(Use the  "search"  or  "find"  function of your browser to locate the keywords you're looking for;  i.e. death, paralysis, punitive, bad faith, TX, Boston, etc.)

To place an order or for further information, please  

 

 
Descriptive Summaries of

MILLION DOLLAR ARGUMENTS

#101 - PAT MALONEY, San Antonio, TX
LP Gas Tanker Explosion / Burns
FLORES v SURTIGAS, S.A. - $26,450,000
A liquid propane gas tank truck overturned in Eagle Pass, devastating 30 acres and severely burning Maloney's 14 year old client. Only $25,000 of the award was punitive.

#102 - CLINT GROSE, Minneapolis, MN
Intersection Collision / Paraplegia
OSSENFORT v A.M.P.I - $1,500,000
The jury pierced the "paper shield" defense that the driver was an independent contractor. The award was sufficient for Grose's paraplegic client to purchase a specially equipped house.

#103 - WAYNE FISHER, Houston, TX
Tanker Overturn - Ammonia Asphyxiation
DENTON v TRANSPORT CO .- $1,816,016
Circumstantial evidence showed that an ammonia gas tank/trailer rig was speeding when it plunged off the exit ramp and seared the lungs of a bystander.

#104 - CHARLES KRAMER, New York, NY
Hospital Malpractice / Blindness - Brain Damage
ZARICK v FRANKLIN GENERAL HOSPITAL - $1,500,000
The Zarick baby was born blind and brain damaged because of failure to use a fetal monitor. The Doctor settled but the hospital dropped a bundle when it refused to pay Kramer's $200,000 settlement demand.

#105 -  HERBERT HAFIF, Claremont, CA
Airplane Crash / Death of Father
MURPHY v COLORADO AVIATION - $3,200,000
WW-II hero Audie Murphy had no income for eight years preceding his death in a plane crash. Hafif tried the case in Colorado where damages were limited to pecuniary losses.

#106 - JOHN MESSINA, Tacoma, WA
Utilities / Leg Amputation - Burns
MORTIMER v PUGET SOUND POWER & LIGHT - $3,141,000
Ex-convict brothers driving home after a night of drinking struck a utility pole too close to the winding road.  Messina's jury decided the passenger was entitled to a forgiving highway.

#107 - STANLEY M. ROSENBLATT, Miami, FL
Negligent Repair / Death of Mother
BARR v PEOPLE'S GAS - $1,250,000
The apartment's exploding gas oven killed a divorced mother of six.  The jury found against the apartment owner and the gas company for their negligent failure to fix the reported gas leaks.

#108 - RONALD D. KRIST, Houston, TX
Products - Automobile / Crashworthiness - Quadriplegia
TURNER v GENERAL MOTORS - $1,189,000
    and
EUGENE OKEY, Canton, OH
Products - Automobile / Crashworthiness - Quadriplegia
LEICHTAMER v JEEP - $2,000,000
In TURNER, Krist's jury's verdict sent a message to GM when the defectively designed Chevy roof support system resulted in the driver's quadriplegia after a low speed roll-over.
In LEICHTAMER, Okey showed that the Jeep CJ-5's crash bar did not prevent serious injury in an end-over-end roll-over.  TV commercials showing Jeeps flying over sand dunes devastated the defense.
Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#109 - HERBERT HOROWITZ, New York, NY
Premises / Fractured Hip
KODACK v AMERICANA OF NEW YORK - $1,250,000
A reveler's trip over the untaped edge of a hotel's ballroom carpet caused a fractured hip and osteoporosis. Kodack's husband awarded $250k for loss of consortium.

#110 - R. BEN HOGAN, Birmingham, AL
Fraud / Loss of Manufacturing Plant
CORD v GOSLIN-BIRMINGHAM, INC. - $1,250,000
    and
BARNARD KAHN, Detroit, MI
Estoppel / Loss of Business G&L
PLATING v BANK OF COMMERCE - $1,250,000
In CORD, Defendant contracted to build a steel drum dryer for an animal food plant but he conned the plant owner into taking a cast iron drum instead, causing a complete shutdown of manufacture.  In G&L PLATING, Bank reneged on an oral commitment to make a new loan and foreclosed on old loan.  A promissory estoppel argument was used to defeat a statue of frauds defense.
Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#111 - ROBERT L. HABUSH, Milwaukee, WI
Products Design / Permanent Coma
RETZLOFF v CHRYSLER CORP - $1,558,000
Permanent coma was the result when a newly-wed woman's head struck the single-joint rear-view mirror.  ATLA President Habush argued that his client still responded to stimuli and might be conscious of the horror of her predicament.

#112 - JAMES E. HULLVERSON, St. Louis, MO
Premises - Swimming Pool / Paralysis
CHRISLER v HOLIDAY VALLEY - $2,300,000
A member of a church swimming party at a privately owned public pool dove into an unmarked submerged chain and became permanently paralyzed from his chest down.

#201 - SCOTTY BALDWIN, Marshall, TX
Products Design / Paraplegia
FOSTER v FORD MOTOR CO. - $2,000,000
    and
RICHARD J. PHELAN, Chicago, IL
Products Design / Quadriplegia
CHRISTOPHERSON v HYSTER - $1,750,000
In FOSTER, ATLA President Baldwin argues for a farmhand who was rendered paraplegic when a hay bale fell backwards off the farm tractor's front-end loader.  Ford claimed a cab was available but the local Ford dealer had never seen one.  In CHRISTOPHERSON, the employer/owner rejected an optional overhead guard for their forklift but the manufacturer was held liable for the operator's quadriplegia when metal baskets fell on him.
Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#202 - STANLEY E. PREISER, Charleston, WV
Products / Burns - Amputation
ANDERSON v MARSHALL CO. CO-OP - $1,750,000
A 15 cent; gasket would have prevented the explosion of the rototiller engine and the burns that caused the amputation of both legs of a 70 year old man.

#203 - EDWIN N. WEIDMAN, New York, NY
Motor Vehicle / Amputation of Leg
UNTI v AIRWAY EQUIP. RENTAL - $1,700,000
A JFK airport shuttle bus ran over a woman, 58, crossing from one terminal to another, resulting in a crushed knee and amputation of the other leg above the knee.

#204 - WILLIAM N. SHERNOFF, Claremont, CA
Bad Faith Claims / Punitive & Mental Anguish
EGAN v MUTUAL OF OMAHA - $5,114,000
$5 million awarded in punitive damages when a back injury was reclassified as a "sickness" to cut off the insured's lifetime $200 per month benefits after four months.

#205 - FREDERIC N. HALSTROM, Boston, MA
Negligence / Quad., Death, Loss of Consort.
DiMARZIO v BRITISH PETROLEUM- $3,791,000
    and
PAUL R. SUGARMAN, Boston, MA
Products Design / Burns
GRIFFIN v GENERAL MOTORS - $1,000,000
In DiMARZIO, a welder was rendered quadriplegic when a used underground gasoline storage tank exploded.  His wife received $600k for loss of consortium - at the time, a record verdict.  In GRIFFIN, gasoline fumes entered the fresh air vent. system.  Second and third degree flash burns occurred when the young lady driver lit a cigarette.
Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#206 - RICHARD J. FRANK, New York, NY
Premises / Rape
GARZILLI v H. JOHNSON MOTELS - $2,650,000
Star Singer was raped by an unknown assailant who climbed up eight feet to her motel room balcony.  The jury found inadequate security and locks by the motel chain.

#207 - JIM MAC PERDUE, Houston, TX
Products Design - RLF Blindness
SPEARS v AIR SHIELDS, INC. $1,860,000
    and
THOMAS T. ANDERSON, Indio, CA
FTCA Malpractice / RLF Blindness
PENETRANTE v U.S.A.- $3,100,000
In SPEARS, the preemie's RLF blindness resulted after 14 days of continuous oxygen in an incubator.  The manufacturer knew of the potential danger but failed to warn the hospital or doctor.  In PENETRANTE, excessive oxygen in the incubators of three month premature twins caused total blindness and brain damage to one twin and blindness in one eye to the other.    Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#208 - LEONARD M. RING, Chicago, IL
Truck-House Collision / Paralysis
KUNDE v SOUTH BEND FREIGHT - $1,250,000
A freight liner missed a curve and tore through the Kunde house taking the second floor and Mrs. Kunde for a disastrous ride that left her paralyzed from her chest down.

#209 - JOHN TUCKER, Tulsa, OK
DAN GEORGE, Sallisaw, OK
Negligent Hiring / Soft Tissue Injury
MAGOON v C&H TRANSPORT - $1,500,000
Mrs. Magoon turned left off the highway into the path of a truck, resulting in the loss of her 11 year old daughter's kidneys and future fertility.  The jury found negligence in the hiring of the inexperienced trucker.

#210 - THOMAS T. ANDERSON, Indio, CA
Construction Site / Quadriplegia
SAYRE v HERMOSA HOMES - $4,200,000
A carpenter was installing fascia board by hanging over the roof because the contractor failed to provide scaffolding.  Quadriplegia resulted from the fall.

