Thomas Waitt Pleasant: North Carolina Accident, Injury, Insurance and Wrongful Death Attorney

With locations in Raleigh, Fayetteville and Wilmington, North Carolina, The Law Offices of Thomas Waitt Pleasant, PLLC works for for those who have been injured (physically, emotionally, or financially) by the wrongdoing of others. Thomas Waitt Pleasant is committed to his client's cases; and willing to take those cases to trial, if necessary and appropriate to achieve a fair result. Mr. Pleasant is "Peer Review Rated" by Martindale-Hubbell, and provides personal and intense attention to his client's matters. Whether your matter involves an insurance law dispute, injury or death resulting from nursing home abuse or an automobile accident or crash, employment problems, or any other kind of personal injury; Thomas Waitt Pleasant can help. If you need a North Carolina lawyer, Thomas Waitt Pleasant is available to advise you.

Key Practice Areas

Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect

Physical abuse is rampant in American nursing homes. About 2500 cases of physical abuse by nursing home staff are being reported each year. Battery is the most obvious type of physical abuse, but this crime can also include putting the patient in excessive restraints or physically confining residents for no valid reason. It is surprising to some that physical abuse in nursing homes is easily hidden. Very often, nursing home staffs will explain away injuries by claiming a victim has fallen – not an uncommon occurrence among elderly people. Even if they are explained, frequent bruises, cuts, sprains or factures could be a sign of abuse. And it is important to know that sometimes a nursing home resident will concur with the staffs’ explanation of an injury simply because they have been intimidated into doing so.

There are many reasons cited for this epidemic of physical abuse in nursing homes. The National Center on Elder Abuse says that the hiring of poorly trained and underpaid workers, together with rampant understaffing, is partly to blame for nursing home abuse. Only 41 states require that nursing home workers undergo criminal background checks, and the poor pay often leads nursing homes to hire staff with unsavory histories. Understaffing can also take a toll on workers, causing them to lose patience with difficult residents. But whatever the cause, any form of nursing abuse is inexcusable and should not be tolerated.

Physical abuse in a nursing home robs already vulnerable people of their sense of security and turns their last years into a nightmare. If someone you love has been subjected to physical abuse in a nursing home they may be entitled to compensation. Please fill out the form at the right for a free case review by an attorney.

Medical Negligence, Mistakes and Malpractice

North Carolina lawyer/attorney Thomas Waitt Pleasant helps people who have been hurt by the errors and mistakes of hospitals, doctors, physicians, nurses and other health care providers. If you have a medical malpractice or medical negligence case, attorney Pleasant can help you anywhere in North Carolina, including Raleigh, Charlotte, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, or other areas.

Automobile & Truck Accidents

North Carolina attorney Thomas Waitt Pleasant handles automobile, car, truck, and vehicle accidents of all kinds; and can help you whether you are in the Fayetteville, Wilmington, Raleigh or Lumberton area. Mr. Pleasant can help you with your North Carolina (Fayetteville, Wilmington, Lumberton or Raleigh) personal injury or wrongful death claim.

Insurance Law: Insurance Bad Faith Claims

Like most Americans today, you work hard for what you have, and when you buy something, you expect to get what you paid for. You also expect the insurance company to pay you what you deserve when you have been injured through no fault of your own. But no matter how much or how long you paid for insurance, you cannot take for granted that the insurance company will just pay you without a fight. This holds true whether your claim is for short-term disability, long-term disability, property damage, auto coverage, an accident, a health claim, long-term care, or general liability.

Insurance companies show bad faith when they deny or underpay valid claims made by policyholders. Unfortunately, many policyholders don’t understand how to fight back. Attorney Thomas Pleasant can help you convince your insurance company to take you seriously. He represents clients in the Southeast and Mid regions of North Carolina in insurance disputes. Contact Thomas today for a free consultation.

