Recent Case Results

Settlements

$1,925,000 Jury Verdict-Motorcycle v. Car Collision. We represented a woman who was a passenger on a motorcycle. The motorcycle was in traffic on a two lane road when the driver decided to pass on the shoulder of the road. As the motorcycle began passing vehicles on the right, a driver turned into a business and in front of the path of the motorcycle. The motorcycle collided with the car and threw the client to the pavement. The client sustained a fractured lower leg. She was air evacuated and underwent multiple surgeries to fix it. We settled the case with the driver of the vehicle for $100,000 and then proceeded to trial against the driver of the motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle contested fault by claiming that he was not passing vehicles but was in the parking lot of the business when the car ran into him. The jury unanimously found that the motorcycle driver was 85% at fault and awarded the client $1.925 Million for her pain and suffering.

$240,000 Jury Verdict-Scottsdale Car Accident. We represented a client who was involved in a low-impact, rear end collision. The client did not seek out medical treatment until later in the day and reported to police at the scene that he wasn’t hurt. The client was with the “discount fee lawyers” in Phoenix who told him to settle his case for $25,000. They also told him to stop treating because the insurance company would never pay that much on a “fender bender.” The client switched to us and we told the client to get the treatment he needed to get better. The client eventually received a neck surgery. The insurance company’s top offer prior to trial was $25,000. At trial, we proved that the collision aggravated a pre-existing condition in our client’s neck that required the surgery. The jury awarded $100,000 in past medical expenses and $140,000 in pain and suffering. The insurance company asked the jury to award less than $10,000 at the time of trial.

$650,000 Settlement-Civil Rights Police Brutality. We represented a college student who was pulled over by a police officer for a routine traffic stop. The client, who did not have a valid motorcycle license, was eventually arrested by the officer because he refused to give the officer his motorcycle keys. On the way to the station, the client slipped his cuffs from the back of his body to the front. The officer then called for three other units and pulled over on the side of the road. Four officers then ordered the client out of the patrol unit and then beat him and tasered him while handcuffed. We filed a Federal civil rights lawsuit for police brutality, false arrest, excessive force, and other claims. The client had less than $800 in medical treatment and no permanent or serious injuries. During the case, we uncovered evidence that the main officer had been dismissed from the force for falsifying police reports and other records. We used that information to leverage a substantial settlement of $650,000 for the client.

Confidential Six Figure Policy Limit Settlement-Mother Killed in Arizona Car Accident. We represented the young children of a mother who was killed when she accidentally proceeded through a red light at an intersection. A pick-up truck who had the right of way struck the front side of her vehicle resulting in a serious impact. Although, the police concluded the mother was at fault, we obtained the black box data from the truck. (Black box data shows certain car information in the seconds before an impact, including: speed, acceleration, deceleration, among other things). Shortly after we received the data, the insurance company for the driver of the truck agreed to settle for the six figure policy limits.

$175,000 Settlement-Slip & Fall in Retail Store. We represented a 59 year old woman who was at a nursery to buy plants. Water from one of the drip systems accumulated on the floor and the client slipped and fractured her elbow. The client had her arm in a cast for several months and required physical therapy. The client made a full recovery. We increased the amount of the settlement by making a wage loss claim for the time our client was unable to work. We settled the case shortly after a lawsuit was filed for $175,000.

$420,000 Settlement-Civil Rights Prisoner Case.  We represented a client (who was in prison for life) against the State and its correctional officers. The client was being retaliated against for filing prison grievances against the officers. The client claimed that the officers purposefully threw away his property and threatened to kill him. We filed a Federal Civil Rights lawsuit claiming violations of the First Amendment (filing a prison grievance is protected free speech). The case was settled for $420,000 after we defeated the other side’s motions to dispose of the case without a jury trial.

$215,000 Settlement-Uninsured Motorist Causes Collision Resulting in Surgery. We represented a college student who was hit by a drunk driver without insurance. The impact caused the client to fracture her left wrist. She required a surgery to fix it and a metal plate with hardware was installed. The client had uninsured motorist coverage and asserted a claim against her insurance company. Her insurance company disputed the extent of her injury, the seriousness of her injury and her pain and suffering. The top offer the insurance company was willing to pay was $108,000. The client did not agree to settle for that amount and we were retained. We ended up settling the case for $215,000—nearly double what the insurance company had offered to previously and when we were not involved.