#211 - RAYMOND J. KEEGAN, White Plains, NY
Products Design / Wrongful Death
WITTLEDER v GENERAL MORTORS - $1,200,000
The defective steering of the Chevy Wagon that overturned and killed its driver was proven by circumstantial evidence.  Half of the award was for death, half for conscious pain.

#212 - NICK NICHOLS, Houston, TX
Employer Negligence / Facial Injuries
TOMJANOVICH v LOS ANGELES LAKERS - $3,246,377
"Rudy T" thought the scoreboard had fallen on him when Kermit Washington bushwhacked him.  Lakers management was found negligent in failing to curb Washington's temper.

#301 - AARON J. BRODER, New York, NY
Negligent Equipment Maintenance / Burns
ESTEVES v SOMCO FUEL CO. - $1,098,000
Negligent maintenance caused the furnace boiler explosion which resulted in 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 40% of the body of a 70 year old building superintendent.

#302 - FRANK D'AMICO, New Orleans, LA
Products / Partial Blindness
GUIDRY v DRACKET CO. et al - $1,500,000
Chemicals were held too dangerous for household use when an eruption blinded a maintenance man who inadvertently added Thermo-Chem to the Drano already in the clogged sink.

#303 - ROBERT M. GINSBERG, New York, NY
Government Liability / Death of Man
McGALE v METRO TRANSIT AUTH. - $3,280,000
A 46 year old drunk and pugnacious passenger at Penn Station (earning $14k per year) was killed when railroad police kicked him in the abdomen while arresting him.

#304 - STANLEY M. ROSENBLATT, Miami, FL
FTCA Motor Vehicle / Multiple Fractures
COOK v UNITED STATES - $1,125,000
The motorcyclist required nine hospital admissions and fifteen surgeries after his collision with a government automobile which ran a stop sign at an intersection.

#305 - SOLOMON L. MARGOLIS, Washington, DC
Products / Quadriplegia - Loss of Consortium
HALL v GENERAL MOTORS - $6,500,000
A defectively designed universal joint caused quadriplegia to a 49 year old wife.  The judgment was affirmed on appeal, including more than $1,000,000 to the husband for loss of consortium.

#306 - MARK B. WEISEN, New York, NY
Hospital Malpractice / Blindness
SHAH v St. VINCENT'S HOSP.- $1,400,000
When the 2 1/2; month premature baby weighing 1 lb. 12 oz. became totally blind, the Florida hospital was proud that the baby had no other physical or mental defects.

#307 - ROBERT E. BALLARD, Houston, TX
Products / Football Helmet - Quadriplegia
DANIELS v RAWLINGS - $1,500,000
The helmet known not to prevent subdural hematomas caused the young QB's 120 IQ to plummet to 84 after his injury.  The jury awarded $750,000 in punitive damages.


#308 - WILLIAM F.X. GEOGHAN, New York, NY
Medical Malpractice / Brain Damage
ZARECOR v FRENCH HOSP. -$1,933,000
The Zarecor's baby was born severely brain damaged.  The hospital records were altered by the obstetrician who failed to do a prompt C-Section when pelvimetry showed cephalopelvic disproportion

#309 - WILBURN W. WATKINS, Houston, TX
Products Design / Auto - Quadriplegia
HOPKINS v GENERAL MOTORS - $1,800,000
The seventeen year old pickup driver became quadriplegic when the carburetor hung full open and the truck flipped.  GM knew of the defect but didn't spend the one cent necessary to fix it.

#310 - ANTHONY W. CUNNINGHAM, Tampa, FL
Hospital Malpractice / Death of Newborn
DUNCAN v St. JOSEPH'S HOSP. - $1,125,000
The malpractice occurred during delivery.  Hospital was negligent in permitting a limited privilege doctor to exceed his privileges.  $125,000 for loss of consortium was awarded to the husband.

#311 - LEE I. TURNER, Southfield, MI
Premises - Swimming / Quadriplegia
KONSDORF v ST. OF MICHIGAN - $3,706,624
The State Park had a sign: "No Swimming Beyond This Point."  But nowhere was there a warning of shallow water.  Sixteen year old Konsdorf became quadriplegic

#313 - MARVIN E. LEWIS, San Francisco, CA
Psychiatric Malpractice / Psychosis
WALKER v PARZAN - $4,738,444
The psychiatrist's prescription of sex and drugs turned a mildly depressed wife and

#314 - RICHARD S. KUHLMAN, Chicago, IL
Railroad Crossing / Death of Man
GAMEZ v PENN CENTRAL RAILROAD - $2,500,000
"Dead men tell no tales?"  Not according to the Kuhlman experts who proved that the train passed too fast through the snow blinded crossing.

#316 - STANLEY K. JACOBS, Los Angeles, CA
Motor Vehicle / Death of Man
JOHNSON v PRICO CORP.- $1,300,000
IBM's leading sales representative was killed instantly in a head-on collision with the president of defendant corporation. This verdict was paid without appeal.

#317 - SALVADOR A LICCARDO, San Jose, CA
Premises - Fall / Paraplegia
BAKKEN v DeANGELO PEST CONT.- $2,300,814
The landlord inspected but overlooked the termite damage.  One of his tenants, an unemployed single woman, leaned against a second story porch railing and became paraplegic when she fell.

#318 - A. ROBERT ZEFF, Detroit, MI
Motor Vehicle / Death of Child
DRAKEFORD v SHENKEL - $1,145,000
A garbage truck struck and instantly killed a by-stander who was the 14 year old son of divorced parents.  This was Mr. Zeff's twenty-second million dollar verdict!

#319 - ROBERT E. CARTWRIGHT, San Francisco, CA
Premises Diving / Quadriplegia
GIRON v TROWBRIDGE - $2,500,000
The commercial picnic facility gave an "illusion of safety" to the teen-ager who dived into a boulder lurking two feet below the surface of the river.

#320 - RICHARD J. KUHLMAN, Chicago, IL
Govt. Negligence / Death & Multiple Injuries
EDGMAN v STATE OF INDIANA - $1,800,000
The wife was killed and the husband received multiple fractures and brain damage in a head-on collision with a drunk teen on an "S" curve not marked by State of Indiana.

#321 - MORTON L. FRIEDMAN, Sacramento, CA
Medical Malpractice / Myocardial Infarction
FINE v PERMANENTE MEDICAL - $1,300,000
Defendant failed to run an EKG even though Plaintiff, 34, complained twice of chest pains the day before a MI cut his life expectancy in half.

#322 - SHERWIN SCHREIER, Southfield, MI
Products Design / Burns
ANDERSON v COLEMAN CAMPING - $1,200,000
The Anderson boy, 19, was sleeping in his tent when the defectively designed camp heater over-turned and caused burns over 18% of his body.

#323 - ROBERT INGRAM, San Francisco, CA
Negligent Repair / Two Deaths
GREEN v EXEC. JET AVIATION - $2,000,000
The Detroit jury accepted circumstantial evidence of defective repairs to the stall-warning device as the cause of the crash that killed both pilots of the Lear Jet.

#324 - GARY ROTH, Walled Lake, MI
Police Brutality / Multiple Fractures
HAYWOOD v CITY OF DETROIT - $3,000,000
Haywood, a black landlord objecting to a warrantless Police search of his apartment building at 3 a.m., was struck, cuffed and thrown down a flight of stairs.

#325 - A. ROBERT ZEFF, Detroit, MI
Construction Site Negligence / Death of Father
CUNDIFF v HOLLOWAY CONST. - $9,910,000
A construction company earth mover drove into the path of Cundiff's automobile, killing him instantly. Zeff's argument on the essence of a husband and father won this large award.

#326 - BARTON A. HAINES, Philadelphia, PA
Hospital Malpractice / Brain Damage
BOSTICK v COATESVILLE HOSP. - $1,500,000
Twenty years after the fact, it was discovered that an empty oxygen tank in the delivery room caused the 'blue baby.'  The jury found concealment by the hospital, rejected the statute of limitations defense and awarded $250,000 in punitive damages.

#327 - LEO V. BOYLE, Boston, MA
Products / Burns, Loss of Consortium
McLEOD v WHITE MOTOR CO. - $1,200,000
The tank truck's engine could not be shut off after it's hose delivering naphtha dislodged.  The driver suffered 3rd degree burns. His wife was awarded $100k for loss of consortium.

#328 - IVAN S. SCHNEIDER, New York, NY
Government Negligence / Death of Father
CARDILLO v CITY OF NY - $3,000,000
Policeman Cardillo was murdered while answering a bogus "officer in trouble" call in a known sensitive area.  Schneider argued that the dispatcher should have known there were no officers in the area at that time.

#329 - CHARLES KRAMER, New York, NY
Motor Vehicle / Burns - Psychic Injury
KLAPPER v SUGARMAN - $1,145,920
Here is Mr. Kramer's summation on damages for the 19 year old passenger who had emotional and psychic injuries together with 2nd and 3rd degree burns when the car overturned.

