Auto & Trucking

Our client, Ms. Rhodes, was the passenger in her friend’s vehicle, which was attempting a left-hand turn at an intersection. Midway through the left-hand turn, Ms. Rhodes’ vehicle was struck broadside by Defendant. The Defendant claimed she entered the intersection on a green light. As a result of this accident, Ms. Rhodes suffered a mild scar on her forehead, which did not require surgery. The case mediated for $60,000. After a three-day trial in Wayne County Circuit Court, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Plaintiff for $500,000, with only 5% of the negligence being attributed to Plaintiff’s driver, who settled for policy limits before trial.

This case involved an automobile/bicycle accident, where our client allegedly disregarded a stop sign, crossed over a sidewalk, and hit plaintiff. As a result, Plaintiff claimed soft tissue injuries. Following a two-day trial and 10 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned a No Cause. Although a No Cause was somewhat expected, it was surprising in that the jury determined our client was not negligent. We successfully argued that an adjacent building obscured our client’s view of the sidewalk so that she could not reasonably be expected to see approaching bicycle traffic.

This was a unique case wherein Co­ Defendants ultimately agreed to settle with Plaintiff for an agreed upon amount, leaving the only issue for trial an apportionment of fault amongst Co-Defendants. This unique approach to trial capped the potential damage claim, dramatically reduced trial costs and expenses and resulted in a successful jury verdict for our clients.

This admitted liability case against a garbage truck, which killed a 4-year-old girl was settled pre-suit. There were also injuries claimed by the deceased’s mother and sister, who were also in the vehicle. Ultimately, the driver of the garbage truck pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. During a pre-suit facilitation, the matter was settled for $925,000, which was well below our authority.

High-profile case involving serious injuries to numerous Red Wing hockey players. The case concluded with a confidential Arbitration Award.

We initially evaluated the Hesse case with a verdict potential of $350,000 and estimated a 10% liability defense. We never wavered from this evaluation. The Case Evaluation Award in Hesse was $750,000, which the Third-Party Administrator recommended for settlement. The self-insured client authorized settlement up to $500,000 and wanted to admit liability. The jury returned a verdict of approximately $330,000 and assessed plaintiff with 10% comparative negligence. The client was thrilled.

This garbage truck case involved the death of a 50-year-old husband/father/grandfather. Plaintiff could blackboard over $7 million in economic damages. Liability was contested. The case evaluated for $1.5 million. On the eve of a trial date certain, the matter settled for $357,000.

Our client attempted a U-turn from the far, right lane. In doing so, she turned directly in front of Plaintiff’s vehicle, which was traveling in the same direction, resulting in a T-bone collision. As a result, the 27- year-old plaintiff endured a comminuted fracture of his calcaneus, necessitating open reduction, internal fixation and plating, and a wrist fracture, which required percutaneous pinning. The case mediated for $65,000, which was consistent with the firm’s suit evaluation of $75,000. Before trial, Defendant offered $75,000 to plaintiff. In Durham, the jury determined our client was negligent and plaintiff had suffered a serious impairment. Unbelievably, the jury awarded plaintiff only $3,500 in damages. Even more amazing, the jury found plaintiff 47% comparatively negligent based on our argument he failed to keep a proper lookout. As such, the verdict was reduced to approximately $1,800. After mediation sanctions, however, plaintiff received nothing and owed our insurance client a rather significant sum.