CALIFORNIA CASES

Negligent Entrustment

Verdict: $111,000

The court sided with plaintiff's legal analysis of the judgment that because one defendant who was found to be 6 percent at fault negligently entrusted another defendant with a vehicle, the former was jointly and severally liable for the entire general damages as well as the special damages (Jenkins v. Joslyn, San Diego County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney:  Daniel S. Rosenberg).

Bug Bites

Verdict: $71,652

Plaintiffs alleged that bed bug infestations and raw sewage leaking into their apartment made it uninhabitable (Hjelm v. Prometheus Real Estate Group Inc., San Mateo County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney:  Gregory J. Brod).

Knock Notice

Settlement: $500,000

SWAT officers allegedly failed to provide sufficient knock notice during forcible entry (Millender v. County of Los Angeles, Central District Federal Court, plaintiff attorneys:  Robert Frederick Mann/Donald W. Cook).

Desecrating Human Remains

Settlement: $35,500,000

Cemetery operators agreed to pay a $35 million class action settlement for desecrating human remains (Sands v. Service Corporation International, Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney:  Michael J. Avenatti).

Diabetes Discrimination

Settlement: $180,000

The EEOC alleged that a former cashier with Type 2 diabetes was terminated after almost 18 years of employment for consuming a $1.39 bag of potato chips prior to purchasing it to stabilize her blood sugar in the midst of an attack of hypoglycemia caused by her diabetes (EEOC v. Walgreen Co., Northern District Federal Court, plaintiff attorneys:  Jonathan Peck/Cindy O'Hara/Peter Laura).

No HazMat Plan

Settlement: $145,000

Southern California Edison allegedly failed to implement a hazardous materials business plan (People of the State of California v. Southern California Edison Company, Ventura County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney: Gregory D. Totten).

Bicycle Mishap

Verdict: Defense
Bicyclist suffered a wrist fracture after falling while riding on paving construction (Wallerstein v. Williams Pipeline Contractors, Los Angeles County Superior Court, defense attorney:  John A. Delis).

Hemiplegia

Verdict: $7,476,934

The plaintiff contended the defendant was negligent in failing to properly inspect and repair the vehicle after multiple parties had complained about the steering of the truck; further, the plaintiff claimed the defendant doctored repurchase documents for the vehicle (Dunlap v. Folsom Lake Ford, Sacramento County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney:  Alan M. Laskin).

Surveillance Video

Verdict: Defense
Plaintiff alleged a low-back injury requiring facet injections and radiofrequency ablation treatment ongoing for the rest of his life; however surveillance showed plaintiff riding roller coasters at Magic Mountain (Vigil v. Gonzalez, Orange County Superior Court, defense attorney:  Kimberly S. Oberrecht).

IV Catheter

Verdict: Defense

Plaintiffs alleged that nurses were negligent in their failure to remove an IV catheter within 72 to 96 hours according to the CDC guidelines and their own policies and procedures causing $1.5 million in claimed damages (Waksberg v. St. John's Health Center, Los Angeles County Superior Court, defense attorney:  Constance A. Endelicato).

NATIONAL CASES

Birth Injury

Verdict: $8,455,597

A newborn reportedly suffered a severe and permanent brain injury resulting in cerebral palsy plus other associated deficits due to oxygen deprivation during and after his birth, and plaintiff alleged that defendants failed to seek help from the on-call obstetrician or resuscitation team in a timely manner (J.M., Pro Ami, Lewis v. Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Georgia – Hall County State Court, plaintiff attorneys:  Kenneth M. Suggs/Gerald D. Jowers).

Wrongful Death

Verdict: $97,500,000

A jury found in favor of plaintiff estate on all claims, awarding $7.5 million in compensatory damages against defendant police officer and/or defendant Town, $30 million in punitive damages against defendant police officer, and $60 million in punitive damages against the defendant Town for the shooting and killing of the former mayor of Cottageville (Reeves v. The Town of Cottageville, South Carolina – U.S.D.C.,D.S.C., plaintiff attorneys:  W. Mullins McLeod/James B. Moore).