#330 - STEPHEN BOLDEN, Philadelphia, PA
Demolition Negligence / Death of Woman
SIRIANI v CITY OF PHILADELPHIA - $1,340,941
The City of Philadelphia failed to verify the insurance coverage of a demolition contractor whose negligence caused the death of a 28 year old pregnant working wife.

#331 - FRED QUELLER, New York, NY
Government Negligence / Amputation of Leg
WARMSLEY v CITY OF NEW YORK - $2,343,987
Warmsley's car hit an icy patch after the city failed to fix a leaking water main. The wife's leg was amputated after eight operations. $343,987 was awarded to her husband for loss of services.

#332 - JAMES P. McCARTHY, Boston, MA
Medical Malpractice / Loss of Kidneys
REHILL v GOODMAN - $4,500,000
A pediatrician's treatment of virus instead of bacterial infection caused a young girl to lose both kidneys and be sentenced to dialysis for life.

#333 - HERBERT L. KOLSBY, Philadelphia, PA
Premises - Diving / Quadriplegia
HAGAR v ETTING - $1,800,000
A party guest dived head-first into a man made lagoon where the water was only 3½ feet deep.  The jury rejected contributory negligence defense.

#334 - HENRY A. FOLLEN, Boston, MA
Utilities Negligence / Burns
JIGARJIAN v CAPE COD GAS - $3,353,000
Gas was shut off after a meter was damaged but the Gas Co. failed to check for unlit pilot lights when restoring service.  A college student was severely burned by the resulting explosion.

#335 - MICHAEL P. KOSKOFF, Bridgeport, CT
Hospital Malpractice / Death of Father
KINERY v DANBURY HOSPITAL - $1,800,000
A father died when a neurosurgeon was not called for two hours after Emergency Room X-rays revealed a skull fracture and the patient lapsed into a coma.  Koskoff's "loss of a father" montage was most effective.

#336 - JOEL B. SAVIT, New York, NY
Premises / Paraplegia
BAXTER v JIMMY BYRNES CLUB - $1,500,000
A night club patron claimed he fell down steps because a handrail was missing. T he defense that the handrail was in place was defeated by a photo of the rail at a bartender's home.

#337 - JACOB D. FUCHSBERG, New York, NY
Premises / Paraplegia
ERGAS v BARRACINI CANDIES - $1,100,000
Paraplegia to an eight year old when a sign blew off a building during a high wind. This is the first million dollar verdict ever in a personal injury case!  Due to the length and historical significance of the argument, Mr. Fuchberg's closing argument, as well as tactical asides, is presented on two cassettes and counts as two selections. This argument should be in every trial lawyer's library.

#338 - RICHARD E. SHANDELL, New York, NY
Hospital Malpractice - Brain Damage
STREET v SOUTHSIDE HOSPITAL - $7,200,000
The heart quit during surgery and anoxia caused complete loss of mentation to a 3 year old with Downs Syndrome. The intern failed to record a heart murmur on her chart.

#339 - EDWIN N. WEIDMAN, New York, NY
Highway Defect / Leg Amputation
HORTON v E. HUDSON PARKWAY AUTHORITY- $2,080,000
A rotted guardrail stringer ripped off the leg of a parkway driver.  The government immunity claim was rejected by the jury on evidence of knowledge of the dangerous condition.

#340 - MARC S. MOLLER, New York, NY
Products - Aviation / Death of Pilot
VASINA v GRUMMAN CORP.- $1,184,270
A pilot was killed when the Navy negligently repaired a wing.  The U.S. government was immune from the Navy's negligence so the suit was filed against Grumman for a manufacturing defect.

#341 - IVAN S. SCHNEIDER, New York, NY
Premises and Malpractice / Hip Fracture
HORTON v HARLEM HOSP. & CITY OF NEW YORK - $1,500,000
A permanent limp was the result for an indigent loner who fell into a sidewalk "tree hole" and was admitted to the hospital, where they failed to diagnose his fractured hip.

#342 - EDWARD M. SWARTZ, Boston, MA
Products Design / Anoxia - Brain Damage
CUNNINGHAM v FISHER-PRICE - $3,100,000
A component of the nationally advertised "LittlePeople" toy lodged in the trachea of a l4 month old, causing anoxia and permanent brain damage - one of 700,000 injuries to children annually as a result of defective toys.

#343 - JOSEPH M. IROM, New York, NY
Malpractice / Blindness - Brain Damage
RAMOS v NYC HOSP. CORP.- $4,976,000
The damage defense of 'blue baby won't live long' did not work where the hospital conceded liability for anoxia resulting in brain damage and blindness to the infant.

#344 - RICHARD A. SILVER, Stamford, CT
Hospital Malpractice / Brain Damage
PISEL v STAMFORD HOSPITAL - $3,600,000
A highly agitated mental patient was locked in a seclusion room and was found four hours later in a vegetative coma with her head lodged in the side-rails of the bed.

#346 - STEVEN T. KEEFE, JR., Quincy, MA
Government Negligence / Quadriplegia
COOK v MBTA - $1,500,000
The head of an 87 year-old woman slammed into the fare box when the bus stopped before she had found a seat. T he verdict for this elderly quadriplegic equaled $220,000 annually for life.

#347 - BERT W. SUBIN, New York, NY
Bus Driver Negligence / Back Injury
DUKES v METRO SUBURBAN BUS AUTHORITY - $5,000,000
A female bus passenger had unsuccessful back surgery after an intersection collision with a car. The bus driver lied about moving the bus back 20 feet after the accident.

#348 - ERNEST H. CANNON, Houston, TX
Products Design / Auto - Death of Woman
NOWAK v FORD MOTOR CO. - $4,400,000
Transmission slipped out of [P] and ran over the woman who walked behind her car to shut the gate. Ford knew of the defect but failed to make a design change or to warn.

#349 - HARVEY WEITZ, New York, NY
FELA / Disc - Sexual Dysfunction
LaBARBERA v LONG ISLAND RAILROAD - $2,500,000
In an unwitnessed accident, a Pipefitter prevailed on his claim that the extreme stretch he suffered when he slipped on a greasy ladder resulted in a ruptured disc and sexual dysfunction.

#350 - KAE L. BROCKERMEYER, Fort Worth, TX
Malpractice / Brain Damage to Baby
HAUGHT v MACELUCH - $1,500,000
An osteopath passed himself off as an obstetrician and failed to see signs of fetal distress. The baby had permanent brain damage before a C-section was performed.

#401 - ERNEST H. CANNON, Houston, TX
Railroad Crossing / Head Injury
PIERCE v MISSOURI PACIFIC RAILROAD- $1,625,394
Recovery for loss of mentality to the driver who didn't stop before crossing the train tracks at night but alleged no whistle and that the crossing was obscured by boxcars and a tool shed.

#402 - C. MICHAEL DAVIS, Houston, TX
G.P. HARDY, III, Houston, TX
Construction Site - Partial Paralysis
OLIVER v BRENNAN ROOFING - $3,706,624
A black roofer, 18, was sitting on the ground eating lunch when a roll of wire fell off the roof and severed his spine at T-12, causing partial paralysis.

#403 - JAMES L. BRANTON, San Antonio, TX
Truck Collision - Death of Man
WEST v ROCKWELL INTL.- $1,000,000
"Autokinetic effect" of the tail lights of a truck parked off the highway created an optical illusion which directed the Plaintiff to his death in a rear-end collision.

#404 - G. BROCKETT IRWIN, Longview, TX
Land Fraud / Actual + Punitive Damages
WALKER v MEDLOCK - $1,800,000
Frozen irrigation equipment included in the purchase price of Muleshoe Ranch didn't work after the spring thaw.  The jury awarded $800,000 plus $1,000,000 in punitive damages.

#405 - CHARLES PAULSON, Portland, OR
Highway Construction / Brain Damage
McCARTHY v LANE-GUARD - $1,180,000
    and
Malpractice / Death of Mother
LUCICK v McLAIN CLINIC - $1,000,000
In McCARTHY, the award was for permanent brain damage and disfigurement to a passenger impaled on a guard rail which protruded four inches into the roadway and was not flared away from the traffic.  In LUCICK, the defense (based on the time it takes for cells to double) was that this woman would have died anyway even if the doctor had promptly diagnosed her breast cancer.   Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#406 - WALTER UMPHREY, Port Arthur, TX
Asbestosis - Death of Man
MIGUES v NICOLLETTE IND.- $3,000,000
    and
Utilities - Death of Child
REED v GULF STATE UTILITIES - $1,000,000
In MIGUEZ, when a retired insulator died of lung cancer, thirteen manufacturers of asbestos insulation paid $400,000 to settle.  The noncontributor paid $2,600,000. In REED, the insulation wore off a power line that sagged against a metal shed, causing the boy to be electrocuted when he crawled under the building to retrieve his Frisbee.
Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#407 - ROBERT B. WALLIS, Houston, TX
Products Warning / Death of Man
BUNING v REYNOLDS ALUMINUM - $1,500,000
A remarried widow recovered for the death of a doctor from carbon monoxide generated by combustion of insulation from overheated aluminum wiring in his apartment.

