Personal Injury
"Law without justice is a wound without a cure." - William Scott Downey
Fighting for the Seriously Injured — Throughout Louisiana and Mississippi.
When you've been seriously hurt because of someone else's negligence, the person across the table from you is not on your side. The insurance company has adjusters, lawyers, and decades of experience minimizing what they pay. The corporation that made the defective product has a legal team whose job is to protect the company, not compensate you. The employer whose negligence put you in harm's way has resources you don't. Aertker Legal LLC levels that playing field.
Stephen "Curt" Aertker, Jr. began his career representing insurance companies and corporate defendants — which means he knows exactly how the other side thinks, what they look for, and where they are vulnerable. He turned that knowledge around. For over two decades, he has put it to work exclusively for the people those same defendants are trying to underpay and outlast.
The result is a plaintiff's attorney who prepares every case as if it is going to trial — because the insurance companies know it might, and that knowledge is what produces fair settlements. When it does go to trial, Stephen has the courtroom experience, the credentials, and the tenacity to see it through.
Aertker Legal LLC handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. There is no attorney's fee unless and until a recovery is made on your behalf.
What We Handle
Aertker Legal LLC represents seriously injured individuals and the families of those wrongfully killed throughout St. Tammany Parish (Covington, Mandeville, Madisonville, Hammond, Slidell, Pearl River) and Tangipahoa Parish (Amite, Hammond, Ponchatoula, Kentwood) and Washington Parish (Bogalusa and Franklinton), and across southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi in the following areas:
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Motor vehicle accidents
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Products liability
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Admiralty and maritime law
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Premises liability
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Civil assault, battery, and civil rights
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Toxic torts and environmental exposure
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Medical malpractice (see our dedicated Medical Malpractice page)
Curt's clients have suffered some of the most serious injuries the law recognizes — traumatic brain injuries, limb amputations, paraplegia and quadriplegia, severe burns, spinal injuries including herniated discs at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels, and catastrophic fractures. These are life-altering events, and the representation they require reflects that.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
"The automobile is the most dangerous weapon in society - cars kill more than wars do." - Ray Bradbury
Louisiana roads carry real danger — and Louisiana's insurance landscape makes serious accidents even more complicated than they are elsewhere. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, multiple liable parties, commercial carrier regulations, and the interplay between Louisiana tort law and federal trucking regulations all affect what a case is worth and how it must be pursued.
Aertker Lega LLC represents individuals seriously injured or killed in accidents involving:
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Passenger vehicles and pickup trucks
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Motorcycles
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18-wheel trucks and other commercial carriers subject to FMCSA regulations
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Buses, streetcars, and mass transit vehicles
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Boats, personal watercraft, and recreational vessels
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Off-road vehicles, ATVs, and UTVs
Louisiana's comparative fault principles under La. C.C. art. 2323 mean that a plaintiff's recovery is reduced by his or her percentage of fault — but does not bar recovery entirely unless fault is allocated at 100%. Insurance companies exploit comparative fault aggressively in the adjustment process. Aertker Legal LLC builds cases that minimize comparative fault exposure and maximize recovery.
Result: Stephen recently obtained a substantial recovery for a client who suffered a traumatic eye injury in a car accident in St. Tammany Parish.
Products Liability
"The surest foundation of a manufacturing concern is quality. After that, and a long way after, comes cost." - Andrew Carnegie
When a defective product causes serious injury, the manufacturer, distributor, and seller may all bear responsibility under the Louisiana Products Liability Act (La. R.S. 9:2800.51 et seq.). Louisiana's LPLA is the exclusive remedy against a manufacturer for damage caused by its product and provides four theories of liability: construction or composition defects, design defects, failure to provide adequate warnings, and breach of express warranty.
Aertker Legal, LLC represents clients injured by defective:
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Automobiles, trucks, and recreational vehicles
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Tractors and agricultural equipment
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Industrial equipment and heavy machinery
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Medical devices and implants
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Pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs
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Building products, including drywall and asbestos-containing materials
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Ladders, scaffolding, and fall protection equipment
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Food products and beverages
Result: Curt negotiated a favorable settlement for a St. Tammany Parish client who suffered a traumatic finger amputation in a products liability action against an international tractor manufacturer.
