Verdicts & Settlements

Merlo v. American Ambulance

Medical Malpractice

Result: $49,800,000 Verdict in Fresno County

Stacy Johnson-Klein v. CSUF

Gender Discrimination & Title IX

Result: $19,074,673 Verdict in Fresno County

John Doe v. Jane Doe Corporation

Auto Accident/Personal Injury

Plaintiff, John Doe, age 59, sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury with right arm paralysis which was permanent. Plaintiff, John Doe, sustained his injuries in a trucking accident.

Result: $10,000,000 Settlement

Jane Doe & John Doe v. Concrete Pumping Truck Company

Wrongful Death/Personal Injury

The plaintiffs, ages 26 and 27, were travelling in a vehicle with their two young daughters, ages 2 and 7. A concrete pumping truck, owned by the defendant, collided with plaintiffs’ vehicle. As a result, the plaintiffs’ daughters were killed.

Result: $9,000,000 Settlement

John Doe v. John Doe and John Doe Corporation

Personal Injury

Plaintiff was riding a bicycle when he was struck by a vehicle causing severe orthopedic injuries.

Result: $8,000,000 Settlement

O’Connor v. Landells Aviation; Southern California Edison

Helicopter Crash/Wrongful Death

Plaintiff was a passenger on a helicopter operated by Defendant, Landells Aviation. During a routine deer survey, Landells Aviation’s pilot struck a Southern California Edison power line. As a result, everyone on board died. Plaintiff left a wife and four children.

Result: $8,000,000 Settlement

Ortiz v. Chipotle Mexican Grill

Defamation/Discrimination

Jeanette Ortiz, age 39, was terminated after 14 years with Chipotle Mexican Grill. She was discriminated based upon her disability regarding an on-the-job injury. Chipotle claimed she stole $636 from a safe. The jury found for plaintiff and awarded 7.9 million dollars and the jury found Malice and awarded punitive damages.

Result: $7,900,000 Verdict in Fresno County

Ellis V. Bates

Wrongful Death/Personal Injury

Result: $7,500,000.00 Settlement

Jane Does v. Visalia Unified

Child Abuse Cases

Seven children between the ages of 6 and 7 years old were molested while attending Visalia Unified School District. The sexual abuse occurred by a janitor during school hours. As a result, a lawsuit was filed against the school district. It was claimed that the school district failed to supervise and protect the minor children.

Result: $7,000,000 Settlement

John Doe v. Jane Doe Corporation

Auto Accident/Personal Injury

Plaintiff suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and multiple other life-altering and permanent injuries when a truck hauling petroleum crude oil ran a red light at a high rate of speed causing the accident.

Result: $6,405,000 Settlement

Everest v. Regent of the University of California

Medical Negligence Case

A 29-year-old woman, who was a pediatric dental resident at USC and was married, died as a result of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. The condition was caused by the negligent administration of ketorolac, by staff at Ronald Reagan Medical Center (UCLA), which was contraindicated and specifically placed on her allergy list by her treating physicians.

Result: $6,000,000 Settlement

Chavez v. D.R. Horton

Personal Injury

A 36-year-old man was struck by a crane while working on a construction site in San Diego, California. He sustained a minor traumatic brain injury, several spinal cord fractures, and fractures of his lower extremities. As a result of the physical limitations from his injuries, he was unable to continue to work as a construction foreman.

Result: $5,750,000 Settlement

Antunez v. JMY Properties I, Inc.

Electrocution/Wrongful Death

Plaintiff’s son was electrocuted at her apartment complex due to faulty electrical wiring the complex’s owner had installed by an unlicensed maintenance man without the necessary permits.

Result: $5,700,000 Settlement

Wilson v. E & B Bulk Transportation, Inc.

Personal Injury

Plaintiff suffered life-altering and permanent injuries when he was sprayed with Lime-Sulfur Solution that was being unloaded by defendant’s delivery driver.

Result: $5,000,000 Settlement

Hudson v. County of Fresno

Wrongful Death

Father claimed Child Protective Services mishandled his son’s case and allowed his son to be murdered. The case ultimately settled after appeal for a reduced amount.