#408 - G.P. HARDY, III, Houston, TX
Police Brutality / Death of Minor
WEBSTER v CITY OF HOUSTON - $1,397,400
Texas still had pecuniary loss rule when the jury awarded $1,395,000 in punitive damages plus funeral expenses in the arrest and police execution of an unarmed 17 year old car thief.

#409 - JOSEPH G. HURLEY, North Hollywood, CA
Products Design - Quadriplegia
TAYLOR v VOLKSWAGON - $3,125,000
Hear how Hurley didn't use an economist because of the poor work record of his teenage plaintiff but instead concentrated on the horrors of the injury.

#410 - JOHN W. NORMAN, Oklahoma City, OK
Products - Auto / Quadriplegia
LEE v VOLKSWAGON - $l,800,000
The design of the door latch and striker plate contributed to the quadriplegia of the teenage driver ejected from his VW when the doors flew open after a low speed collision.

#411 - SIDNEY W. GILREATH, Knoxville, TN
FTCA / Paralysis - Loss of Consortium
WOLFE v UNITED STATES - $2,922,799
A woman physician suffered permanent partial paralysis from a swine flu vaccination. The U.S. was liable under the Swine Flu Act. $225,000 was awarded to the husband for loss of consortium.

#412 - JAY W. DANKNER, New York, NY
Products Design - Punch Press / Hand Amputation
SNEED v BLISS - $2,537,000
An unguarded Bliss punch press manufactured in 1928 crushed the hand of the 56 year old operator when it cycled again without warning.

#413 - FRANK L. BRANSON, Dallas, TX
DOYLE CURRY, Marshall, TX
Motor Vehicle / Death of Parents
McGEE v LANE PROCESSING - $2,318,000
When a van stopped because there was deep water on the road, a dilapidated truck hauling chickens rear-ended the van. Both parents and two of their three children drowned.

#414 - HOWARD K. BERRY, Oklahoma City, OK
Drunk Driver / Amputation + Punitive Damages
CRAIG v WALLEY and AETNA INSURANCE - $10,000,000
A TV cable repairman was in his pickup putting on spikes when a drunk side-swiped him and caused traumatic amputation of his leg. The jury awarded $5,000,000 each compensatory and punitive damages.

#415 - TOXEY H. SMITH, Los Angeles, CA
Medical Malpractice / Disfigurement
PICASCIA v BEAUCHAMP - $2,000,000
An infection resulting from the repair of a young woman's ruptured boil during a California doctors' strike damaged the anal sphincter, causing a fistula between her anus and vagina.

#416 - CHARLES MAZURSKY, Los Angeles, CA
Insurance - Bad Faith / Punitive Damages
WHITMORE v 20th CENTURY INSURANCE - $3,250,000
$3 million in punitive damages was awarded against a carrier who rejected an uninsured motorist claim and refused to negotiate.  The evidence showed a policy of discrimination against minorities.

#417 - BETTY C. LOVE, Talledega, AL
CHARLES L. PARKS, Anniston, AL
Insurance Bad Faith / Punitive Damages
GOWENS v OLD SOUTHERN INSURANCE - $1,500,000
A phony sales pitch and the refusal to pay a $208 medical claim cost $1,000,000 in punitive damages. At her behest, Love's jury took a "flame-thrower" to the insurance company.
#418 - JAY W. DANKNER, New York, NY
Products - Auto / Amputation - Fused Knee
COVER v GENERAL MOTORS - $8,000,000
The design of a '73 Chevy carburetor return spring caused the car to roar backwards down the street, pinning a man to the wall. $2 million was awarded to his wife for loss of services.

#419 - BOB GIBBINS, Austin, TX
Products / Death and Punitive Damages
WAHL v McDONNELL-DOUGLAS - $3,500,00
USAF Pilot was killed because the ejection system had no roll and yaw stabilization.  The jury awarded $1,500,000 in compensatory damages to the widow and son and $2 million in punitive damages.

#420 - BOB GIBBINS, Austin, TX
Products Design / Brain Damage - Coma
SUTPHIN v TRABACA PRODUCTS - $2,500,000
An eloquent explanation of the nature of comas produced this verdict for a "Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" injured due to a defective motorcycle helmet.

#421 - ROBERT J. GLENN, Chicago, IL
Premises Utilities - Attractive Hazard / Electrocution
DELMURIO v COMMONWEALTH EDISON- $6,000,000
A seven year old who climbed the power company substation in a park to watch a ball game died of electrical burns. $2,500,000 in compensatory damages plus $3,500,000 in punitive damages.

#422 - JOSEPH D. SHEIN, Philadelphia, PA
Products - Asbestos / Asbestosis
DURELL v JOHNS-MANSVILLE - $1,100,000
J-M concealed what they knew about the dangers of asbestos and the jury awarded $1 million in punitive damages in addition to $100,000 compensatory damages.

#423 - STANLEY J. MARKS, Phoenix, AZ
State Govt. Liability / Death of Child
MAMMO v STATE OF ARIZONA - $1,000,000
The State agency charged with protection of a two year-old ignored the divorced father's reports of child abuse; the child was murdered by the mother's boyfriend.

#424 - RONALD GOLDMAN, Marina del Rey, CA
Aviation - Negligent repair / Burns
GRADDUS v HANSON AVIATION - $1,130,000
Shoddy repairs caused the helicopter crash. The jury found for the burned pilot against the owner who rented him the aircraft.

#425 - RICHARD SCHADEN, Detroit, MI
Products - Aviation / Death of Father
TAYLOR v GATES LEAR JET - $2,500,000
Damage argument (liability not on this tape) asked the jury to treat the losses of the widow and four children of a 40 year old commercial pilot as five separate cases.

#426 - JAMES E. HULLVERSON, St. Louis, MO
Premises - Utilities / Multiple Injuries
GLASTRIS v UNION ELECTRIC - $1,350,000
7,200 volts knocked a 14 year old boy off an "attractive hazard" utility pole, resulting in the amputation of his left arm, severe scars on his stomach and a fractured hip socket.

#427 - SHERWIN SCHREIER, Southfield, MI
Malpractice / Loss of Kidneys
LONG v HENRY FORD HOSP. - $4,000,000
Woman with life long kidney problems had successful experimental surgery marred by the loss of her good kidney by virtue of failure to diagnose post-surgical infection.

#428 - THOMAS J. LYONS, St. Paul, MN
School Negligence / Burns
SMITH v ARCHBISHOP OF ST. LOUIS.- $1,250,000
A parochial school was liable for negligent supervision when a second grade girl backed into a candle in a window, setting her flimsy Spring Pageant costume aflame.

#429 - BROADUS SPIVEY and DICKY GRIGG, Austin, TX
Extortion / Mental Anguish - Punitive Damages
LEUKOWICZ v SULTAN - $7,500,000
Punitive and compensatory damages were awarded against a boss who had an employee his and wife held in a Mexican jail for four months to extort a confession of embezzlement.

#430 - DAVID L. MATTHEWS, South Bend, IN
Psychiatric Malpractice / Suicide
RADZIKOWSKI v METCALF - $1,600,000
The psychiatrist should have ordered confinement for his suicidal patient who walked out of the "open" ward, went home and killed himself.

#431 - VINCENT M. IGOE, St. Louis, MO
Products - Punch Press / Four Fingers Amputated
MURPHY v L&J PRESS - $1,000,000
A factory employee claimed that the employer had a duty to put barrier guards on the punch press. The jury found for the first time operator who lost four fingers to the machine.

#432 - RICHARD D. ALDRICH, Los Angeles, CA
Medical Malpractice / Quadriplegia
DEDUCIS v SILVER - $4,000,000
Plaintiff, hurt in a one car accident, gradually became permanently quadriplegic because the doctors failed to diagnose his broken neck.

#433 - DANIEL J. SULLIVAN, Seattle, WA
Products - Inadequate Warning / Poliomyelitis
McNEARY v AMERICAN CYANAMID - $1,100,000
A mother got polio from the feces of an infant given a "live virus" vaccine. "Killed virus" (Salk type) cannot produce this result, but the manufacturer failed to warn.

#434 - SHELDON J. MILLER, Detroit, MI
Premises - Trespasser / Loss of Eye
DANNAHER v PARTRIDGE CREEK COUNTRY CLUB - $1,250,000
A ranger on a country club golf course who had a duty to warn failed to do so. A trespasser lost an eye when he was hit by a golf ball.  $250k was awarded to the wife for loss of consortium.

#435 - FREDERIC N. HALSTROM, Boston, MA
Products Design / Burns
ELIAS v FORD MOTOR CO. - $1,050,000
A defective Mustang gas tank burst into flames when it was rear-ended by a Cadillac. Severe burns covered 45% of the Ford driver's body.

