Dog Bite Claim

Imagine one day you are walking with a friend along the familiar path through your neighborhood on the sidewalk. It’s a sunny, warm day, and you’re enjoying your time chatting about your lives.

Suddenly, an angry dog approaches you on the sidewalk. You recognize the dog as one that often barks angrily as you pass by, but this time it has escaped from the backyard. It charges at you. The situation becomes chaos. The dog bites down hard on your leg. You can feel tremendous pain and fear, as its teeth penetrate your clothing and your skin. It bites again, causing even more pain and fear. This casual walk around the block has now become a traumatic event in an instant.

The immediate aftermath of a dog bite injury involves first trying to get away from the situation, then assessing your condition, and often heading to the emergency room. Often times, a dog bit requires stitches and ongoing treatments to deal with the threat of infection. Of course, some breeds of dog can cause very serious injuries. Many people are left with ongoing medical issues and rehab, or terrible scars. Of course, dogs do not always target the leg. When the face is targeted, the results of a dog attack can be much more serious.

There are a number of concerns that remain even after the emergency of aftercare is addressed. Being the victim of a dog bite attack can lead to many questions. Why did this happen? How did the dog get out? Who pays for medical bills or for days of work missed? Will there be any lasting physical or mental effects from this incident? How do I go about making a claim and getting compensated? What do I do now?

If you or somebody you care about finds yourself in this situation, it is important to understand your legal rights following a dog attack.

Under Utah law, Utah Code 18-1-1, a dog owner is liable for the damages caused by their dog who attacks another person or property, with some pretty limited exceptions. Utah is a “strict liability” state. This means that an owner is liable for a dog bite or other injuries caused by a dog’s behavior even if the dog has never attacked someone before and even if the owner didn’t know that the dog had the temperament to attack someone.

When it comes to insurance, most homeowners’ insurance policies provide coverage to third parties who are harmed due to a dog attack if the attack involves someone not of the household covered by the policy. Of course, you can always use your health insurance coverage to cover the costs of medical care. Of course, for most people, using health insurance still requires significant payments out of pocket. Further, when pursuing a claim against the owner of the dog, your health insurance may (and usually does) require that their out-of-pocket expenses be reimbursed from the proceeds obtained from the homeowners’ insurance proceeds. This is a process called “subrogation.”

Throughout this process, the goal of the insurance company is to minimize how much it has to pay. Often this results in very low offers that ignore injuries or harms that a victim has suffered.

As the victim of a dog attack, or as someone who cares about someone who is the victim of a dog attack, having an experienced attorney represent you throughout this process is crucial to being able to get the compensation you are entitled to, as well as how to navigate all of these moving parts in the aftermath of this tragedy. The attorneys at Cannon Law Group have the experience and knowledge to successfully pursue justice for you or your loved one who may have suffered a dog attack. If you find yourself in this situation, or know someone who is, give us a call today!

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter.  No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this site without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.

Workplace Posters

Federal and state laws require employers to hang certain posters in their workplace to notify employees about certain rights and protections in the workplace. This blog post lists some federal and state required posters, who is required to post them, and a short summary of what the posters contain.  Employment laws frequently change, so this may not be an exhaustive list.  Please contact an employment attorney if you have any questions.   

Posters Required for All Employers

  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission “Know Your Rights”

    • Poster that shows employees’ protections when it comes to workplace discrimination.

      • Who is protected?

      • What organizations are covered?

      • Illegal employment discrimination

      • Challengeable employment practices

      • How to report discrimination

    • If there are uncorrected violations, appropriate sanctions may be imposed on the employer.

    • Can be found at this link:

  • Job Safety and Health, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

    • In a state with an OSHA-approved state plan, an employer may also be required to post the state version of the OSHA poster.

    • Shows the rights that workers have under OSHA, as well as what employers must do.

    • Failing to post the poster may result in a citation and penalty.

    • Can be found here:

  • “Your Rights Under USERRA” (Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act)

    • Must be provided to employees who are entitled to the rights and benefits written in the USERRA.

    • Gives information about Uniformed Service members’ rights, such as:

      • Reemployment rights

      • Illegal Discrimination

      • Health insurance protection

    • Can be found here:

Posters Required for Employers engaged in Commerce

  • Employee Rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

  • Employee Polygraph Protection Act Notice (EPPA)

    • Provides employee protections under the EPPA

      • Employers are prohibited from using lie-detector tests during pre-employment or throughout the course of employment, with certain exceptions.

    • The Secretary of Labor may bring court actions for an employer failing to post the poster.

    • Can be found here:

  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

    • Required for all Public agencies, public and private, as well as private employers who employ 50 or more employees in 20 or more work weeks within a 75-mile radius of the business location. Also required for all employers that affect commerce.

    • Provides information of rights under the FMLA, such as:

      • Leave

      • Benefits

      • Eligibility

    • Willful refusal to post may result in a fine up to $100 dollars per offense.

    • Can be found here:

Required for employers working on federal contracts

  • Employee Rights on Government Contracts

    • Every contractor or subcontractor currently engaged in a contract with the federal government in excess of $2,500 with the purpose to furnish services in the US must post the poster.

    • Provides information on rights for federal contracted employees, such as:

      • Wages

      • Overtime

      • Apprentices

      • Child Labor

      • Safety

    • Can be found here:

  • Notification of Employee Rights Under Federal Labor Laws

    • Informs employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act, such as:

      • Unions

      • Employer restrictions

    • Failure to post may result in sanctions or other penalties for noncompliance.

