The Husband & Wife Law Team August 2016 Motorcycle Newsletter

In This Issue

• Experience Sturgis
• Rider of the Month: Miss Too Broke For Sturgis 2016
• Top 5
• Legal Rumbles: Motorcycle Safety Fund

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Experience Sturgis

AUGUST 8TH THROUGH 14TH held what has been said to be potentially the greatest and perhaps the largest gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts of all time. Many had been planning to participate in this epic event and be a part of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally history. A rally that offers one of the best biker experiences in the entire world, some even waiting years for this opportunity to attend.

There was plenty to do from spectacular views at the Pactola Reservoir, to the Bear Butte State Park where you can fish and catch a cool gentle breeze. Badlands National Park is about 45 minutes outside of Sturgis and is worth the drive. The landscape is like no other and looks like you have landed on an alien planet. Custer State Park is close by with a lot of wildlife around the loop. Buffalo, goats, antelope, you name it, they have it there on a beautiful road to ride.

If wine is your thing, the Black Hills Dakota Distillery is certainly a place to visit. While you are in the Black Hills, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial is just too close not to visit. Last but not least, the Motorcycle Museum on Main Street in Sturgis is certainly a must see for any visitor.

This year’s rally venues were held at:

• Iron Horse Saloon
• Knuckle Saloon
• Loud American Roadhouse
• Buffalo Chip
• Full Throttle Saloon

If you’ve never experienced Sturgis... Don’t miss out! Plan ahead!

Here are some future dates:

• 2017 - August 7 to 13
• 2018 - August 6 to 12
• 2019 - August 5 to 11
• 2020 - August 3 to 9 (80 year anniversary)

sturgismotorcyclerally.com

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Rider of the Month: Miss Too Broke For Sturgis 2016

Melissa Hughes is an All American Biker who also works in the Arizona corporate world as a business owner, philanthropist and Biker’s Rights Activist. Melissa started riding over 30 years ago and has been living off and on in Arizona for the past 20 years. She is the owner of Two Gals Events & Promotions which is a full service event planning company that specializes in creative private and charity events. Her other interests include animal protection and care, travel, a good cup of coffee and spending time with her family and friends.

Melissa is all about the smaller, “grass roots” Arizona charities. Her company brings awareness to charitable causes with promotions and events that help these charities grow. “I just felt that this is where I should be,” she says. Melissa is very proud of her team and what they have accomplished. Two Gals Events & Promotions has received a Best of Phoenix award, Top 50% of trending companies in Arizona, and is currently ranked #2 in the state for event planning companies by Ranking Arizona. She credits these honors to the hard working women that make up the team at Two Gals, “… they do amazing work every day,” as she affectionately calls them, “My Girls.” Next year, Two Gals will be 10 years old and Melissa is hinting that there will be some exciting changes coming next year.

Melissa goes on to say, “I love my girls… they are so passionate about what they do.” This is especially true about her VP, Amy Rose Aho who has been a big part of the team for over 7 years. Together they have helped raise over 1.8 million dollars for local charities. Not bad for a small company hosting smaller events. It doesn’t matter if it’s a charity poker run like, Bikers For Boobies or a three day jazz gala for an music education charity, Arizona bikers come from all over to attend their events. The team at Two Gals are forever grateful for the support of the biker family here in Arizona.

Outside of Two Gals events, Melissa has had a long term relationship with the Liberty Wildlife Foundation. Liberty is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation center here in Arizona. Melissa has worked for them in various roles for about 16 years. As a staff member or now as a volunteer, she has been aiding countless injured and orphaned wildlife. “It’s something I’m passionate about,” Melissa says as she talks about her love for animals and the outdoors. Liberty Wildlife is also where the idea for the creation of Two Gals first came from. She was helping them with their current fundraisers and soon created new events for Liberty. Melissa and her best friend, Dawn Kackly, then started Two Gals after discussing the idea that charities really need help with their events. The idea quickly formed and Melissa and Dawn became business partners with the creation of Two Gals.

Beyond her love of motorcycles and riding, Melissa is a vocal supporter for biker’s rights. She has worked the last few years with ABATE of Arizona, the state wide biker’s rights group. She has spoken at the, “Day at the Dome” event as a small business owner and talked about how the Arizona Biker Community positively impacts her company. She feels that if you ride you need to help decide what laws are enacted in our state. Melissa states that, “The lobbyist that are representatives from ABATE work with our state government on behalf of all of us that are a part of the AZ Biker Community. They deserve our support!”

During ABATE of Arizona’s, “Too Broke For Sturgis 2016” event back in June, Melissa put her knowledge of all things, “Biker” to the test and wowed the audience as she ran for, Miss Too Broke For Sturgis. In her typical sassy and no-nonsense fashion Melissa got every question correct and impressed the independent panel of judges who unanimously voted for her to be, Miss Too Broke 2016! Now you can see Melissa at local charity bike events proudly sporting her sash and tiara. Something her team seems to get a real giggle out of. Amy says, “Melissa is not exactly a tiara and sash kind of girl, but we are all so proud of who she is and all that she does for our community!”

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Top 5

1. A full day AMSAF board meeting with Mark as a Vice President means, “Watch out for this motorcycle safety organization!” Lots of great things happening to try to keep motorcyclists safe!
2. We had a client where the insurance company was completely denying liability. We drafted up a detailed demand package and let the insurance adjuster know we would file a lawsuit. A couple weeks later we got a letter from the insurance adjuster saying that she was tendering her limits.
3. We had a case that went up to the court of appeals. The trial judge dismissed our case and we appealed to the court of appeals. The good news is the appellate judges said we were right and sent notice to the trial judge that we were correct about our case analysis and now the case is reinstated.
4. Mark received his recertification as a certified specialist in injury and wrongful death law. Only about 1% of lawyers in Arizona hold this distinction in injury and wrongful death law.
5. We are preparing for three trials coming up this fall. One is a slip and fall case, one is a case against the city of Gilbert, and the other is a construction accident case. If you want to see Mark in action, let us know and we will give you more details. We did have some clients attend trial in the spring and it was great.

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Legal Rumbles: Motorcycle Safety Fund

Take a moment to read the statute we have chosen for this month. You just never know when this information is going to come in handy or you get to impress someone with it a party.

28-2010. Motorcycle safety fund administration; advisory council

A. A motorcycle safety fund is established consisting of monies deposited pursuant to subsection B of this section and monies from gifts, grants and other donations. The director of the governor's office of highway safety shall administer the fund. On notice from the director of the governor's office of highway safety, the state treasurer shall invest and divest monies in the fund as provided in section 35-313, and monies earned from investment shall be credited to the fund. Up to ten per cent PERCENT of the monies in the fund may be used for administrative costs. Monies in the fund are subject to legislative appropriation and are exempt from the provisions of section 35‑190 relating to lapsing of appropriations.

B. Notwithstanding section 28-2004, through June 30, 2016, the director of the department of transportation shall deposit, pursuant to sections 35-146 and 35-147, one dollar of each motorcycle registration fee collected pursuant to section 28-2003 in the motorcycle safety fund.

C. Subject to legislative appropriation, the director of the governor's office of highway safety shall use monies deposited in the motorcycle safety fund pursuant to this section, after consultation with the Arizona motorcycle safety advisory council, to implement and support voluntary motorcycle education, awareness and other programs, including covering the cost of materials for motorcycle safety, education and awareness programs.

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