How did you come to choose Ed Dudensing as your attorney?

Our attorney at the time, Mark Redmond, recommended Ed because of his expertise and track record. 

Were you considering any other firms?

No 

When you first met with Ed, what kinds of questions did you have?

We honestly just listened to what he suggested to do, we felt very comfortable talking with him. 

What was your state of mind at the time?

I would say when Ed came onto the case I was very overwhelmed because I had been juggling work and my husbands care and rehab and this case for more than a year.  We were frustrated with the courts being closed due to covid which had effected the options to move the case forward. Once Ed and Mark teamed up we were able to get a Zoom mediation to settle the case.  

Were the processes and potential outcomes explained to you clearly?

Ed was very clear about the potential outcomes. He understood our situation extremely well and was able to not only listen to our story but I felt that he had definite grasp on it and was able to articulate how I was feeling and what I was up against even better than I was. Ed made us feel at ease and well represented. 

Did he tell you what could happen if you went to court? 

Yes, we understood what it would mean to go to court and how things could unfold. He explained each process as we went through the phases. We felt that he had us very prepared for each situation and protected in the process.

Did you feel supported throughout?

Ed treated us as if we were his family, while being extremely professional at the same time. He was easy to talk to and very knowledgeable about the law and the process that it would take to resolve our case. We could not have been in better hands.

Any other thoughts about Dudensing Law?

We look back at the way Ed was able to finalize our case with such gratitude, it would have been such a difficult process without someone like him on our side. He did an amazing job of telling our story and standing up for what was right.  He handled it with the upmost professionalism and caring. He was a tough negotiator and knows the law inside and out. We also had the opportunity to speak with a few others in the firm that helped build the case and gather information. I can’t say enough about each and every person who we had contact with.  I never felt rushed in telling our story and always felt as if they all cared deeply about helping us through this difficult time.  We as a family are so thankful for his services. 

How did you come to choose Ed Dudensing as your attorney?

My friend is an attorney and she looked up his record. She looked up records of elder abuse attorneys, and that’s how we found him. She said that she had a very good record.

Were you considering any other firms?

That’s a definite no, because it never even occurred to me that I would be doing this. I don’t really know lawyers in this field. Was certainly glad not to call somebody up on the TV.

What kind of questions did you have when you first met with Ed?

I just wanted to know if it could be a suit. I knew that it was wrong. I just wanted to tell them what happened and then they could tell me if it was something that needed to be litigated.

Were all the processes and the potential outcomes explained to you clearly?

Yes.

Did he tell you what would happen if you went to court?

He told me first that if I went to court, I had to be there each time. But I was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, so I’m very glad we did the settlement and that it went faster because I don’t know how great I would be if it had gone to a trial. There’s so many delays. Especially in the last few years with COVID — it’s slowed everything right down.

Did you feel supported throughout the process?

The person I dealt with first was Juan Carlos. He was wonderful, very good at listening. He was just very encouraging and really helped me to feel good about talking about it because it was my sister dying… you know, it’s not necessarily something I wanted to relive. And I had to kind of relive it so that I could help him to help me. And I thought he did a really wonderful job. Kari did a lot of explanation of the finances, and I appreciated that a lot.

Any other thoughts about the process that you wanted to share?

Well, I think they did a wonderful job obviously. The one thing I would tell people is to do your part up front and then let go and just forget about it. And then you don’t worry about time ticking. Let them do their job. And then they’ll get back to you. You do your part, let them do their part. Because you do have to relive it, and that’s hard.

I feel like he took on our case because he knew something wasn’t right. He knew what happened to my father was not right. That should be held responsible for it.

So I think from a heart side of things, from a personable side of things, he really took on our case because he knew stuff like this shouldn’t happen to people, especially the most vulnerable people. I think in his work, it’s really heart-driven and morally driven on what is right and what is wrong.

From a lawyer side of things, the man is sharp, he is smart. He is very witty and seeing him in trial and seeing him defend our family and defend my father, it was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen and been a part of.

