Pedestrian killed
Settlement: $7.45 million
A 31-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed in a
crosswalk by an MTA bus (Estate of Hua v. LACMTA, Los Angeles County Superior
Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Geoffrey Wells).
Jet crash
Decision: $17.84 million
A U.S. Marine Corps jet crashed into a house in San Diego,
killing four family members (Yoon v. United States, Southern District Federal
Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Brian Panish).
Intoxicated sheriff's deputy
Settlement: $4.75 million
A sheriff's deputy who was allegedly intoxicated sped
through a red light and struck a vehicle, causing severe brain damage to its
driver (Aldana v. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles County
Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Keith A. Adesko).
Nursing care
Verdict: Defense
An 81-year-old hospital patient alleged that
negligent nursing care left him with permanent nerve damage (Nigra v. Glendale
Adventist Medical Center, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Defense attorney:
Raymond L. Blessey).
Party death
Decision: $7.04 million
A party held by a teenager while her parents were
away resulted in the stabbing death of one of the attendees (Ramos v. Oppelt,
Alameda County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Robert C. Cheasty).
Hit-and-run
Verdict: $2.5 million
A pedestrian walking home from a friend's house was struck
and killed by a driver who then fled the scene (Heston v. Garcia, Santa Barbara
County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Lars C. Johnson).
Genetic testing
Settlement: $1.75 million
Alleged negligence in prenatal genetic testing led to the
birth of a Down syndrome baby (Confidential v. Confidential, Orange County
Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Daniel M. Hodes).
Scuba diver death
Verdict: Defense
Negligence was alleged in the drowning death of a scuba
diver on a chartered lobster-hunting trip (Goetz v. Horizon Charters, San Diego
County Superior Court, Defense attorney: Stephen L. Hewitt).
Drunk driver
Settlement: $1 million
A passenger was severely injured when an SUV driven by a
drunk driver plunged down an embankment on a rural road (Becker v. Bowie,
Monterey County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Matt Zandi).
Bad faith
Settlement: $6 million
An insurer was sued for wrongful withdrawal of defense and
refusal to settle a civil lawsuit (Confidential v. Confidential, San Diego
County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Craig A. Miller).
Wrongful termination
Verdict: $1.09 million
The director of the Department of Education of California
Pacific Medical Center was terminated in retaliation for demands that serious
illegalities be remedied and out of fear that he would pose a threat in
upcoming audits (Miller v. California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco
County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Dennis E. Blum).
Passenger paraplegia
Settlement: $3.3 million
A passenger in a catering truck was left disabled after
the catering truck was struck by a fire truck allegedly being operated negligently (Roman v.
County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney:
Timothy J. Wheeler).
Construction zone
Settlement: $4.94 million
Visibility problems in a construction zone were blamed for
an accident in which a motorcyclist and his passenger were injured (Cooper v.
Rawisch, Lassen County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: John C. Taylor)