Result: $5,000,000 Verdict in Fresno County

GARCIA V. LEGUIZANO

Auto Accident/Personal Injury

A 71-year-old woman suffered life-altering and permanent injuries when a vehicle ran a stop sign at a high rate of speed causing the accident.

Result: $4,500,000 Verdict

Auto v. Truck

Personal Injury

A 30-year-old hairdresser from Kingsburg was six months pregnant when her vehicle was struck by a truck on Golden State Boulevard. The injury caused a premature abruption of the mother’s placenta and the baby was delivered by C-section two days later. The baby suffered injuries related to her prematurity.

Result: $4,300,000 Settlement

Jane Doe v. John Doe Corporation

Wrongful Death

A 49-year-old man was killed when a foreman for the defendant turned directly in front of his motorcycle causing the collision.

Result: $4,250,000 Settlement

Martin Rodriguez v. Jason Peden

Spinal Cord Injury

Plaintiff was a tenant in an apartment complex. A disturbance broke out between Plaintiff and a neighbor. The neighbor shot Plaintiff in the throat, causing him to have complete spinal cord damage rendering him paralyzed. Plaintiff not only sued the defendant shooter, but also sued the apartment complex for failing to evict the defendant shooter. The case settled for the policy limits of the apartment complex.

Result: $4,200,000 Settlement

John Doe (Minor) v. Trampoline Park

Spinal Cord Injury

Minor plaintiff, age 14, was injured when jumping on a trampoline at a trampoline park causing him to have an incomplete spinal cord injury causing paralysis.

Result: $4,200,000 Settlement

John Doe (Minor) v. John Doe Corporation

Auto Accident/Wrongful Death

Plaintiff’s 27-year-old father was killed when his delivery truck was struck by the defendant commercial truck driver’s semi-truck. The defendant was speeding up behind the decedent’s delivery truck on a two-lane road and attempted to pass the decedent on the left while the decedent was making a left turn into a private driveway with his turn signal activated. Plaintiff was 2 years old at the time of the collision.

Result: $4,000,000 Settlement

Jane Doe v. Big Fresno Fair

Dangerous Conditions

The Fresno Fair agreed to pay $2.2 Million to settle a case involving a little girl who was infected by E-coli at the Fresno Fair Petting Zoo. Plaintiff, age 2, contracted a strand of E-coli at the Fresno Fair Petting Zoo. The bacteria caused her blood stream and kidneys to become infected which resulted in many strokes. Plaintiff also settled with the Petting Zoo company for $1.8 Million.

Result: $4,000,000 Settlement

Beecher v. Pitman Farms

Wrongful Death

Plaintiffs’ husband and father had his legs crushed when he was runover by a forklift driver, which ultimately resulted in his death.

Result: $4,000,000 Settlement

Solo Vehicle Rollover

Personal Injury

A 47-year-old sales representative became an incomplete quadriplegic in a solo motor vehicle accident on a hunting trip. There was limited insurance coverage on the vehicle she was riding in, but innovative advocacy was able to secure over a $4 million settlement from the land owner and other insurance policies.

Result: $4,000,000 Settlement

Maseba v. Sears Logistics and IHS

Personal Injury

A Sears delivery truck struck 72-year-old Mamoru Maseba, in an intersection. Mr. Maseba suffered a traumatic brain injury with some residual mental limitations. He also suffered a fractured pelvis and a low back injury. Even though Mr. Maseba recovered from his physical injuries, he still suffered from physical limitations.

Result: $3,850,000 Verdict in Fresno County

Jane Doe v. John Doe Corporation

Employment Case

An employee worked for 20 years for a farming company. She was continually sexually harassed for over 15 years. Ultimately, she was assaulted by an employee at the work place.

Result: $3,750,000 Settlement

John Doe v. Equipment Manufacturer

Products Liability/Personal Injury

Plaintiff, John Doe, a 29-year-old maintenance mechanic, suffered crush injuries to his left arm when he was pulled into a conveyor belt while performing maintenance on the equipment.

Result: $3,700,000 Settlement

Auto v. Pedestrian

Personal Injury

A 53-year-old auto dealer from Fresno was injured when his foot was run over by a vehicle driven by defendant’s driver at an auto auction. Plaintiff developed a severe injury to his foot and reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Plaintiff’s wife made a loss of consortium claim.

