Cases and Testimonials

Richard Silber has an outstanding record. This distinction has earned him the respect of his clients, many of whom have referred Richard Silber to their family and friends—they have also trusted him to litigate subsequent cases on their behalf.

Milestone Cases

Among Richard Silber’s victories are two milestone cases against the District of Columbia: The Hunter case in which a $2.9 million settlement was awarded to the family when Hunter died after being ridiculed by city paramedics, and the Jefferson case where city paramedics used racist language and stopped for a soda while transporting an asthmatic 6-year-old to the hospital.

The Tyra Hunter case received local and national coverage after city paramedics refused to treat Hunter when they discovered that Hunter, a transsexual hairdresser, was a man. Hunter, who was seriously injured in a car accident, died a few hours later after arriving at the D.C. General Hospital emergency room.

Margie Hunter, Tyra’s mother, came to depend on Richard Silber during the trial. "He’s part of my family," Margie said. "He’s a terrific lawyer, but he was also very sympathetic to the stress I felt during the trial. He always kept me informed as to what was going on in the trial—and everything he told me was true."

Margie Hunter is a nurse who works with patients in a private pulmonary critical care facility. "I recommend Rick Silber to everyone I know—even my own patients," Margie said.

Elaine Jefferson came to Richard Silber after her grandson, an asthmatic, was verbally assaulted and received delayed treatment from D.C. paramedics. Her grandson was eventually treated and released from Children’s Hospital, but Ms. Jefferson didn’t want other city residents to suffer the same callous treatment.

Richard Silber settled the discrimination lawsuit with the District government, and the family received $165,000. "I’m pleased that D.C. has finally taken responsibility for the actions of their employees," Jefferson told the Washington Post.

"This is just another example of the fire department being sued for violating the city’s human rights law," said Silber.

Accidental Negligence

Richard Silber also represents people who, through no fault of their own, have been involved in accidents.

Tiffany is one of those clients. She was rear-ended in a car accident and suffered from neck sprain. During a stint at physical therapy, she ran into some of Richard Silber’s former clients. One of these clients had Silber’s card in her purse. "When they found out that my case wasn’t going well, they encouraged me to talk with Richard Silber," Tiffany said. "The case was getting too complicated for me to handle myself."

Tiffany called Richard Silber, and he spent half and hour explaining the case to her. "He was great," Tiffany said. "This was my first time working with a lawyer. It was a shock to get to speak with him the very first time I called, but he was down to earth and explained my case is terms I could understand."

Tiffany is doing fine now, and she knows a lot more about the law. "Most lay people don’t know much about the law and how it works," Tiffany said. "Richard Silber helped explain it to me."

Repeat Clients

Richard Silber is one of the few attorneys in the area who enjoy a steady base of repeat clients, and Natasha is one of them.

Natasha retained Richard Silber for two cases, both car accidents. In the first incident a delivery truck sideswiped Natasha; in the second, she was rear-ended. When asked why she called Richard Silber to represent her in the second case, Natasha simply stated, "because besides being a great lawyer, he’s a great person. " 

Being a good communicator is part of being a great lawyer and, according to Natasha, makes talking with your attorney less intimidating. "Richard Silber’s entire team are great people," Natasha said. "They have fantastic follow-up and are very thorough and warm. In fact, they invited me to their Christmas party last year."

Natasha suffered neck and lower back pain in her second accident. Richard Silber referred her to an orthopod and a physical therapist, and she’s doing fine now. "Richard Silber makes sure you feel good," said Natasha.