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Trials Digest
Trials Digest Chart

CALIFORNIA CASES

Disability Discrimination

Verdict: $1,178,341

Plaintiff alleged several claims including retaliation after she requested an accommodation for her eye disorder, central serous retinopathy (Salinda v. DIRECTV Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff Attorney: Supreeta Samprath).

Stroke Suit

Verdict: Defense

Defendant contended that plaintiff's stroke was a consequence of the surgery to address the underlying subdural hematoma and was not a consequence of any delay in proceeding to that surgery (Shin v. Song, Orange County Superior Court, Defense Attorney: Terrence J. Schafer).

Asbestos Death

Verdict: $38,951,367

Plaintiffs alleged that defendants' asbestos product caused mesothelioma, death. The jury assigned 35 percent fault to defendant BorgWarner Morse TEC Inc., 65 percent to others (Soto v. A Best Products Company, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff Attorney: Simona A. Farrise).

Elder Abuse

Verdict: $270,000

The jury found that defendant violated decedent's right to complete and accurate health records (468 violations at $500 per violation) and violated decedent's right to meaningful and informative nurses' progress notes as often as the patient's condition warranted (72 violations at $500 per violation) (Lemaire v. Covenant Care California LLC, Ventura County Superior Court, Plaintiff Attorney: Gregory L. Johnson).

Investment Fraud

Decision: $315,505

Investment manager accused of fraud after losing investor's life savings (Dienstl v. Dehaven, San Diego County Superior Court, Plaintiff Attorney: Joe Auerbach).

Centerline Crossover

Settlement: $1,800,000

Although liability was ostensibly admitted by the defense, there was a contested issue of a punitive damages claim brought against the defendant employer due to bald tires and an untrained employee driver of the defendants' truck  (Manriquez v. Heidrick, Yolo County Superior Court, Plaintiff Attorney:  Stewart P. Galbraith).

CO Poisoning

Verdict: Defense

Plaintiffs alleged that defendant apartment owner was responsible for faulty natural gas wall  furnace but jury sided with defendant (Jenkins-Nunn v. Terry, Alameda County Superior Court, Defense Attorney: Philip A. Segal).

Age Discrimination

Verdict: $325,223

Salesman alleged that defendant demoted him and changed his compensation plan to 100 percent commission and limited automobile reimbursement, which was unlike any other employee compensation package (Silverman v. Stuart F. Cooper Inc., Los Angeles County Superior court,  Plaintiff Attorney: Paul M. Gleason).

Cliff Fall

Verdict: $317,510

A 19-year-old college student alleged that defendant's police officers caused him to fall 30 feet from a cliff on the UC Santa Cruz campus causing multiple major injuries (Dines v. Regents of the University of California, Alameda County Superior Court, Plaintiff Attorney: Andrew C. Schwartz).

Retrial of $6M Verdict

Verdict: Defense

Jury found for defense in this retrial of a business dispute that originally went to trial in 2005 with an award of over $6 million against defendant Minidis (Dousette v. Cafe Concepts Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Defense Attorney: Gerald A. Klein).

Leg Amputation

Verdict: $17,120,662

An 84-year-old suffered leg amputation after being struck by bus causing him to lose his independence and self-sufficiency (Huayanca v. Southland Transit Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff Attorney: Thomas Schultz).

NATIONAL CASES

FCRA Violations

Verdict: $18,580,000

Credit reporting agency allegedly merged consumer's credit file with that of another person, failed to investigate consumer's disputes of incorrect information in her credit report, and sent incorrect credit reports to the consumer's creditors (Miller v. Equifax Information Services LLC, Oregon - United States District Court, D. Or., Plaintiff Attorney: Justin M. Baxter).

Nursing Home Misconduct

Verdict: $1,110,000,000

A jury agreed that defendant Trans Healthcare Inc. deserved to be punished for such severe corporate greed that it caused plaintiffs' decedent to suffer for years in a nursing home that was short-staffed and under-supplied; $110 million in compensatory damages and $1 billion in punitive damages (Estate of Townsend v. Trans Healthcare Inc., Florida - Polk County Circuit Court, Plaintiff Attorney: Bennie Lazzara).

Editors Note: California Bar Journal publishes this abbreviated summary of important trials in California and the nation provided by Trials Digest. To report your case results, go to http://trialsdigest.com  or call 415-344-3952.