that a retailer misrepresented a warranty. No matter the circumstances, though, serious accidents can have serious consequences, often leaving victims short on savings and unable to work.

You do not have to pay the price for an accident that was not your fault.