Van rollover
Verdict: $73,063,649
Death, injuries resulted when tire tread separation caused a
Ford Econoline van to roll over (Mauro v. Ford Motor Company, Sacramento County
Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Roger A. Dreyer).
Sexual assault
Verdict: $67,360,000
A patient who was sexually assaulted by a Certified Nursing
Assistant made a television plea that caused numerous other victims to come
forward (Confidential v. Encino Tarzana Regional Medical Center, Los Angeles
County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Michael J. Piuze).
Flesh-eating bacteria
Verdict: $8,239,069
A patient who died from necrotizing fasciitis was examined
and transferred to multiple hospitals without receiving the necessary diagnosis
and treatment (Camargo v. Brim Healthcare, Riverside County Superior Court,
Plaintiff's attorney: Stephen G. Root).
Quadruple amputation
Settlement: $10,000,000
A two-year-old girl sat in the waiting room of an emergency
room for five hours before being seen, by which time her infection had become
severe enough to require a quadruple amputation (Jeffers v. Catholic Healthcare
West, Sacramento County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Moseley C.
Collins III).
Breach of contract
Verdict: $9,263,345
A multi-national corporation with an exclusive distribution
arrangement with a small medical products company was sued for breach of
contract for failing to use its best efforts and instead trying to maximize its
own profits by entering into direct partnerships with members of the medical
community (Allmed Systems Inc. v. Healthtronics Inc., Alameda County Superior
Court, Plaintiff's attorney: J. Gary Gwilliam).
Train traps foot
Verdict: $5,328,619
A man's foot wedged between the boarding platform and an MTA
train due to the operator not checking to see if passengers were clear of the
boarding platform when the brain began to proceed forward (Nesbitt v. Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles County
Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Jeffrey S. Pop).
Pedestrian struck
Verdict: $7,381,116
A casino patron was struck in a crosswalk of the
establishment by a parking attendant (Fretz v. The Minuteman Parking Company,
Riverside County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Joseph Daniel Davis).
Drug sting
Verdict: $1,015,250
A 12-year-old student who reported drug sales at his school
to administrators was asked to participate in a sting, using the boy as bait to
purchase marijuana, without the knowledge of law enforcement or the boy's
parents (Confidential v. Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles
County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Alexander G. Calfo).
Tank explosion
Settlement: $1,000,000
A man was killed instantly in an explosion when a storage
tank with weakened integrity was filled with pressurized air (Morgun v.
Conner's Manufacturing Inc., Fresno County Superior Court, Plaintiff's
attorney: Stephen R. Cornwell).
Car lands on car
Settlement: $2,900,000
A driver stopped at a red light was killed and several of
his passengers were injured when a vehicle unable to stop in time collided with
the median, which launched her vehicle into the air, landing on decedent's
vehicle (Seneff v. Porter, Riverside County Superior Court, Plaintiff's
attorney: R. Michael Bomberger).
Slip and fall
Verdict: $1,389,717
A 72-year-old customer at Costco slipped and fell outside
the entrance to the store while attempting to avoid being struck by a store
employee pushing a flatbed cart (Adams v. Costco Wholesale Corporation, San
Luis Obispo County Superior Court, Plaintiff's attorney: Mariana Aroditis).
Truck v. motorcycle
Verdict: $4,696,229
A 30-year-old motorcyclist was severely injured when a
Freightliner tractor pulling a tanker that crossed the double yellow line and
collided with him (DaSilva v. Ornelas, San Mateo County Superior Court,
Plaintiff's attorney: Anna Dubrovsky).
Editor’s Note: California Bar Journal publishes this abbreviated summary of important trials in California provided by Trials Digest. To report your case results, go to west.thomson.com/trialsdigest/form.aspx or call 415-344-3952.