CALIFORNIA CASES
Sexual Harassment
Arbitration: $1,290,391
Plaintiff raspberry picker
alleged sexual assault and continuous harassment by a coworker who later became
her supervisor (G.J. v. Reiter Berry Farms Inc., Monterey County
Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys: Kathryn Dickson, Lisel Holdenried).
Fiduciary Duty
Verdict: Defense
Bankruptcy trustee sought
repayment of alleged loans, lost equity in foreclosed properties (Arkland
Investment L.L.C. v. Kim, Los Angeles County Superior Court, defense attorneys: Gary J. Goodstein, Bruce A. Berman).
Degloving Injury
Settlement: $3,600,000
Forklift struck and injured
building code inspector in worksite accident (Marin v. Westech Systems Inc., Fresno County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys: Douglas L. Gordon,
Megan K. Crosbie).
Prop 213 Dispute
Settlement: $3,500,000
While attempting to move
his disabled motorcycle from the middle of the road, uninsured plaintiff was
struck by defendant's vehicle; plaintiff claimed Prop 213 did not apply because
he was a pedestrian (Libaridian v. Habib, Fresno County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys: Joseph M. Barrett, Benjamin P. Tryk).
Improper Signage
Verdict: $14,100,000
The survivors of a decedent
involved in a motorcycle v. motorcycle head-on fatality claimed defendant State
was negligent in failing to post warning signs near a blind sharp turn; jury
found defendant State 90 percent at fault (Shanks v. State of California, Ventura
County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys: Arash Homampour, Farzad Yassini,
Wendi O. Wagner).
Race Discrimination
Settlement: $1,100,000
LAPD sergeant alleged
reverse race discrimination (Podesta v. City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles
County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys: Matthew S. McNicholas, Douglas D.
Winter).
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Verdict: $5,788,000
Nurse's co-administration
of IV meds allegedly caused complex regional pain syndrome (Baca v. Citrus
Valley Medical Center, Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys: John F. Denove, Jesse E. French).
Post-Op Death
Settlement: $1,500,000
Patient reportedly died due
to bleeding after undergoing low back surgery at defendant hospital (Confidential
v. Confidential, Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney: Richard
A. Cohn).
Spinal Cord Injury
Verdict: Defense
Man alleged spinal cord
injury as a result of chiropractic treatment (Dabalos v. Ringer Chiropractic, San Joaquin County Superior Court, defense attorney: Barry Vogel).
NATIONAL CASES
Asbestos Death
Settlement: $3,300,000
Plaintiffs asserted that
decedent's former employers and entities that served as contractors failed to
provide him with a safe work environment free from exposure to asbestos (Turner
v. Anco Insulations Inc., Louisiana – Iberville Parish District Court, plaintiff attorneys: Jeffrey T. Gaughan, Lewis O. Unglesby, Scott C. Stassi).
Wrongful Death
Verdict: $5,704,500
Plaintiffs alleged that
defendants negligently failed to scan for, nor detect, a liver lesion and the
lesion was not diagnosed as cancerous until the decedent sought treatment from
non-party Mayo Clinic (Kander v. Agha, Pennsylvania – Allegheny County Court
of Common Pleas, plaintiff attorneys: Harry S. Cohen, Todd David Bowlus).