$150,000 Settlement-Car Accident Involving Stalled Vehicle. We represented a client who was driving her SUV when the fuel pump went out. The vehicle lost power on the freeway and she was unable to pull all the way over and was left stranded in a center lane. The client activated her hazards and called for help. A driver who was not paying attention rear-ended her at full speed. The client did not seek out medical treatment until two days later when she complained of neck and back pain. She then went to the emergency room and followed up with chiropractic care for a few weeks. The client tried to settle her claim with the insurance company by herself and only wanted her medical bills paid which were less than $10,000. After the insurance company jerked her around, she hired our firm. The client ended up going to pain management and received a rhizotomy procedure. We filed a lawsuit and discovered that the driver of the vehicle had an insurance policy that she did not disclose. We prepared the case for trial. Two weeks before trial, the case settled for the maximum insurance available of $150,000. The highest offer prior to preparing for trial was $22,500.

$400,000 Settlement-Trust Dispute Involving Fraud. We represented a client who was the stepdaughter of an elderly man. Toward the end of the man’s life, his other stepdaughter from his current marriage, manipulated him to change his trust so that she would receive his entire inheritance. The trust originally called for both stepdaughters to split the money. We filed a lawsuit and discovered evidence that the other stepdaughter was isolating the man and pressuring him to change his trust when he didn’t want to. Nurses who were caring for the man disclosed this information. After a heated battle, we were able to settle the case for $400,000 and restore our client’s inheritance.

$115,000 Settlement-Scottsdale Car Accident with Impaired Driver. We represented a mother who was involved in an intersection car accident in Scottsdale. The accident was caused when a driver who was abusing prescription narcotics failed to stop at a stop light. The client originally hired a well-known law firm that advertises heavily in the Scottsdale area and on TV. That firm runs a volume practice and tried to get her to settle her lawsuit for $28,500. The client hired us because the other firm would not file a lawsuit and the client believed the amount they wanted her to settle for was too low. We filed a lawsuit and aggressively filed some motions in court to pressure the other side. We won the motions and then settled the case for $115,000. We obtained nearly four times what the other firm told her to settle her case for.

$130,000 Jury Verdict-Civil Rights Case for Beaten Prisoner. We represented a prisoner who was retaliated against by prison guards for filing a prison complaint against them. The prisoner filed the complaint because the guards would not let him out in time to work his prison job as a barber. The guards told him that if he filed the complaint they would see that he was “taken care of.” The next day, he was jumped by other prisoners and his leg was broken. The guards watched instead of ringing the alarm as they were obligated to do. After the client’s leg was broken, the guards refused to call medical help. The client was forced to walk to the nurse’s station on a broken leg and required a surgery to fix it. The guards claimed the fight never happened and that the client slipped on a puddle of water. They also claimed he was able to walk to the nurse’s station without a problem. The medical evidence suggested that this was impossible. A civil rights lawsuit was filed alleging violations of the First, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. We presented the case to a jury in Federal court. After a five day trial, the jury found in favor of the client and against the guards. The jury awarded $100,000 in pain and suffering and another $30,000 to punish the two guards for what they did.

$100,000 Settlement-Motorcycle vs. Car Collision. We represented a client who was a passenger on a motorcycle. Traffic was slow and the driver of the motorcycle decided to pass cars by driving on the shoulder of the road. As he was doing so, a vehicle started to turn right into a business and the motorcycle collided with the vehicle. As a result, the client’s lower leg was broken and she sustained an open fibula-tibia fracture. The fracture was severe and her leg was only connected by her soft tissue. She was air evacuated to a local trauma center. The client went through seven surgeries involving hardware and was told she was going to lose her leg. Eventually a world-famous surgeon at Stanford was able to repair it. After a lawsuit was filed, we settled the case against the driver of the car for the maximum policy limits of $100,000. We also named the driver of the motorcycle in the lawsuit and that portion of the case is still pending. We will present our client’s case against the driver of the motorcycle to a jury.

$84,000 Jury Verdict- Car Accident In Intersection Causing Broken Ribs. We represented a client who was proceeding straight through an intersection when a commercial van turned in front of him. The Client’s vehicle struck the van head-on at approximately 45 miles per hour causing significant damage. The Client did not seek out medical treatment for several days and eventually was diagnosed with broken ribs and a hand injury. The client did not have extensive medical treatment and only incurred $3,400 in medical bills. We presented the case to the jury and received a verdict in favor of the client.