Premises Liability
"Safety doesn't happen by accident!" - Anonymous
Louisiana property owners and occupiers have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe for those who enter. Under La. R.S. 9:2800.6, merchants — including grocery stores, retailers, restaurants, and casinos — face a specific and demanding duty regarding conditions on their floors and walkways. Proving a premises liability claim requires understanding both the general negligence framework and the specific statutory requirements that apply to different categories of property owner.
Aertker Legal LLC represents clients seriously injured in accidents involving:
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Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents
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Negligent security and third-party criminal acts on commercial property
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Grocery stores, department stores, and retail establishments
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Hotels, motels, and resorts
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Restaurants, bars, lounges, and entertainment venues
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Parking lots, sidewalks, and parking garages
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Casinos
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Parks, stadiums, golf courses, and recreational areas
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Apartment complexes, condominiums, and private residences
Admiralty & Maritime Law
"A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
Louisiana's Gulf Coast economy means that maritime injuries are a significant and distinct category of personal injury law in this state — and one that demands specialized knowledge. Maritime law operates under a separate federal framework with its own statutes, remedies, and procedural rules that differ substantially from Louisiana tort law.
Stephen holds a Certificate in Maritime Law from Tulane University School of Law and has represented clients in maritime and admiralty matters throughout his career, including:
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Jones Act seaman claims for negligence and unseaworthiness
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Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) claims, including § 905(b) negligence actions
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Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) wrongful death claims
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Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) claims
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General maritime law negligence and maintenance and cure claims
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Injuries on offshore production platforms, semi-submersible rigs, jack-up rigs, and vessels servicing Gulf of Mexico oil fields
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Injuries on tugs, towboats, crew boats, tankers, cargo ships, fishing vessels, diving vessels, and cruise ships
Result: Curt recovered in excess of $1,000,000 for a Slidell client whose leg was traumatically amputated in a fabrication yard accident caused by a crane operator's negligence on a barge, prosecuted as a § 905(b) action under the LHWCA.
Civil Assault, Battery
& Civil Rights
"The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins." - Oliver Wendell Holmes
When someone is seriously injured as the result of another person's intentional act — or a law enforcement officer's use of excessive force — both civil and criminal remedies may be available. Civil claims for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress can be brought alongside or independent of criminal prosecution, and do not depend on a criminal conviction.
Civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 provide a federal remedy for individuals whose constitutional rights have been violated by government actors, including law enforcement. These claims carry their own procedural requirements, qualified immunity defenses, and damages frameworks that require experienced civil rights litigation counsel.
Aertker Legal LLC represents clients injured by:
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Bouncers, security personnel, and third-party assailants on commercial premises
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Excessive force by law enforcement officers and sheriff's deputies
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Workplace violence
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Assaults at sporting events and entertainment venues
Results: Curtsecured a substantial settlement for a Texas client who suffered a permanent traumatic brain injury after being assaulted by a bouncer at a well-known Bourbon Street establishment. He also obtained a settlement in a § 1983 civil rights action on behalf of a client subjected to excessive force by sheriff's deputies and municipal police officers.
Toxic Torts
& Environmental Exposure
We're all living in a chemical soup." - Lance A. Wallace
Louisiana's industrial corridor, petrochemical plants, refineries, and offshore operations create real exposure to toxic substances for workers and residents alike. Toxic tort litigation — whether for a single plaintiff or a class of affected individuals — involves complex causation science, multiple responsible parties, and regulatory frameworks that require careful navigation.
Aertker Legal LLC represents individuals and groups of claimants injured by exposure to:
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Petroleum hydrocarbons and refinery byproducts
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Industrial chemicals and solvents
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Asbestos and other building materials
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Lead paint
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Toxic mold
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Pesticides and herbicides
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Heavy metals
Toxic tort claims may arise from single-incident releases — pipeline ruptures, plant explosions, refinery fires, train derailments, and vessel spills — or from long-term occupational or residential exposure. Both individual claims and mass tort or class action proceedings are within Aertker Legal LLC's scope of representation.