#436 - MARC E. GROSSMAN, White Plains, NY
Products - Aviation and Negligence / Burns
LUNDGREN v PIPER AIRCRAFT - $4,300,000
A training crash resulted in burns to 40% of a student's body when the instructor froze at the controls and a defective 'landing gear up' control required two hands to manipulate.

#437 - ELLIOT TUCKER, Houston, TX
Age Discrimination / Loss of Earnings
ELLIOTT v BLUE CROSS - BLUE SHIELD - $1,132,728
An insurance company got new blood in its marketing department by replacing five men over 40 with men in their thirties, but lost blood in this age discrimination case.

#438 - THEODORE I. KOSKOFF, Bridgeport, CT
Products / Brain Damage
SILANO v GENERAL ELECTRIC - $3,463,000
A defective meat-saw circuit breaker zonked a 'boner' in a meat processing plant, drastically reducing his IQ.

#439 - WILLIAM A. TRINE, Boulder, CO
Malpractice / Brain Damage
ERDMANN v BASS and HINKLE - $l,953,054
A Wyoming jury found for a brain damaged baby when doctors misread the fetal monitor and put off a C-section because of their reluctance to call an off-duty anesthetist.

#501 - DAVID L. PERRY, Corpus Christi, TX
Products Auto - Mustang Gas Tank / Death of Woman
DURRILL v FORD MOTOR CO.- $107,041,663
$100,000,000 punitive, $2,500,000 to the estate and more than $2,000,000 each was awarded to the parents of a single woman who lingered for seven days after her Mustang gas tank exploded.

#502 - WILLIAM L. THORPE, Rocky Mount, NC
Malpractice / Death of Adult Son
FIELDS v PICKEREL - $1,750,000
A mother recovered for the death of her 30 year old son who was a vegetable for 4 years after a surgeon gave curare in the recovery room and the nurses were unable to intubate.

#503 - EDWARD M. RICCI, West Palm Beach, FL
Auto Negligence / Hemiplegia - Brain Damage
KILANE v PROTECTIVE CASUALTY - $2,350,000
Hemiplegia and brain damage were sustained by an unemployed housewife, 57, in an admitted liability auto accident. $l50k for loss of consortium was awarded to her 77 year old husband.

#504 - FRANK GANAK, Boston, MA
CAMILLE SARROUF, Boston, MA
Utilities Negligence / Burns
SMITH v MASS. ELECTRIC - $1,430,000
Massachusetts Electric had high-tension wires too close to a residence being repainted. The painting contractor was severely burned when his aluminum ladder touched the "hot" wires.

#505 - MICK McBEE, Dallas, TX
Airplane Negligence / Death of Man
DUNKLE v ASTRO-WING - $1,850,000
Pilot error, poor altimeter maintenance and bad weather killed a boy hitching a ride back to college. Damages were awarded to the father only (the mother died before trial).

#506 - MEL DANIEL, Indianapolis, IN
Condemnation / Value of Trailers
HIGHLAND REALTY v AIRPORT - $4,l79,000
    and
GREGORY T. HAIGHT, Falls Church, VA
Fraud / Punitive Damages
SMALLWOOD v R&H PONTIAC - $2,l07,500
In HIGHLAND, mobile homes in Indiana's finest trailer court were found to be permanent improvements and the verdict against the airport was for their full value.  In SMALLWOOD, a buyer's intuition told her the demonstrator she bought had been in a wreck but the dealership lied about it. The jury punished it with huge exemplary damages. Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#507 - PHIL HARDBERGER, San Antonio, TX
Products / Death of Young Man
MORAN v FRUEHAUF TRAILERS - $1,307,800
The 18 year old son of divorced parents was killed when a dump trailer tipped over side-ways onto the cab of his pickup. $930,000 was awarded to the mother and $375,000 to the father.

#508 - DANIEL N. STEVEN, Bethesda, MD
Malpractice / Amputations
BEVERLY v GREATER SOUTHEAST HOSP. - $l,500,000
Diabetes was diagnosed as gall stones and the patient's legs were gradually whittled away by surgery until both legs were finally amputated just below the knees.

#509 - CHRISTIAN D. SEARCY, W. Palm Beach, FL
Railroad Negligence / Multiple Fractures
RUSSELL v FLORIDA EAST COAST RAILROAD - $2,115,000
A cement truck driver received multiple fractures in a crossing accident. The jury believed the expert on train speed rather than the witness who said that the driver didn't stop and look.

#510 - RICHARD J. CARDALI, New York, NY
Bus-Truck Collision / Multiple Injuries
KESSLER v SHORT LINE BUS SYSTEM - $2,600,000
A passenger suffered a fractured spine and multiple injuries when the bus she was riding on collided with a jack-knifed tractor-trailer. The jury awarded $350k to husband for loss of services.

#511 - EDWARD J. MATONICH, Hibbing, MN
Products - Forklift / Paraplegia
KEMPA v CLARK EQUIP. CO. - $l3,673,587
A fork-lift tipped over sideways and pinned the 19 year old driver under overhead guard. $7,900,000 punitive damage award for failure to fix known tendency to tip over.

#512 - R. BEN HOGAN, Birmingham, AL
Products - Auto / Death of Two Children
EDWARDS v GENERAL MOTORS - $4,075,000
A Chevette doing 55 was rear-ended by a car doing 75 mph.  The gas tank ruptured and the fuel fed fire burned the parents and killed both sons.  The jury awarded $2,000,000 each for the deaths.

#513 - ROBERT HOLSTEIN, Chicago, IL
Products Warning / Brain Damage
BATISTE v WYETH LABS - $22,285,000
Aminophylline suppositories given to a child for a high fever resulted in a coma and mental retardation to an IQ of less than 32.  $l3,000,000 in punitive damages!

#514 - MARK P. ROBINSON, Santa Ana, CA
Products - Auto Seat / Paraplegia
OLIVER v NISAN MOTOR CO.- $9,280,000
The driver's seat of the Nissan partially detached in a rear-end collision, resulting in paraplegia to a 22 year old woman.  $150,000 was awarded to the husband for loss of consortium.

#515 - JOSEPH KELNER, New York, NY
Bus-Pedestrian / Osteomyelitis
GALVIN v M&BSTO AUTHORITY - $2,500,000
Leg injuries, ten plastic surgeries and osteomyelitis resulted in this verdict for the 16 year old struck by a bus while crossing the street.  Plaintiff's 20% negligence reduced the award to $2 million.

#517 - JAN R. SCHLICHTMANN, Boston, MA
Medical Malpractice / Loss of Hips
CARNEY v MASS. GENERAL HOSP.- $4,600,000
A nineteen year-old, admitted for whiplash and quadriparesis, was given massive doses of steroids for one month, causing necrosis and loss of hips.

#518 - CRAIG McCLELLAN, San Diego, CA
Products - Automobile / Death of Man
GARRISON v PORSCHE - $2,500,000
The turbo was found unreasonably dangerous because it was too powerful for a 24 year old whose husband/passenger was killed when the car

#519 - THOMAS W. MALONE, Atlanta, GA
Motor Vehicles / Death of Child
BRIDGES v AVANT TRUCKING - $l,200,000
A stuck semi-rig blocked all lanes of the highway. A pick-up flagged to stop but a 7 year old passenger was killed by a speeding dump truck coming from the other direction. He had not been flagged.

#520 - MICHAEL J. McARDLE, Chicago, IL
Products - Trampoline / Quadriplegia
PELL v A.M.F., INC. - $5,000,000
A high school gymnast was left quadriplegic after a forward flip off a mini-trampoline. AMF didn't warn of the dangers of doing flips without spotters or an overhead harness.

#521 - HARVEY F. WACHSMAN, New York, NY
Medical Malpractice / Paraplegia
MESEROL v CHAROEN and ZIBAL - $1,300,000
A rear-end collision victim eventually became paraplegic because neurosurgeons, thinking brain injury, didn't find the spinal cord injury.

#522 - FREDERIC N. HALSTROM, Boston, MA
Construction Site / Multiple Fractures
CORSETTI v DEAL PRODUCTS - $1,300,000
The 40 foot scaffold with no safety lines violated OSHA and state regulations. Plaintiff bricklayer had fractures of the ankle, back and arms in the fall when the side bracket let go.

#523 - FRANK L. BRANSON, Dallas, TX
Motor Vehicle / Paraplegia
LARSON v CLAYTON-MAYES CORP.- $5,600,000
The owners knew that the truck brakes were horribly defective before it rear-ended another vehicle and wiped out an entire family except for one small child who survived.

#524 - HOWARD SILVER, Southfield, MI
Products - Aviation / Death of Man
MURPHY v PIPER AIRCRAFT - $4,000,000
Judicial candidate was killed in a plane crash. Design manufacturing defects induced rudder flutter, causing the tail to separate from the fuselage in flight.