Insurance Law: Disability Insurance

If you have a problem with a long-term disability insurance claim, Thomas Pleasant can help you. If you feel that your insurance company is mistreating you, and you have an individual long-term disability insurance policy, you may have a "bad faith" or "unfair insurance claims practices" claim. However, if you have insurance or other benefits provided by an employer, your benefits claim or problem is most likely governed by the federal ERISA statute. Contact Fayetteville North Carolina Insurance Lawyer Thomas Pleasant for an evaluation of your case today.

Insurance Law: Other Insurance

Like most Americans today, you work hard for what you have, and when you buy something, you expect to get what you paid for. You also expect the insurance company to pay you what you deserve when you have been injured through no fault of your own. But no matter how much or how long you paid for insurance, you cannot take for granted that the insurance company will just pay you without a fight. This holds true whether your claim is for short-term disability, long-term disability, property damage, auto coverage, an accident, a health claim, long-term care, or general liability.

Insurance companies show bad faith when they deny or underpay valid claims made by policyholders. Unfortunately, many policyholders don’t understand how to fight back. Attorney Thomas Pleasant can help you convince your insurance company to take you seriously. He represents clients in the Southeast and Mid regions of North Carolina in insurance disputes. Contact Thomas today for a free consultation.

Dangerous/Defective Products (Products Liability)

Our world is complex and technical, but we Americans expect the products we purchase and use to be designed and manufactured such that they are safe. Americans also expect that products’ sellers and manufacturers will give us reasonable warnings when their products have dangerous propensities.

The reality, though, is that not all designers, manufacturers and sellers of products meet this standard, and many do not meet the requirements of our laws with regard to their products. Fayetteville, North Carolina product liability lawyer Thomas Pleasant helps individuals who have been seriously injured or killed as the result of defective products. Mr. Pleasant’s focus is to help obtain just compensation for injured clients as well as to create an economic incentive for those manufacturing companies to produce safe products and provide sufficient warning of the dangers of their products, ultimately resulting in saving lives.


Products may be found to be dangerous in a number of ways, including:

* Design flaws or defects. This is when the product was designed with a defect that makes the entire line dangerous even if the manufacturing and assembly was flawless.
* Manufacturing flaws or defects. These happen when a safely designed product becomes dangerous because the manufacturer failed to make the product in accordance with the plans and specifications.
* Inadequate warnings or instructions. This is when the manufacturer does not provide adequate instructions or warnings for the use of the product.


In some case, you may not necessarily have to prove that the manufacturer was "negligent". Product liability claims, often called "strict product liability" can generally be established if three things are proven:

* The product was defective.
* The product was defective before the manufacturer released the product.
* The defect harmed you.


If you or someone you love has been seriously injured or killed as the result of defective or incorrectly designed products, contact Fayetteville North Carolina injury attorney Thomas Pleasant. You may be able to file a claim against the manufacturer to recover money damages. Call or email today.

Employment/Civil Rights

The law provides workers with a wealth of protections. For example, the law provides protection for disabled people under the Americans with Disabilities Act). The law also provides protections by setting minimum wage and overtime standards (e.g., the Fair Labor Standards Act); requiring employers to allow employees to take time off from work under certain circumstances (e.g., the Family Medical Leave Act); prohibiting discrimination based on sex, age, disability and other protected categories (e.g., Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964); prohibiting employer retaliation where an employee reports certain illegal conduct; and prohibiting employer retaliation where an employee files a worker’s compensation claim. Thomas Pleasant can help you determine your rights, and evaluate your case.

Insurance Law: Unfair Insurance Claim Practices

The North Carolina General Statutes provide clear standards for insurance company behavior, providing you with protection from unfair claims handling. If you feel your insurance company is unfairly or wrongly denying or delaying your claim, you might have an unfair claims practices insurance claim, and Thomas Waitt Pleasant might be able to help you get what you deserve.

This Insurance companies play a numbers game. Figuring that only a small percentage of people will dispute the insurers’ decisions, they often deny valid claims or offer smaller settlements that what is fairly warranted. These unfair insurance practices are illegal in North Carolina, but you’ll need an attorney to prove your case. Attorney Thomas Waitt Pleasant handles insurance claims. Contact Thomas Pleasant today for a free consultation.