Result: $3,250,000 Verdict in Alameda County

John Doe v. California Highway Patrol

Personal Injury

Plaintiff was riding a motorcycle when he was struck by a CHP vehicle causing severe orthopedic injuries.

Result: $3,250,000 Settlement

Charles Liddell v. Cuesta Title/Stewart Title of California

Escrow Fraud

A San Luis Obispo County jury awarded former UFC champ Chuck Liddell nearly $2 million Tuesday against an escrow company he says helped developer Kelly Gearhart defraud him.

Result: $3,050,000 Total Judgment and Verdict in San Luis Obispo County

John Doe v. Jane Doe Corporation

Auto Accident/Personal Injury

Plaintiff suffered life-altering and permanent injuries when his vehicle was struck after defendant’s driver ran a red light causing the accident.

Result: $3,000,000 Settlement

Cabrera v. Western Ag & Turf, Inc.

Personal Injury

Plaintiff, a 57-year-old truck driver, was seriously injured while delivering irrigation piping when the fork lift operator unloading the irrigation piping caused one of the bundles to fall to the ground on top of plaintiff.

Result: $3,000,000 Settlement

Neal v. R-N-R Trucking

Auto Accident / Wrongful Death / Personal Injury

Plaintiffs were traveling in a vehicle when they were struck by a truck when the truck driver ran a stop sign while looking at a map on his cell phone. The driver and one passenger of the vehicle sustained serious injuries. Another passenger, the wife and mother of plaintiffs, was killed.

Result: $3,000,000 Settlement

Auto v. Truck

Wrongful Death

A 28-year-old single, unemployed mother of three was killed in an auto v. truck accident in San Bernardino County.

Result: $3,000,000 Settlement

Auto v. Truck

Wrongful Death

The plaintiff, age 42, was involved in an automobile accident. The plaintiff’s 15-year-old daughter, who was riding in the passenger seat, was killed when their vehicle ran into the rear of a tractor that had slowed down for a dead dog in the road.

Result: $2,417,701 Verdict in Madera County

Dangerous Condition-Premises Liability

Wrongful Death

One plaintiff, a mother of two children, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the defendant, a cemetery district. Her two daughters were buried alive in a pile of dirt. Another plaintiff was a 9-year-old girl that was also buried but survived, suffering serious injuries. The children were playing in a 30-foot pit dug by the defendant when a wall of the pit collapsed. The pit was directly across the street from an elementary school.

Result: $2,400,000 Settlement

Jane Doe v. Car Manufacturer

Products Liability / Personal Injury

The plaintiff, age 30, was travelling in her vehicle that overturned causing severe injuries to the plaintiff. A lawsuit was filed against the auto manufacturers.

Result: $2,400,000 Settlement

John Doe (Minor) v. Property Owner

Personal Injury

Minor plaintiff, age 12, suffered serious burns to his left hand, left forearm, chest and abdomen when he was struck by an illegal firework that had tipped over and shot off into a group of people at a neighborhood firework show.

Result: $2,200,000 Settlement

John Doe (Minor) v. John Doe

Wrongful Death

Plaintiff’s 36-year-old mother was killed when she drove into the rear of a long flatbed trailer that had been hooked to a truck to haul a forklift without attaching any taillights or warnings to the trailer. The forklift loaded on the trailer also blocked the brake lights of the truck. The accident occurred at night in the dark when the truck/trailer combination had stopped in the roadway for oncoming traffic so the driver could turn into the driveway of his home.

Result: $2,150,000 Settlement

Jane Doe (Minor) v. Clovis Unified School District

Child Abuse

Jane Doe, a minor, was sexually abused by her second grade teacher for approximately four months. The sexual abuse occurred in the classroom during school hours. As a result, a claim was filed against the school district and the teacher. It was claimed that the school district failed to supervise and protect the minor child.

Result: $2,100,000 Settlement

Pedestrian v. Truck

Wrongful Death

The plaintiff’s child, age 9, was riding his bicycle to school when the defendant’s driver, driving a 64 foot tractor trailer, struck and backed over the child. A wrongful death suit was filed.