#525 - THOMAS M. KILEY, Boston, MA
Pedestrian Trolley / Multiple Injuries
RUGGERA v MBTA - $1,224,000
The Green Line trolley came to stop on top of a college student, then backed up.  Witnesses testified that the motorman then banged on the headlight to make it burn.

#526 - HARVEY GOLDSTEIN, New York, NY
Products - Aerial Boom / Head Injuries
CAPPELLINI v McCABE BODY - $1,720,000
Skull and facial fractures and brain damage occurred when a boom operator was thrown from the bucket to a structure forty feet below. The overhead wire snapped and the boom flew up.

#527 - THOMAS G. STRONG, Springfield, MO
FELA / Amputation - Psychic Injuries
VanSKIKE v UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD - $1,811,117
The fifth-wheel trailer hitch on a flat car collapsed and crushed the arm of now suicidal tiedown man who can't wear prosthesis after amputation and 5 additional surgeries.

#528 - PAUL L. STRITMATTER, Hoquiam, WA
Products / Spastic Quadriplegia
BROWN v YAMAHA CO. - $10,000,000
There was no kill switch on the dirt bike which went flying when its throttle stuck on a hill climb. $9,000,000 was awarded to the 15 year old boy and $1,000,000 to his mother.

#529 - O. FAYRELL FURR, Columbia, SC
Malpractice / Brain Damage
RICARD v GONDI - $6,000,000
This was a suit against the anesthesiologist for brain damage to 3 year old resulting from cardiac arrest when nurse anesthetists failed to monitor surgical blood loss.

#601 - FRANK L. BRANSON, Dallas, TX
Malpractice / Death of Woman
BASHOM v WOODS - $1,953,054
Failure to Defend / Punitive Damages
WOODS v MERCER - $5,008,937
General anesthesia administered without intubation to primigravida who vomited, aspirated the vomitus and died after 17 days. When Def. insurer failed to defend, Branson went after them.  Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

 

#801 - EUGENE I. PAVALON, Chicago, IL
Utilities / Death of Parents
SMITH v GENERAL TELEPHONE - $36,000,000
Their children watched as both parents were decapitated due to a telephone wire hanging low over the interstate highway.  Past ATLA Pres. Pavalon wins $20 million in punitive damages.

#802 - LEONARD M. RING, Chicago, IL
Medical Malpractice / Brain Damage
RICHTER v NORTHWESTERN HOSP. - $15,800,000
After failing to find that a brain tumor was the cause of the migrainous female lawyer's pain, a restricted Doctor defies policy and operates anyway.  ATLA past President Ring secures a record verdict with no punitive!

#803 - PETER PERLMAN, Lexington, KY
Products / Death of Man
RIFFE v INT'L HARVESTER - $2,150,000
"State of the art is much more than merely what competing manufacturers are producing at the time," says ATLA past President Perlman who won for the coal mine trucker's survivors.

#804 - ROXANNE BARTON CONLIN, Des Moines, IA
Dram Shop / Progressive Lung Damage
GAIL v WESTERN STORES - $1,261,000
Two convenience stores sold more beer to a drunken thug who smashed into a cop after a high speed chase.  ATLA past President Conlin fought for the cop's "right to rebuild his own life."

#805 - WILLIAM A. BARTON, Newport, OR
Negligent Supervision / Psychological Injuries
WILSON v BOY SCOUTS - $4,300,000
One of America's leading experts on psychological damages takes on the Boy Scouts for failing to terminate the known homosexually coercive Scoutmaster.

#806 - MONTE L. PREISER, Charleston, WV
Medical Malpractice / Leg Amputation
REAGER v ANDERSON - $1,270,000
A rare complication (popliteal arterial injury) from a severe fall caused leg amputation for a13 year old boy. The treating M.D. failed to properly diagnose or to consult the proper expert.

#807 - JAMES A. GEORGE, Baton Rouge, LA
DAVID H. BURROW, Houston, TX
Utilities / Burns-Bilateral Leg Amputation
MILLER v DIXIE ELECTRIC - $2,400,000
A 32 year old lineman grazed an energized power line while working in a cherry-picker. "One-shot" function on automatic recloser would have prevented repeated jolts and burns. No contributory negligence.

#808 - JOHN SILVIA, Fall River, MA
Wrongful Firing / Punitive Damages
MELLO v STOP & SHOP, INC. - $1,000,000
Middle Manager discovered a kick-back scheme, so Bradlee's brass moved him to Virginia, set him up in a hush-up distributorship and then hung him out to dry after a year.

#809 - STEVEN J. WEINBERG, Indio, CA
Medical Malpractice / Brain Damage
FLORES v GANNON - $2,250,000
Failure to properly monitor the 5 year old's vital signs during a routine tonsillectomy resulted in anoxic brain damage. The anesthetist attached EKG after the surgeon noticed blue blood.

#810 - FRANK J. D'AMICO, New Orleans, LA
Bus-Pedestrian / Multiple Injuries
DELPIT v NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC SERVICE - $6,100,000
French Quarter bus driver made a wide turn and struck a 3 year old boy. Defendant said the mother crossed before the traffic was clear but the Court said the mother's negligence couldn't be imputed to the child.

#811 - LAWRENCE WOBBROCK, Portland, OR
Medical Malpractice / Death of Mother
HANSEN v BROWN - $2,140,000
A six month delay in the failure to diagnose breast cancer caused the wrongful death of a 41 year old housewife and mother.  Wobbrock refused a $50k settlement offer.

#812 - RICHARD KUHLMAN, Chicago, IL
Premises-Hotel / Death of Guard
PUCALIK v HOLIDAY INNS, INC. - $1,250,000
An off-duty cop moonlighting as a security guard interrupted an armed robbery at the front desk of a Holiday Inn in a high crime area.  Architectural "Target Hardening" might have saved the 33 year old father.

#813 - GUY I. SMILEY, New York, NY
Negligent Elevator Servicing / Back Re-Injury
GARCIA v UNIVERSAL ELEVATOR - $1,600,000
Too much grease on the elevator cables meant that the brakes couldn't save the 44 year old workman from zipping from the 10th floor to the basement, aggravating a previous disc injury.

#814 - TIMOTHY J. AIKEN, Milwaukee, WI
Medical Malpractice / Brain Damage
SINGER v NICE - $2,337,144
A Family Practitioner failed to diagnose spinal meningitis in a 10 month old, resulting in spastic quadriparesis and severe mental retardation.  Damages argued to review panel.

#815 - TERRENCE HEGARTY, Chicago, IL
Civil Rights / Police Brutality
RIVERA v CITY OF CHICAGO - $1,004,181
An off-duty cop beats up a Mexican-American while his son watches. Very bad for the macho. Record high verdict against Police Officer for violation of civil rights.

#816 - WILLIAM M. CANNON, Milwaukee, WI
Malpractice / Seizures - Retardation
PIEFER v DEVITT - $3,050,000
This suit against a pediatrician alleged negligence in administering the third DPT shot and in failing to treat subsequent seizures for six months.

#817 - HARRY L. GRIFFITH, Ravena, OH
Car - Truck / Quadriparesis
REEVES v INTERSTATE TRUCKING - $10,500,000
An unemployed welfare recipient was a passenger in a car rendered an instant convertible after a collision with a truck with no side light backing perpendicularly across a two-lane black-top. All compensatory!

#818 - DANIEL M. BERGER, Pittsburgh, PA
Libel / Humiliation - Punitive Damages
DE SALLE v PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE - $2,210,000
Berger proved the disgraceful behavior of the Post Gazette based on an article alleging malfeasance of an Attorney writing a will which was later contested. $2 mil. in punitive damages.

#819 - JOHN FITZGERALD, Yonkers, NY
Premises - Apartment / Herniated Disc
LAWES v EMPIRE REALTY - $1,000,000
The landlord rented to a 68 year old blind man with no real intention of providing ordinary maintenance services. Just before the summation, the Judge refused to allow consideration of punitive damages.

#820 - RUSSELL REINER, Redding, CA
Jeep CJ-5 Roll-over / Wrongful Death
DUSTMAN v AMC JEEP - $3,882,500
One of our finest arguments on the nature of roll-over.  Reiner also argued for the 18 year old woman who died eight days after the accident.

#821 - MARY PARKER, Nashville, TN
Products / Ruptured Disc
MCABEE v OVERHEAD DOOR CORP. - $1,550,000
A case of human dignity versus corporate profit.  No human factors study was conducted by engineers on the safety of the product.  The defendant continued to market the equipment without making safety changes even after complaints.

#822 - DALE WILLIAMS, Waco, TX
Child Sexual Abuse / Exemplary Damages
SESSIONS v SESSIONS - $10,000,000
This wealthy Texas rancher thought he could get away with anything - even incest with his 13 year old daughter. But Williams persuaded his jury to put a price on monstrosity.

#823 - JOHN HOWIE, Dallas, TX
Aviation / Death of Father
ALTMAN v MOONEY AIRCRAFT - $2,882,000
Six years after the crash, Howie proved a design flaw at fault - not Mooney's theory of pilot error.