Him taking his time, him taking his effort, his whole team coming together and just being overly prepared, and just pushing all the information and digging into information that we never thought of or even crossed our minds. Just seeing the whole case unfold, seeing what him and his team put together and uncovered was impressive.

I honestly believe he’s probably one of the best, not only in our state, in our city, but probably one of the best across the nation.

We were true to ourselves; we were true to what happened to my father. We put all that trust and all that truth into Ed and let him lead us there. In the end we’re so happy for it.

We’re so extremely grateful for him and his team and, and what they did for our family and just putting my father’s story out there, putting the truth out there, and doing it in such a brilliant and a graceful way.

They were very good at keeping me informed, how long it was going to take, if there was going to be any delays, they let me know.

They were very straightforward, they gave me an estimate on a monetary amount, or a range that they thought the case was good for, and they just really kept me up to date – I would get an email or a phone call and if I didn’t hear anything for a while, I would just email or call them and they would call me right back and give me an update.

It was great. I didn’t feel like they forgot about me.

When I met with him I felt very comfortable with him. I felt like he was being straightforward with me.

I’m not litigious. I wasn’t doing it to get any money, I wanted it brought to light that my father wasn’t taken care of.

So I felt comfortable with Ed and that made me feel confident that he was on the up and up and that I could trust him with my case.

I called and I spoke with Kari and she asked me what exactly went on and stuff and I was telling her. In a way I was kind of blaming myself… I should have stepped up to the plate. I should have been overlooking the nurse’s care on my mom.

Kari reassured me that I did absolutely nothing wrong. She said I hired these people to take care of my mom and they didn’t do what they represented themselves to do.

It was very hard because I was taking part guilt in it all. After she listened to what I told her had happened, she definitely eased my feelings.

I enjoyed everybody I worked with. The people I talked to; in fact, I’ve talked to a couple of them since.

You’re always welcome. They’re always concerned about how you are doing. They’re always concerned that you have all the tools that you may need and all of the support you need as you go through the process.

They’re concerned about you as a person and a human and not just as a client. You’re always kept informed, up-to-date, you’re always brought into the conversation, you’re not just told what to do. So exemplarily.

It wasn’t just professional, and I don’t want to say “part of the family,” but you are. They bring you into Dudensing Law to be in the process and apart of the process and you’re valued as a member of that team.

Ed would tell me what was going to happen that day. He always forewarned me.

In the beginning I told him just before the trial started, I was kind of worried about some of the things I might hear. He said you’re going to hear things you’re not even going to believe and I didn’t think too much of it. I let things that are unpleasant [made sound of something flying away], that’s how I am.

And then when I got into court, boy I’ll tell you there were a couple people that were on that stand that if I could’ve just stood up and walked over there and just slapped them, I would’ve done it. Because they lied, they all lied, and Ed proved it. There was a doctor, he had on the stand, that literally perjured himself.

Ed was so great the way he handled these people. So calm.

It’s a weird feeling.

In a way you kind of feel relieved – what you set out to do, finally got accomplished.

My main goal was that that company wasn’t going to practice anymore and because of my law suit they have changed ownership now. So at least I know that no one is going to be treated the way my mom was being treated.

So that was one big thing Ed was able to do – get them to sell to another company.

That was a big thing. That was kind of one thing I wanted to make sure. That this wasn’t going to happen to somebody else.

He first explained that he would be interviewing many parties and there would be an investigation of course of our claims. And of course, there’s logs of when they take care of a disabled person like my sister and there were and they did extensive meetings, conversations with the parties involved and with us, the clients,

I filled out extensive paperwork for him to the best of my knowledge, regarding my sister, and how she was prior to going into these homes to show before and after effects. And he did have, I believe, extensive conversations with the parties involved.

The sad part is, my sister can never come home. She has to live in a hospital due to the care she was given. The good part is, she will be taken care of very well and all of her material needs can be met, if they ever arise.

The grieving process is a whole different thing. It’s still an ongoing thing, even though it’s been 8 years. I’m still surprised because I look at other people and their spouse passes away and they’re moving on after a year or 2 or 3.

