Cases & Verdicts

Store Accident:  $2.2 million

Facts:  This action settled prior to jury selection for $2.2 million including a $300,000 structure.  On Jan. 27, 1996, Plaintiff, a 36-year-old benefits coordinator, was exiting the South Hills Mall in Poughkeepsie when a piece of coping detached from the roofing and struck her on the head.  Weather conditions for that day were windy.

Motor Vehicle - Motorcycle - Wrongful Death of 18-year-old male: $1,000,000

Facts:  This case settled for $1,000,000, all for conscious pain and suffering, during the first day of trial after Pltf.'s first witness finished testifying.  On 3/12/96, Pltf.'s decedent, age 18, was riding his motorcycle eastbound on Rockaway Beach Blvd. in Belle Harbor when he was involved in a head-on collision with Deft.  Pltf.'s decedent was ejected off of his motorcycle.  Pltf. claimed that Deft. made a left turn short of the intersection and crossed a double yellow line.  Deft. contended that Pltf. was speeding and that he (Deft.) made a left turn at the intersection.

Scaffold Accident - Labor Law - Fractured Hip, Acetabulum, and Pelvis, and Fractured Ribs with Pneumothorax:  $1,000,000

Verdict:  $1,000,000 (5/1).  Breakdown:  $545,000 for past pain and suffering; $45,000 for past lost earnings; $100,000 for future pain and suffering; $309,400 for future lost earning.  The case settled after trial for $750,000 plus a waiver of the Workers' Compensation lien of approximately $120,000, pursuant to a high/low $750,000/$500,000 settlement agreement. 

Motor Vehicle:  $1.466 million

Facts:  On April 18, 1996, Plaintiff, a 38-year-old limousine driver, was traveling on Route I-95 in Greenwich, Connecticut, Plaintiff claimed that he was slowing down for traffic due to construction in the area, when he was struck from behind  by a tractor-trailer for his employer.  Defendant contended that Plaintiff made a sudden and abrupt stop.  On May 9, 2000, the jury delivered a verdict for Plaintiff on liability.  The case then proceeded on damages.

Bus Accident:  $3,790,000

Pltf. was a 16-year-old high school student at the time of the incident on 11/19/96.  He was escorting his girlfriend home on Deft. MTA's bus.  Pltf. claimed that he showed his student ID pass for the fare, and that Deft, the bus driver picked up Pltf. bodily and threw him off the bus, fracturing his shoulder.  The jury award included $3,000,000 in punitive damages.