CALIFORNIA CASES

Crush Injury

Verdict: $2,555,000

Plaintiff, TSA agent, alleged that defendant's cart operator negligently struck her with a baggage tractor causing a crush injury to her leg (Denton v. Southwest Airlines Co., Alameda County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney:  Gerald C. Sterns).

Back/Pelvic Injuries

Verdict: $1,492,497

Defendant driver blamed for intersection collision disputed injuries and damages (Hunt v. Hoffman, Fresno County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney:  Robert G. Gilmore).

Brain Damage

Settlement: $2,000,000

Nurses allegedly failed to recognize, act on newborn baby's critically low glucose level (Confidential v. Confidential, Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys:  Carl A. McMahan, Marshall Silberberg).

Motorcycle Crash

Settlement: $7,600,000

County employee allegedly made unsafe left turn in front of motorcyclist causing arm and shoulder fractures requiring numerous surgeries (Andrade v. County of Riverside, Riverside County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys:  Gary A. Dordick, Maryam Parman).

Retaliation Verdict

Verdict: $2,101,969

Injured LAPD detective claimed supervisors discriminated, retaliated against her (Montoya v. City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff attorney:  Matthew S. McNicholas).

Hand Injury

Verdict: Defense

Patient claimed hand surgeon performed surgery to the wrong area (Situ v. Roth, Los Angeles County Superior Court, defense attorney:  Yuk K. Law).

Damages Disputed

Verdict: $12,000

Plaintiff leaned on an apartment building post which moved causing her to land on her back; plaintiff asked the jury for $800,000 (Whitrock v. Signature Apartments, Los Angeles County Superior Court, defense attorney:  Mark A. Weinstein).

Rental Car Collision

Settlement: $1,954,973

Elderly plaintiff driver rear-ended a rental car, claimed defendant driver's unsafe lane change caused accident (Wallace v. Hertz Corporation, Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys:  James P. Carr, Tyler J. Barnett, Michael P. Ehline).

Elder Abuse Claim

Verdict: Defense

Truck owner alleged financial elder abuse against auto repair facility (Edwards v. Bob Baker Automotive Inc., San Diego County Superior Court, defense attorney:  Wade Poulson).

Cervical Fusion

Verdict: $1,264,364

Missionary driving a church van rear-ended a family van causing passenger in the latter cervical injuries requiring fusion; substantial dispute over whether plaintiff was wearing seatbelt (Chavez v. Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys:  Greyson M. Goody, Robert T. Simon).

Whistleblowing

Verdict: $758,205

Plaintiff alleged defendant terminated plaintiff in retaliation for plaintiff's whistleblowing; defendant contended it terminated plaintiff for legitimate business reasons (Benjamin v. City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Superior Court, plaintiff attorneys:  Boris Koron, Daniel J. Podolsky).

NATIONAL CASES

Punitive Damages

Verdict: $11,000,000

A jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff on her claims for design defect, negligent misrepresentation and intentional fraud relating to defendant's metal-on-metal (MoM) Conserve Device hip replacement (Christiansen v. Wright Medical Technology Inc., Georgia – U.S.D.C., N.D.Ga., plaintiff attorneys:  Raymond P. Boucher, Helen Zukin, Michael L. McGlamry, N. Kirkland Pope).

Mesothelioma

Verdict: $5,000,000

A jury assigned 22 percent fault to defendant Mar-Dustrial Sales Inc. and 78 percent to other former defendants; and it awarded $3.25 million to a sawmill worker plus $1.75 million to his spouse (Eastridge v. Mar-Dustrial Sales Inc., Oregon – Multnomah County Circuit Court, plaintiff attorneys: C. Andrew Waters, R. Walker Humphrey II, Alexa Mayfield, Travis S. Prestwich).