#824 - KENNETH L. PEDERSEN, Twin Falls, ID
Products - DPT Vaccine / Paralysis
TONER v LEDERLY - $1,131,000
How dangerous is DPT?  Pedersen persuaded his jury that the vaccine is too dangerous not to have sufficient warnings.

#825 - LEO V. BOYLE, Boston, MA
Negligence / Loss of Eye
BIELAT v AMERICAN OPTICAL - $2,700,000
Bielat ordered safety glasses but was issued regular street grade glasses instead.  An accident at work left him blinded in one eye.

#826 - PAULA SWEENEY, Dallas, TX
Medical Malpractice / Death of Father
JOHNSON v GIBBONS - $5,295,000
An inexperienced general surgeon botched an aortobifemeral bypass graft which ultimately took the life of a 47 year old father of five.

#827 - HELENE E. BLANK, New York, NY
Truck-Bicycle Collision / Multiple Fractures
FRISHWASSER v MENDEN LEASING - $3,250,000
A Manhattan bicyclist was run over by a truck which crushed her pelvis.  Blank turns Defense's "award vs. reward" concept against them.  Should the defense be "rewarded" because the plaintiff was highly motivated to recover from her catastrophic injuries?

#828 - ANNETTE M. GONTHIER, Salem, MA
Trip and Fall / Hip Fracture
HART v NISSEN BAKING CO. - $1,100,000
A 57 year old Junior High School home economics teacher tripped over a bread truck dolly lying in the hall.  No one else in the law firm wanted the case but Gonthier had the vision and saw the potential.

#829 - JUDITH LIVINGSTON, New York, NY
Medical Malpractice / Brain Damage
CHANG v BROOKDALE HOSPITAL $7,900,000
Was it child abuse or just a freak accident of nature that caused the infant's subdural fluid build-up?  Livingston proves that what may seem most logical isn't necessarily what happened.

#830 - LINDA TURLEY, Dallas, TX
Products Design - Farm Equipment / Death of Father
SCHWARTZ v JOHN DEERE, INC. - $4,250,000
John Deere tries cases like this all over the country and mostly loses on the defect but wins on contributory negligence.  Turley focuses on liability, cuts contrib. to 30% and wins $1.5 million in punitive damages for her client.

#831 - SHARON GREEN, Laas Vegas, NV
Defamation / Mental Anguish - Punitive Damages
RIDER v LFP, INC. & LARRY FLYNT - $8,650,000
Soft core porn magnate Flynt fired his wife's sister and her husband (Flynt's long-time body-guard) when the employee refused to perjure himself at Flynt's instructions.  Flynt then claimed his daughter, 14, was raped by Rider.

#832 - ANN MARIE MAGUIRE, Boston, MA
Work Accident / Elbow Fracture
DOHERTY v BOND BROS.- $4,500,000
Maguire helps her jury see through the Defense's "finger-pointing" to secure another of her million dollar verdicts for a 29-year-old iron worker whose shattered elbow and fused wrist rendered him totally occupationally disabled.

#833 - DIANA J. LUMSDEN, Boston, MA
Obstetrical Malpractice / Brain Damage
MULRONEY v MERRIMAC OB/GYN - $4,300,000
Products Design - Breast Implant / Disfigurement
MARTIN v COX-UPHOFF, INT'L - $5,000,000
In MULRONEY , a fetal monitoring electrode was passed through an infected vaginal area before being attached to the prenate, resulting in meningitis and severe brain damage. In MARTIN, inadequate warning and instructions for saline inflatable breast implant caused a trail of errors leading right back to the manufacturer.
Two Arguments - Counts As One Selection

#834 - KATHLEEN SULLIVAN, Boston, MA
Malpractice / Suicide of Woman
FISHER v STRONG - $1,830,000
Failure to diagnose a brain tumor as the cause of Ms. Fisher's depression led ultimately to her suicide.  The family was unaware of the existence of the tumor until Ms. Sullivan reviewed the hospital records.

#835 - JOHN BALLOW, Buffalo, NY
Auto Accident / Spinal Instability
MINSTERMAN v NATIONAL CAR RENTAL - $1,500,000
Because in New York the owner of the car is responsible for the driver's negligence and because the Minsterman accident was comprised of three different collisions, Ballow had to convince the jury that the rental car did the most damage.

#836 - JIM PLUMMER, Houston, TX
Bad Faith Claims Handling / Punitive Damages
SIMMONS v STATE FARM INSURANCE - $2,200,000
State Farm admitted they had certain obligations to the insured, including to give them the benefit of the doubt, and that their first duty was to find coverage and to exclude anything that would affect coverage. Plummer proved that State Farm was determined to find arson and bent over backwards to blame Simmons.

#837 - MICHAEL J. McGINNIS, Austin, TX
Whistleblower Act / Depression - Lost Earnings
GREEN v TEXAS DEPT. of HUMAN SERVICES - $13,619,831
Green spotted and reported shifty Department of Human Services procurement procedures. So the bosses hounded him until they could trump up a reason to fire him. Watergate notable Barbara Jordan testified on Green's behalf.

#838 - WYLIE AITKEN, Santa Ana, CA
County Liability / Partial Paralysis
SMALL v ORANGE COUNTY - $2,095,000
Small, 5, and her mother were visiting a park operated by Orange Co. when a mountain lion sprang from behind a bush and mauled her. Aitken argued that the Defendant was not liable for a wild animal's actions but was liable for failing to warn the public of the dangerous area.

#839 - DALE WILLIAMS, Waco, TX
Products Liability / Leukemia
OSBORNE v RACHELLE LABS - $3,000,000
Cloromphenicol was a veterinary antibiotic, intended for dogs, that could cause leukemia in 1 in 40,000 humans who eat beef improperly treated with the drug.  Williams' cowboy client wasn't warned that handling this drug could cause leukemia.

#840 - JAMES T. MURRAY, Sandusky, OH
Municipal Liability / Retinopathy of Prematurity
MILLER v CITY OF SANDUSKY - $7,894,000
An auto collision caused by a negligently designed and maintained construction project caused the pregnant Carol Miller to deliver her daughter three months prematurely, resulting in the child's retinopathy.

#841 - JERE LOCKE BEASLEY, Montgomery, AL
Mortgage Fraud / Punitive Damages
SMITH v UNION MORTGAGE CO. - $45,000,000
The scam was germinated in Finland and hatched in rural Alabama as well as other parts of the country.  Beasley unravels the scam, wins $9 million for each of his five clients and puts Union Mortgage out of business.

#842 - MERRICK DOMINITZ, Milwaukee, WI
Negligence - Assault / Child Molestation
DOE v ROE - $1,900,000
If the wife of a child molester knew what was going on, didn't she have a duty as a land owner to warn the neighborhood girls and their parents of the danger posed by the presence of the molester on her premises?

#843 - THOMAS A. DEMETRIO, Chicago, IL
Utilities / Incomplete Quadriplegia - Burns
HAUCK v CENTRAL TELE. CO. - $16,380,738
Hauck was on a roof bidding a job when he saw a couple of wires sagging to within five feet of the roof. Telephone wires, right?  Wrong!  When the phone company removed their wires (18 years ago), it also removed the down guy wire causing the sag in the high voltage wires that remained.

#844 - G. ROBERT FRIEDMAN, Houston, TX
Premises - Rape / Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
COBB v GREEN OAKS APARTMENTS - $3,380,000
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was the end result of the compromised immune system brought on by the stressors of the rape.  Friedman's eloquent summation was actually designed pre-trial to empower his jury to punish.

#845 - ROXANNE BARTON CONLIN, Des Moines, IA
Sex Harassment / Lost Earnings - Punitive Dam.
MONOHON v ESPE and BURRIDGE - $6,300,000
This landmark case by former ATLA President Conlin presents compelling evidence of the devastating effect sexual discrimination can have on women. One of the nation's largest verdicts for "outrageous conduct" in a workplace.

#846 - STEVEN SCHAFER, Boston, MA
Auto Accident / Multiple Injuries
LARIVIER v HARRIS et al - $1,251,885
With two defendants and Connecticut's "tort reformed" joint and several liability law, Schafer had to show which driver caused which of the multiple injuries to Ms. Larivier.  A carefully constructed summation kept the jury focused.

#847 - FRED MISKO, Dallas, TX
Workplace Negligence / Seizure Disorder
HOLLEY v LEWIS & LAMBERT - $3,147,500
Three plaintiffs were working in the prosthetics lab at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital when they were overcome by toxic and hazardous fumes due to improper ventilation in the lab.

#848 - MICHAEL WHITEHILL, Los Angeles, CA
Bad Faith Claims Handling / Punitive Damages
CLEVELAND v FIRE INSURANCE - $12,167,000
Cleveland bought the house next to his billiards parlor. The house was torched, Cleveland was cleared but the insurance investigators threatened to nail him if he filed a claim.