That’s not happening for me.

I was impressed that he so knowledgeable, and had the experience, and his people were right on the money.

They didn’t make any mistakes that I saw or that I was aware of throughout the whole process. They were very patient, and very kind. His strengths for as young as he is, were awesome.

They helped me tendentiously throughout this whole process. Everyone that works for him, they are very caring individuals. It’s just a whole different atmosphere than what you would expect. I was very glad that I had those kinds of people working for me.

Yes, from the very beginning, every single meeting and interaction with Ed and his team was just incredible. I felt warm, I felt welcome, I felt secure.

Hands down, he is so far above and beyond the level of any other attorney that I spoke with. All the way from the very beginning.

The way he worked with me and my family – my brother is mentally disabled and they worked with my brother extremely effectively. Yeah, the difference was incredible.

Everything, he didn’t keep anything hidden, he told us it could take years, to go through this process, and each time you have to go to make a deposition, or a meeting, it stirs up old painful memories and so he wanted to make that absolutely clear…and the judgment, whatever it is, through a mediation or actually going to trial, could have the potential of being in our favor.

We understood that, we relied on his expertise, his credentials, and success rate to establish the best case possible for us.

Moving into the process with Ed was on a completely elevated level of professionalism.

First, I presented all of my documents to them and then they went through the process of ordering everything from all of the different divisions that had been involved in my father’s care and then reviewed that.

When we sat down for our meeting, there was already a very strong structure in place to support the meeting. I didn’t feel like we were flailing.

Ed and I had a talk at the beginning of the month, I went to his office, he told me, the one thing that you must remember, is that money does not bring happiness. And I tried to assure him that I am aware of that, I am aware of that.

And he said, there are going to be days when you’re really going to be in a deep depression. And he said, I want you to know that you can always call me. I’ll always be here for you.

Well, I think I saw him on a Tuesday, and that following Sunday, I fell apart because I had already been through – I knew what my mother had gone through, so I had accepted that somewhat, I thought. And then it was the trial, and what these bastards were going to have to pay.

That Sunday after I met with Ed, then it hit me, what my mom had to go through for me to get this money, and then it hit me all over again.

So then that Sunday I wouldn’t answer my phone, cried a lot. As soon as I just thought of her, the tears were just rolling down my face and I said, mom please forgive me I’m so sorry. And then Monday I just stayed in bed and then Tuesday I was ok.

They were very nice, very personable.

I just really liked the team, they felt like a family, honestly. I was very comfortable going to them, they kept me updated in a timely manner, and I felt like they were very straightforward with me the whole time.

I’m not a fluff person, I’m a straight shooter, so I appreciated the fact that they just told me the truth.

Call Ed. I mean he, detail, I’m not kidding you, the littlest thing, he picked up and brought it out and these people could not answer those questions. I mean questions I didn’t even think about. And I would sit there and I thought, oh my god how did he think of that stuff?

Oh absolutely, in fact I’ve done it to a couple of people when they’ve told me that. I said, you have a problem? I said, call Ed Dudensing, I said he is the best attorney, you will not be sorry.

And I mean that and I’m not sitting her saying it because you’re recording this, I will tell anybody that wants to listen. You want results, this is the guy, I’m not kidding. I am not kidding.

I would tell them to go see Ed! Definitely.

No. Just like I said, you feel really comfortable there and you really need that when you’re entering into something as scary like that.

You don’t know what to expect, especially when he’s saying, “are you willing to go to court in front of the jurors?” And you’re sitting there and thinking, “wow, am I going to take it that far?” And when there’s something you want to get across, you bet! I was 100% we’re going to go to trial.

They told me that whatever you want this is your case, you tell us, we’re here to back you up. And that’s what they did.

He’s a man of integrity, he stands up for his clients, or client, I can’t speak for others, but he certainly stood up for us.

He was forceful, he knows his trade, and that’s why we decided to go with him, that’s why we continued to go with him to the very end.