Attorney Michael Bigos leads the Berman & Simmons Sexual Abuse Survivors Practice Group. 2021 law allowed Maine child sex abuse survivors to have their day in court In October, 2021, a new law[1] went into effect that removed the statute of limitations on all Maine child sex abuse cases. This change allowed all child sexual...
Berman & Simmons News Articles
On January 29, 2025, Attorney Travis Brennan concluded a wrongful death/medical malpractice trial in the U.S. District Court in Maine. Attorney Brennan represented the widow of army veteran, Roy Palmer. Mr. Palmer received negligent medical treatment at the Togus VA Hospital in Augusta, Maine between April 6 and April 9, 2020. As a result of...
Berman & Simmons has pursued justice for survivors of childhood sexual abuse for many years. Over the last five years, this has included work on getting the law repealing the statute of limitation passed and investigating and bringing claims against the Catholic Church for the abuse of children and the coverup of that abuse. Yesterday...
Attorneys with the Berman & Simmons Sexual Abuse Survivors Practice Team are suing Jehovah’s Witnesses on behalf of Shannon Simendinger who was repeatedly assaulted as a child for more than a decade by leaders of the Fort Kent congregation where she was a member. Attorney Michael Bigos, who leads the practice group, calls this case...
Berman & Simmons law firm is proud to announce that attorney Susan Faunce is the new president of the Maine State Bar Association (MSBA). Born in South Korea, attorney Faunce is the first Asian American to hold this title. With nearly 2,800 member lawyers, the MSBA works to promote members’ professionalism and advance their skills...
Berman & Simmons is proud to announce its recognition in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®. This inclusion acknowledges the firm’s dedication to providing exceptional legal representation and achieving outstanding client results. The firm earned accolades in medical malpractice law and personal injury and product liability litigation. “We are incredibly honored that Berman & Simmons...
Berman & Simmons attorney Travis Brennan addresses the media on Oct. 15, 2024 about the steps being taken toward suing the Army. Berman & Simmons | photo: Russ Caron Transcript from NY Times article by Jenna Russell: A group of survivors and relatives of victims said the military failed to respond to warning signs from...
Related news: ABC – Maine mass shooting survivors, families of victims file intent to sue military AP News – Survivors and relatives in Maine’s deadliest shooting start the process of suing the Army Boston Globe – Survivors, relatives of victims in Lewiston shooting signal intent to pursue claims against Army Maine Public – Families of...
A dedicated and experienced team of Berman & Simmons attorneys is pursuing every legal avenue to uncover more details about what system failures allowed a US Army Reservist to commit a deadly mass shooting. They recently took the unusual step of working with the probate courts as a way to seek new information when Attorneys...
Last November, Berman & Simmons attorneys representing dozens of survivors of childhood sexual abuse by clergy and staff of the Maine Catholic Diocese argued to Maine’s highest court to affirm the new law allowing civil suits without a time limit. When approached by a Portland Press Herald reporter, attorney Michael Bigos said, “Today marks 301 days since we were...
A nine-month fact-finding assignment by Maine’s Independent Commission to Investigate the facts of the Tragedy in Lewiston concluded with a 215-page report that lays bare massive failures and multiple shortcomings of the Sagadahoc Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Army Reserve that led to the life-changing events of October 25, 2023. Speaking from the steps of Lewiston...
Berman & Simmons attorneys Daniel G. Kagan and Travis M. Brennan were recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice areas. This is the sixth time that attorney Kagan has received this award and the third time for attorney Brennan. Only a single lawyer in each practice area...
Berman & Simmons is honored that 10 of the firm’s attorneys are included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. For 40 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those needing legal services to identify the best-qualified attorneys to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties by publishing a ranking determined by peer...
Whether online, in print, or on TV, we’re proud our important work is routinely featured in the region’s top news forums and shared nationally. This recap of media coverage during the first quarter of 2024 spotlights the many ways in which we’re helping our clients find justice and recover fair compensation after experiencing a...
In two different CLE sessions, Attorneys from Berman & Simmons will present at the 2024 Maine State Bar Association Summer Bar Conference. In her presentation “Lessons from Trauma-Informed Lawyering: Promoting Attorney Well-Being Amid Successful a Stressful Legal Practice,” Attorney Elizabeth Kayatta will provide a better understanding of how stress impacts attorneys’ abilities to practice law...
Twelve attorneys from Berman & Simmons have been named 2024 New England Super Lawyers, including three selected as 2024 Rising Stars. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. The Rising Stars list is even more selective,...
Whether online, in print, or on TV, we’re proud our important work is routinely featured in the region’s top news forums and shared nationally. This recap of media coverage during the first quarter of 2024 spotlights the many ways in which we’re helping our clients find justice and recover fair compensation after experiencing a...
Berman & Simmons attorneys Michael Bigos and Timothy Kenlan who specialize in sexual abuse cases are taking legal action against Special Olympics, Inc. and Special Olympics Maine on behalf of an Augusta man who endured extensive abuse during his childhood in the 1960s and 1970s. The survivor, subjected to repeated abuse by Melvin “Mickey” Boutilier...
“The diocese is the only institutional defendant unilaterally not settling most of its cases. Justice is being done every week by institutional defendants and individual perpetrators taking responsibility.” – Michael Bigos Transcript of Press Herald article by Emily Allen: The man had alleged he was abused in 1948, when he was an eighth-grader in Rumford,...
Berman & Simmons attorney, Elizabeth Kayatta, has been elected co-chair of the Women’s Law section of the Maine Bar Association. The Women’s Law section provides a forum for women lawyers to gather for regular educational programs, networking and discussion of issues of interest to women attorneys. Elizabeth’s practice includes personal injury lawsuits resulting from medical...