Consumer Law

If you have ever purchased a new car from an automobile dealership, you know the frustration that comes with the "high pressure" sales tactics, as well as the confusing paperwork and financing details. Automobile dealers have an array of tactics to make money when they sell you a car or truck, and you may not even be aware that you have paid more than you should have. You may also have been the victim of certain financing "tricks" dealers use to make money and leave you with a bad deal. Or, you may have purchased products you didn't need or ask for. If you suspect wrongdoing by the automobile or car dealer in your car purchase transaction, contact Thomas Pleasant for help.

Personal Injury & Wrongful Death

If you have been injured in an accident, or by a dangerous or defective product, call Thomas Pleasant for an evaluation of your personal injury case. If you have been injured through no fault of your own, you are entitled to compensation. If you are having problems getting a fair settlement from the insurance company for your injuries, including your pain and suffering, and medical bills, Thomas Pleasant can help. Contact The Law Offices of Thomas Waitt Pleasant, PLLC, before you speak with an insurance company representative, or sign anything.

On Your Side

As a plaintiff’s attorney, Thomas Pleasant works on the side of people just like you, people who are fighting insurance and other large and companies for the compensation and justice they deserve. Whether your own insurance company, or the insurance company of a negligent driver or company, you might find yourself “outgunned” and with nowhere to turn. Insurance companies have their adjusters and attorneys scrutinizing your claim, and in some cases doing everything possible to deny or reduce your claim. Thomas Pleasant's first job as a lawyer was at a firm that represented insurers, so he is familiar with insurance company tactics for avoiding paying your claim when you’re injured, disabled, or have suffered a financial loss.

One reason Thomas Pleasant started his own firm as an insurance/personal injury attorney was because he didn’t like what he witnessed on the insurers’ side. He saw the arsenal with which these huge companies attack or just ignore legitimate claims filed by ordinary people for emotional, physical, and financial injury. He saw them decide to force people to bring lawsuits for their claims, in some cases for no reason other than to discourage plaintiffs and their attorneys from pursuing their claims. He saw them do this even when the injuries were clearly covered: cases of clear medical disabilities covered by a policy; cases where injuries were obviously caused by accidents, or others’ negligence. That experience left him with a bad taste. The Law Offices of Thomas Waitt Pleasant, PLLC, takes no insurance company clients.

One-on-One Compassionate Approach

Thomas Pleasant understands the uncertainty with which you’re facing the future. Will you have enough money to pay for ongoing medical care? Will you recover the expenses you’ve incurred so far? How long can you continue to cover your rent or mortgage? Will you be able to support your family or send your kids to college?

In fighting for your rights, your case won’t just be handed off to a junior associate or a paralegal assistant. Thomas Pleasant will have in-depth, personal involvement in your case, from beginning to end, so that he can represent you as an individual. Such personal, one-on-one involvement with you will increase the changes of the best possible outcome for you —the money you need for financial and emotional security.

Help in Fayetteville and Throughout North Carolina

Thomas Pleasant's law office is in Fayetteville, but he works throughout much of the Southeastern and Piedmont regions of North Carolina, including Cumberland County, Hoke County, Robeson County, Scotland County, New Hanover County, Sampson County, Harnett County, and Johnston County as well as the cities of Raeford, Lumberton, Laurinburg, Wilmington, Clinton, Lillington, Dunn, and Smithfield.

Thomas Waitt Pleasant: Responsive Legal Help When You Need It Most

If you, a family member, or a friend needs responsive legal services to pursue a claim to which you’re entitled, please contact The Law Offices of Thomas Waitt Pleasant, PLLC as soon as possible. I provide free consultations in many cases, and legal fees are most often on a contingency basis. That means there are no attorney fees unless you recover.

back to top

The Law Offices of Thomas Waitt Pleasant, PLLC
427 Franklin Street
Fayetteville, NC 28301

Toll Free: 888-HELP-156
Phone: (910) 323-3250