Paraplegia
Verdict: $16,475,000
Failure to timely treat a man’s back injuries following a fall resulted in paraplegia (Hughes v. Pham, Riverside County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: David Bricker).
Sideswipe collision
Verdict: $4,190,002
Unsafe lane change and sideswipe by a tractor-trailer caused a woman to lose control of her vehicle and crash into a concrete median divider (St. John-Parisian v. Foster Poultry Farms Inc., Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Wayne M. McClean).
Twin birth injuries
Verdict: $3,089,878
Inadequate medical care in a high-risk pregnancy was blamed for injuries to newborn twins (Kaznowski v. Biesen-Bradley, Sacramento County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: William C. Neasham).
Sidewalk pedestrians
Settlement: $5,540,000
Intersection collision propelled a vehicle onto a sidewalk where it struck and killed a 21-year-old student and injured several others (Jeewarat v. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Abram C. Zukor).
Mortgage fraud
Settlement: $250,000
Senior citizen homeowners were defrauded by a bank that persuaded them to sign “special” loan documents that violated the Truth in Lending Act (Petersen v. Countrywide Bank FSB, Contra Costa County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Craig S. Nevin).
Persistent vegetative state
Verdict: $12,017,970
Triage errors caused delay in the treatment of a 22-year-old woman’s head wound and left her in a persistent vegetative state (Ramirez v. AHMC Healthcare Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Bruce G. Fagel).
Fatal fall
Settlement: $2,350,000
Sixteen-year-old girl died as a result of a fall from an ATV she was riding on while visiting the premises of a veterinary clinic (Wiley v. Ford, Fresno County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Richard C. Watters).
Special-needs student
Settlement: $3,000,000
Student with severe disabilities alleged he was denied a free appropriate public education by the Berkeley Unified School District (Confidential v. Berkeley Unified School District, Northern District Federal Court, Plaintiff attorney: Kathryn E. Dobel).
Postman v. dog
Verdict: $941,359
A 51-year-old postman sustained a fractured wrist when he was knocked to the ground by a German shepherd that ran through an unsecured gate (Thomas v. Sosa, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Daniel Nelson).
Elderly pedestrian
Settlement: $7,000,000
A 76-year-old pedestrian in a crosswalk sustained massive brain injuries when he was struck by an AT&T vehicle that ran a red light (Wang v. Pacific Bell Telephone Co., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Gerald E. Agnew Jr.).
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.