#849 - DONALD A. SHAPIRO, Chicago, IL
Malpractice-Diet Pills / Brain Damage
READY v YAP - $24,700,000
Yap prescribed and sold the diet pills which caused a heart attack leaving the 24 year old mother of three a spastic quadriplegic.  Largest verdict in Wisconsin history with no punitive damages awarded.

#850 - JAMES T. MURRAY, Sandusky, OH
County Liability / Death of Man
DICKERSON v THOMPSON - $6,915,000
Arthur and Duane were best of friends until one night when they availed themselves of the company liquor cabinet and got in a fight which left Arthur dead.

#851 - JAMES T. MURRAY, Sandusky, OH
Workplace / Multiple Injuries
ROHRBACHER v SANDUSKY-MILAN STEEL - $2,600,000
A 20' fall from a dangerous workstation was the result of an admitted "mental lapse." Although Rohrbacher completely recovered and was earning more than at the time of the accident, Murray proved that his injuries would eventually worsen over time.

#852 - PETER PERLMAN, Lexington, KY
Malpractice / Brain Damage
PERKINS v KING'S DAUGHTERS HOSP.- $2,500,000
All the classic signs were there indicating fetal distress yet the OB's "judgment call" was against a rapid C-section. The anoxia caused cerebral palsy. ATLA Past President Perlman kept the jury focused on the OB, not letting him "pass the buck" to the nurses.

#853 - KENNETH B COLE, Jr, Houston, TX
Products Design - Blasting Caps / Disfigurement - Punitive Damages
BECKNER v OWEN OIL TOOLS - $1,479,400
Blasting caps became chemically unstable after exposure to a combination of water and time. Defense tried to prove Cole's client was careless in his disposal of the caps.

#854 - THOMAS P. BECK, Pasadena, CA
Construction Site / Depressed Skull Fracture - Herniated Cervical Disk
PROCTOR v FRANKLIN STEEL - $6,896,264
This "live in the courtroom recording" features a battle over the quality of Proctor's future. Plaintiff contends he's mentally unable to return to sheet metal work. Defense showed he went to college after the accident and made straight A's in Pre-Med.

#855 - J. MICHAEL BLACK, Houston, TX
Premises - Wheelchair Ramp / FX - Ankle
HAZZARD v BAKER CONCRETE – $2,418,000
Pl. stumble while walking down the uneven surface of a wheelchair ramp poured by Def. resulted in a fractured ankle with permanent impairment.

#856 - JERRY McKERNAN, Baton Rouge, LA
Utilities - Gas Explosion / Burns
WHITE v GULF STATES GAS - $8,400,000
The Plaintiff, in jail at the time of trial, had previously attempted suicide by turning on the gas at his residence. Def. alleged he did the same thing in this case by turning on the gas and lighting a cigarette.

#857 - GREGORY S. CUSIMANO, Gadsden, LA
Business Tort / Lost Profits - Punitive Damages
PETERSON v SUPER VALUE STORES ..- $5,000,000
Peterson had worked up from the ranks for 25 years to become regional manager and was finally promised his own store. He bucked new management's policies so they hung him out to dry. Listen to how Cusimano takes a complicated case and simplifies it for his jury.

#859 - HENRY E. DUGAN, Jr, Baltimore, MD
Products - ATV / Brain Damage
CLARK v KAWASAKI - $4,500,000
Dugan's jury agreed that Kawasaki designed the KLF-185 for children to operate while they knew that kids would lack the experience, judgment and strength to safely drive it. The 20mph crash rendered boys, 15 and 12, brain damaged.
Highway Defect / Paraplegia

#860 - DAVID FEDOR, Columbia, SC
McKISSICK v KLECKLY CORP.- $10,000,000
Kleckly had a state contract to repair the highway but neglected to place warning signs, cones or barrels when they left a drop-off from the shoulder. Female MD was rendered paraplegic when her ambulance flipped.

#861 - ROBERT W. HILLIARD, Corpus Christi, TX
Products - Bendectin / Deformed Hand
HAVNER v MERRELL DOW PHARM – $30,000,000
Merrell-Dow ignored animal tests in the 1960’s which indicated that Bendectin, taken during pregnancy, caused birth defects. They also concealed data from the FDA during approval hearings.

#862 - THOMAS A. MALONE, Atlanta, GA
HMO Malpractice / Multiple Amputations
ADAMS v KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH - $45,500,000
The nurse answering Kaiser's after-hours emergency line contacted the MD on call but didn't fully explain the baby's condition. Nurse then directed Pl. to a Kaiser contracted hospital 40 miles away when several non-Kaiser hospitals were closer.

#864 - FREDERIC N. HALSTROM, Boston, MA
Premises - Punitive Damages / Death of Child
PARADIS v CONGRESS MANAGEMENT CO. - $1,900,000
A faulty front door lock prevented the family from escaping the apartment fire. Def. testified he was unaware that "double key locks" had been out-lawed for apartments..

#868 - BRETT ALAN PANTER, Miami, FL
Products - Scissor Lift / Fractures - Knees
PEREZ v AMERICAN AERIAL LIFT - $1,700,000
While painting a ceiling, Perez tripped over guard chains 29" from aerial platform's floor. OSHA and ANSI say the guard should be at least 39" high. Panter tried this as a strict products liability case.

#871 - FRANK J. RICCIO, Braintree, MA
Dram Shop - Punitive Damages / Death of Minor
CLANCY v QUINCY MOTEL CORP. - $4,750,000
Sean Clancy, 19, spent the night drinking at the local hot spot, where if you could stagger to the bar and say, "Two beers," you were deemed sober enough to be served. After closing time, he died after crashing his car into a tree at 100 mph..

#872 - PAUL D. WILSON, Boston, MA
Business Fraud / Loss of Profits
GARLAND v COMPUSERVE – $3,200,000
After leasing Pl.’s software for a year, Compuserve bought the company thinking they’d found a loop-hole to save millions. Wilson’s logical summation clarifies for his jury a very complex case.

#873 - KIM THORNE, Ft. Worth, TX
Workplace - Truck / Death of Man – Punitive Damages
HENDERSON v A, T & SF – $2,500,000
Railroad owned but failed to properly inspect the subassembly of the tractor-trailer. As Henderson negotiated a 25 mph exit off I-35, the trailer "dog-tracked" and rolled over, causing him multiple and eventually fatal injuries.

#874-ROBERT E. CARTWRIGHT, Jr, San Francisco, CA
Products - Radial Arm Saw / Amputated Hand was Surgically Reattached
DENDY v SEARS-ROEBUCK - $3,834,800
For twenty years, Sears sold the Emerson electric saw with no lower blade guard, causing hunredes of severed digits. Cartwright's jury sent a $3.2 million punitive message to Sears to stock safer saws.

#875 JEFF E. RUSK, Austin, TX
Products - Bed Rail / Death of Woman
TREW v SMITH & DAVIS MFG – $4,550,000
Largest verdict in New Mexico history won for estate of Alzheimer’s patient who strangled in the rails of her nursing home bed. Manufacturer ignored previous reports of injuries and deaths.

#877 JEFF E. RUSK, Austin, TX
Auto - Truck Collision / Death of Minor
RUSSELL v KITTLE – $3,200,000
Sixteen year old driver died after a rainy night crash with a tractor-trailer hauling a mobile home on a stretch of road locally known as a "death trap." Rusk's argument is noteworthy in the way in which it minimizes the young driver's inexperience.

#878 HARRY HERZOG, Houston, TX
Fraud - Royalties Scam / Emotional Dis. - Punitive
BAILEY v GRIFFITH – $1,700,000
A simple but ingenious scam to defraud neophyte royalty holders is unraveled by Herzog. The case was tried in Fayette County, where a verdict of $5,000 for mental anguish is considered worthy of celebration.

#879 NOEL A. GAGE, El Paso, TX
Harassment - Debt Collection / Emotional Distress - Punitive
DRISCOLL v HOUSEHOLD CREDIT – $11,000,000
Credit collectors launched a campaign of harassment which included death and bomb threats after the Driscolls fell behind on their VISA account.

#880 - AARON PEÑA, Jr, Edinburg, TX
Sexual Harassment / Emotional Distress - Punitive
FLORES v BORG-WARNER PROTECT. – $3,000,000
Wells Fargo manager had a history of hiring female security guards and trading sex for continued employment. Peña’s client found the courage to finally fight back.

#883 - ROBERT I. REARDON, Jr. - New London, CT
Auto Collision - Admited Liability / Death of Man
LOFTIS v WITLASH et al – $3,250,000
Accident reconstruction proved Def. liable for 11 pm head-on collision on a two lane highway. Reardon eloquently argues damages for a 20 year-old newlywed father "...at the threshold of life."

#884 - HOWARD L. NATIONS - Houston, TX
Products Liability / Death of Child
TAYLOR v XYZ COMPANY – $12,000,000
How does one evaluate the life of a child? Mr. Nations says, "You don't examine the death but the life which will never be." His eloquent summation on damages makes the jury feel the loss of the seven year old boy. One of our finest arguments on the loss of a child.