    • Can be found here:

Required for Agricultural Employers

  • Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act Notice

    • Gives information on the rights of these workers, such as:

      • Wage information

      • Working conditions

      • Housing requirements

    • A civil money penalty may be assessed if there is a failure to post.

    • Can be found here:

  • Employee Rights under the H-2A Program

    • Must be posted by agricultural employers who hire workers under H-2A visas.

    • Provides information on the rights under H-2A visas, such as:

      • Disclosure

      • Wages

      • Transportation

      • Housing

    • Can be found here:

Utah Specific Posters

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter.  No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this site without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.

Surrogacy Rights Under Utah Law Update

In 2019, a Utah Supreme Court Case provided an update to the Utah Uniform Parentage Act. It started when a married couple, both men, wanted to enter into a gestational agreement with a woman and her husband for the woman to act as a surrogate for the married couple so they could become parents. At the time Utah would not consider this type of gestational agreement as enforceable since it could not be validated. In order to validate a gestational agreement, certain conditions must be met. One of these conditions required for medical evidence to be presented to show that "the intended mother is unable to bear a child or is unable to do so without unreasonable risk to her physical or mental health or to the unborn child..." The intended parents filed a joint petition with the gestational mother and her husband asking the district court to validate their agreement. The court denied the petition saying, "’mother’ and ‘her’ plainly refer to a woman," and since neither of the intended parents was a woman the Court determined that the request must be denied.

The petitioners argued that the interpretation by the district court violated the Uniform Operation of Laws provision, and the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution. In addition to these arguments the petitioners argued that “mother” should be interpreted as a neutral way to say “parent”. The State of Utah also submitted an amicus brief agreeing to the interpretation of “mother” as gender neutral.

            After reviewing the case, the Utah Supreme Court agreed with the petitioners and concluded that the female specific language in the act was unconstitutional under the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses. They also found that the medical evidence requirement section was severable from the rest of the Utah Uniform Parentage Act, so the remainder of the Utah Uniform Parentage Act could remain in force while the medical evidence requirement containing the gender-specific language of “mother” and “her” could be stricken.  In May of 2020 a new bill amending the Code was put into effect, which amended Utah Code 78B-15-803 and eliminated the medical necessity requirement and gender-specific language.

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter.  No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this site without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.

Utah’s Preconstruction Lien Laws

In 2005, the Utah Legislature created the State Construction Registry which serves as a repository of all notices filed concerning construction projects. All parties working on a construction project must file notices with the registry to maintain rights to a lien.

A mechanic’s lien is a statutory lien that secures payment for labor or materials supplied in improving, repairing, or maintaining real property. A preconstruction lien is a mechanic’s lien for services provided prior to construction. Preconstruction services include planning or designing a proposed improvement before construction commences and for compensation separate from construction work. This includes consulting, conducting a site investigation or assessment, estimates, rendering, drawings, and other similar activities. Utah’s preconstruction lien laws are helpful to architects or engineers who perform services before any visible work is done on the property.

A party may claim a preconstruction lien and a separate construction lien on the same project property, but a preconstruction lien may not include an amount claimed for construction work. The value of the preconstruction lien is the reasonable value of the preconstruction service.

To claim a preconstruction lien, a party must first file a notice of preconstruction service with the State Construction Registry no later than 20 days after commencing preconstruction services. To actually claim a preconstruction lien, the claimant must record a notice with the county recorder within 90 days after completing the preconstruction service and send notice to the owner of the property. To enforce a preconstruction lien, the claimant must file a lawsuit and a lis pendens within 180 days after filing the notice of preconstruction lien.

The Cannon Law Group has assisted many service providers with preconstruction lien issues.

Surrogacy Rights Under Utah Law

Since 2005, married couples desiring to have children through a gestational carrier have been able to rely on the laws of Utah to eliminate much of the uncertainty and risk that may otherwise be involved in the surrogacy process. The Utah Uniform Parentage Act (Utah Code § 78B-15-801, et seq.), allows Utah courts to validate gestational agreements and issue pre-birth and post-birth orders that confirm parentage and direct the Office of Vital Records to issue a birth certificate naming the intended parents as parents of the child or children. Utah State Senator Lyle Hillyard sponsored the bill in the 2005 that became the law in Utah.

In the 2018 session of the Utah Senate, Senator Lyle Hillyard introduced S.B. 126, which would repeal the provisions of the Utah Uniform Parentage Act dealing with gestational agreements. The Utah State Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing on S.B. 126 on February 7, 2018. At the hearing, Sen. Hillyard explained before the Committee that he sought to repeal the law because circumstances with courts, marriage, and surrogacy had changed since 2005.

Many others, including members of The Cannon Law Group, made public comments before the Committee concerning their experiences with surrogacy and the process of validating gestational agreements through Utah courts. The comments were overwhelmingly in favor of the law and against repealing the law. At the end of the hearing, the Committee voted to table the bill, signaling the Committee’s opposition to it.

 The basic components of validating a gestational agreement in Utah are as follows:

  • Either the mother or intended parents must be residents of Utah for at least 90 days

  • Medical evidence shows that the intended mother is unable to bear a child without unreasonable risk;

  • The intended parents must meet standards of fitness through an adoptive home study;

  • All parties must participate in counseling to discuss options and consequences;

  • The prospective gestational mother must have had at least one pregnancy and delivery;

  • Health care expenses must be provided for; and

  • All parties must be 21 years of age or older.

Cannon Law Group has assisted many gestational carriers and intended parents through the process of negotiating a gestational agreement, filing a petition to validate the agreement, and obtaining the necessary orders from the court to protect the interests of all parties and to ensure the parentage of the intended parents.


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