Result: $2,065,000 Settlement

Yosemite Bus Accident

Personal Injury

A 56-year-old passenger on a Yosemite National Park tour bus was injured as a result of a bus driver’s negligence. She suffered neck, back, and shoulder injuries requiring extensive medical care.

Result: $2,000,000 Settlement

Medical Negligence Case

Medical Malpractice

OB-GYN and hospital failed to perform timely C-Section on high risk mother resulting in serious injuries to the infant.

Result: $2,000,000 Settlement

Employment Fraud Case

Fraud

The plaintiff, a 43-year-old parts manager, was wrongfully terminated by the defendant. He sued the car dealership for alleged fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent misrepresentation. The plaintiff was awarded compensatory and punitive damages at trial.

Result: $1,950,913 Verdict in Fresno County

Veronica Ordaz Gonzalez and Jose Ramos Santiago v. County of Fresno

Civil Rights

Result: $800,000 Verdict in Fresno County (and awarded $829,702 in attorney fees)

Jane Doe v. Hospital

Medical Malpractice

A 19-year-old college student was undergoing a kidney transplant procedure at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. Post operatively plaintiff experienced a succession of seizures that were not properly treated. Plaintiff suffered brain damage as a result.

Result: $1,600,000 Present Value Verdict in San Francisco County

High School Abuse Case

Abuse

Plaintiff, Jane Doe, age 16 at the time of the incident, was a high school student and began to have a romantic relationship with a 26-year-old female employed by the School District as an instructional aide and who was also the women’s assistant basketball coach. Plaintiff, through her Guardian ad Litem, filed an action against the School District for negligence. As a result of Defendant’s negligence, Plaintiff suffered severe psychological and psychiatric damage. Plaintiff successfully tried her case against the School District and obtained one of the largest verdicts in Kings County history.

Result: $1,548,000 Verdict in Kings County

Jane Doe v. Doctor

Medical Malpractice

The plaintiff and her husband filed a medical malpractice suit against a San Diego doctor for failing to diagnose a cancerous lump found in plaintiff’s left breast.

Result: $1,514,000 Verdict in San Diego County

Refrigeration Malfunction

Products Liability

A fruit packing company in Sanger suffered a loss to their grapes held in cold storage and their business reputation due to the failure of a recently installed refrigeration system.

Result: $1,325,000 Verdict in Fresno County

Welding Accident

Wrongful Death

A 48-year-old welder fell to his death through a hole in a roof of a building under construction in Fresno County.

Result: $1,305,020 Verdict in Fresno County

Medical Negligence Case

Medical Malpractice

A 42-year-old woman was brain damaged due to operating room failed intubation

Result: $1,285,000 Verdict in Tulare County

Motor Vehicle Accident

Wrongful Death

A mother and her infant child were involved in a traffic collision when another vehicle crossed over the center divider and collided with their vehicle head-on. The mother died and the infant survived. The child’s grandmother sued on behalf of the child for the wrongful death of her mother.

Result: $1,285,000 Verdict in Tulare County

Motorcycle Accident Insurance Suit

A 43-year-old mechanic from Fresno was injured in a motorcycle accident. The defendant’s insurance company acted in bad faith by not protecting its insured by paying plaintiff the $15,000 available in policy limits. Plaintiff went to trial in the underlying case and obtained a verdict of $368,000. The defendant assigned his rights against his carrier to the plaintiff. Plaintiff then sued the insurance company for bad faith.

Result: $1,111,500 Verdict in Fresno County

John Doe v. John Doe

Auto Accident

Plaintiff, a Hanford Police Officer, suffered a traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident caused by an intoxicated driver.

Result: $1,000,000 Verdict in Kings County

Insurance Bad Faith

Insurance

A 40-year-old farmer from Dos Palos suffered a $29,000 crop loss as a result of an over spray of herbicide. The responsible insurance company offered to pay only $9,600. The plaintiff sued contending the insurance company acted in bad faith.

Result: $1,043,200 Verdict in Fresno County

Motorcycle Accident

Personal Injury

Husband and wife in their sixties were injured when they were required to attempt a panic stop on a motorcycle due to a van pulling out from the right shoulder into a lane in front of them.

Result: $1,025,765.75 Total Judgment and Verdict in Alameda County