$100,000 Settlement- Civil Rights, Police Brutality at Golf Tournament. We represented a client who attended a well-known golf tournament. The client’s girlfriend was asked to leave by Sherriff deputies because she appeared overly-intoxicated. The client and his girlfriend left in a taxi, but returned within minutes after the client realized he had left his wallet. Upon his return, the deputies aggressively approached him. The client tried to explain he was only back for his wallet, but the deputies threw him to the ground for no reason and arrested him. In the process, they pressed his face into the rough asphalt causing severe abrasions and “road burn.” We filed a Federal civil rights lawsuit for police brutality and excessive force. We discovered through the lawsuit that the deputies involved had different versions of what happened and did not know the department’s rules with respect to the use of force. We also found eyewitnesses who said that what happened was unnecessary. The case settled for $100,000 as a result of our work.

$23,362 Jury Verdict-Car Accident Resulting in Spine Injury. We represented a client who was injured when an elderly woman turned into his lane of traffic. The client did not seek out medical treatment right away and actually walked over a mile to where he was originally going prior to the collision. The client eventually developed lower back pain and received physical therapy and injections. A dispute unfolded as to whether or not his lower back injury was a result of the collision. At trial, the defense presented evidence from the client’s Facebook page that he was still active and participating in obstacle course races. The client was also involved in a second collision (that was his fault) between the time of the first collision and the time of trial. Nevertheless, the jury awarded the client all his medical expenses from the time of the first collision to the second collision and $10,000 in pain and suffering. The defense told the jury to award him nothing arguing that the collision did not cause any injury and that it pre-existed the first accident.

$25,000 Settlement-Minor Child Fractures Leg on Bouncy Slide. We represented a minor who fractured her leg while using a bouncy slide at a seasonal pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patch had the slide as an attraction for children, but had no one overseeing it or determining if the slide was safe for the children using it. As the client slid down the slide she was launched into the air. When she landed back on the slide, she broke her leg. The client required a cast for approximately two months, but made a full recovery. We filed a lawsuit and were able to settle the case for $25,000 despite the other side having strong arguments that her parents were responsible for allowing her to use the slide in the first place.

$50,000 Settlement-Car Accident Resulting in Shoulder Injury. We represented a woman who was involved in an intersection collision when the at-fault driver did not stop at a stop sign. Our client sustained a shoulder injury involving a torn ligament. Prior to the collision, our client had received a surgery on the same shoulder. A dispute arose as to whether the collision caused the shoulder injury or if it was just the result of the previous surgery being unsuccessful. After the collision, the client was diagnosed with the same injury on her other shoulder that was unrelated to the collision and not caused by any significant event. This suggested that the client had degenerative shoulders and that her claimed injury was unrelated to the collision. Nevertheless, we were able to settle the case for the $50,000 maximum policy limits.

$50,000 Settlement-Rear End Car Accident Resulting in Brain Injury. We represented a man who was traveling on the freeway when he stopped for traffic in front of him. The vehicle behind him failed to stop and rear ended him at approximately 60 miles per hour. The impact pushed our client’s vehicle into the adjacent lane where he came into collision with another car. The client sustained a brain injury and was hospitalized for over a month where he required critical care until stabilized. We obtained a policy limit settlement of $50,000 from the driver of the vehicle in the adjacent lane. The lawsuit is still pending against the driver who rear-ended the client.

$17,500 Settlement-Low Impact Collision Resulting in Concussion. We represented a woman who was rear ended at a low rate of speed. The damage to her vehicle was only cosmetic and she did not report injuries at the scene. Later in the day she felt dizzy and threw up. She went to her doctor who diagnosed her with a concussion. The client had two follow up appointments for the concussion and fully recovered within two weeks with no permanent symptoms. The client’s medical expenses were under $1,000. The client tried to recover her medical expenses from the at-fault driver’s insurance company, but they refused saying the impact was too low to cause an injury. The client then hired us. We filed a lawsuit after the insurance company would not offer a reasonable settlement. During the case, the insurance company only offered $1,500 to settle it. We prepared the case for trial. Three days before trial, the insurance company paid $17,500 to settle the case.