Following a 4 day trial in Clayton County, Jack Parker obtained a favorable outcome for his client. This was an admitted fault accident involving a t-bone style collision. Plaintiffs had medical specials of $24,000 and $13,000 and treated consisted of initial ER visits and several months of chiropractic treatment. Plaintiffs had each received $25,000 in pre-suit settlements. They rejected additional settlement offers of $20,000 and $25,000 at mediation. Plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury to award each plaintiff well into the six figures. Attorney Parker asked the jury to award each plaintiff their medical bills and a reasonable amount for pain and suffering. The jury awarded $20,000 and $30,000 to the plaintiffs. Due to an offset from the prior plaintiff settlements, the plaintiffs will only receive $5,000 total as a result of the verdict.  

After three (3) full days of trial, on April 18, 2024, a DeKalb County jury found in favor of Ashley Rice’s client.  This was a refiled lawsuit that was reached for trial eight (8) years after the subject rear-end accident and six (6) years after the defendant had originally been sued.  Defendant admitted fault for the impact, which was relatively minor.  No one reported injury at the scene.  Plaintiff thereafter sought treatment for neck and back pain from the emergency room, a chiropractor, a neurologist, a physical therapist, and pain management.  She introduced bills totaling just over $35,000.  Plaintiff claimed MRIs showed a cervical herniated disc and lumbar disc bulge, though the defense’s expert radiologist read the same MRIs as showing a normal spine.  Despite having been in two (2) subsequent accidents, plaintiff took the position that her injuries from 2016 never fully resolved and she had been in continuous pain for eight (8) years.  Plaintiff asked the jury to award $250,000.  The defense’s pre-trial offer was $30,000.

Following a 4 day trial in Fulton County, Kyle Joyce and Matthew Hurst secured a defense verdict for their client. The case involved a disputed fault accident in which their client was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device. Further complicating matters was the fact their client appeared in court and pleaded guilty to the same. Both Plaintiffs fixed blame for the accident on the Defendant, as did Plaintiff’s accident reconstructionist and the investigating officer. Both Plaintiffs claimed serious shoulder injuries and were recommended to undergo surgery. At the close of trial, Plaintiffs’ counsel asked the jury to award more than a million dollars. Prior to filing suit, Plaintiffs rejected offers totaling more than $150,000.00. After deliberating for less than an hour, the jury returned with a defense verdict.

Following a three (3) day jury trial in Cobb County in March, Ashley Rice secured a verdict below the claimed medical special damages.  The plaintiff and Ms. Rice’s client were involved in a 2018 rear-end accident with minor damage to the vehicles.  Plaintiff did not report any injury at the scene but began treating within the week for shoulder pain he related to the accident.  He ultimately underwent right shoulder surgery and several months of physical therapy.  There was no evidence of any prior right shoulder problems and plaintiff incurred just over $88,000 in medical bills.  He had abandoned his previous claim for lost wages by the time of trial.  Plaintiff asked the jury to award over $690,000 for special damages and past/future pain and suffering.  The defense relied upon expert review of MRIs and surgical images that indicated most of the findings in plaintiff’s shoulder were due to wear and tear or otherwise pre-dated the accident.  Following four (4) hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of $55,000.

Hilliard Castilla and Taylor Ward recently secured a defense verdict on behalf of their client in Gwinnett State Court.  This was a classic “who ran the red light?” case where four (4) plaintiffs alleged that the defendant disregarded the traffic signal and caused a significant collision.  Plaintiffs claimed significant injuries, the most serious being a torn rotator cuff.  By pointing out inconsistencies in plaintiffs’ description of how the accident occurred, Mr. Castilla was able to draw their credibility into question.  The jury deliberated almost two (2) hours before returning with their verdict in favor of an understandably jubilant defendant.

After a 2 day trial in Dekalb County, Ben Harbin obtained a favorable outcome for his client. The case involved an admitted fault auto accident. Plaintiff claimed past medical specials of $117,000. The plaintiff took introduced the testimony of two (2) treating orthopedists. At the close of trial, the plaintiff asked the jury to award past medical specials of $117,000 and a reasonable amount for pain and suffering. The plaintiff’s last pretrial demand was for $100,000. The jury ultimately returned a verdict for $37,500.

On January 12, 2024, following a four (4) day trial, a Chatham County jury returned a defense verdict. Plaintiff claimed past medical specials of $279,000 which included a neck surgery and $51,000 in future medical expenses. The case resulted from a 2018 car accident involving a minor rear-end impact. Plaintiff was also involved in a subsequent accident three (3) months after the subject accident. The defendant admitted fault but disputed that the accident caused the extent of injuries the plaintiff claimed. Mr. Parker successfully impeached the plaintiff on cross-examination as to statements made at her deposition and in her medical records that showed her claims of severe injury had been greatly exaggerated.  In closing argument, Mr. Meyer asked the jury to award an amount that would compensate plaintiff for the early days of her treatment.  The plaintiff introduced testimony from multiple witnesses including two (2) of her treating physicians and a biomechanical expert. The defense introduced testimony from an orthopedic surgeon to counter plaintiff’s expert testimony about the severity of her injuries. Plaintiff asked the jury to award over $1,300,000 in damages. The defendant’s pre-suit statutory Offer of Settlement was $70,000.

On November 30, 2023, following a three (3) day trial, a Fulton County jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff of just $17,315.  This amount was well below the $152,000 in past medical bills and $97,000 surgical estimate the plaintiff presented.  The case resulted from a 2019 car accident involving a moderate rear-end impact with airbag deployment.  The named defendant admitted fault but disputed that the accident caused the extent of injuries the plaintiff claimed, including herniated cervical discs and a torn rotator cuff.  Ms. Rice’s client elected to defend as the named defendant at trial.  Ms. Rice successfully impeached the plaintiff on cross-examination as to statements made at deposition and in her medical records that showed her claims of severe injury had been greatly exaggerated.  Ms. Rice also introduced images and videos plaintiff had posted to her social media account showing that she continued to engage in her usual daily activities after the accident.  In closing argument, Ms. Rice asked the jury to award an amount that would compensate plaintiff for the early days of her treatment.  The plaintiff introduced testimony from eight (8) witnesses and asked the jury to award over $2,000,000 in damages.  The named defendant’s pre-suit offer was $20,000.  The jury’s verdict will result in no exposure for Ms. Rice’s client

After a two (2) day trial, Justin Sanders convinced a Clayton County jury to award plaintiff less than our pretrial offer. This was an admitted fault case. Plaintiff had $29,000 in bills for soft tissues injuries just prior to a subsequent accident. Plaintiff attempted to claim that she had a broken foot, however, Mr. Sanders was able to prove that records from the emergency room showed that she had no fractures. An MRI also confirmed plaintiff had no fractures. The court improperly excluded the defense expert the morning of trial. At closing, plaintiff’s counsel asked a jury to award $500,000, which included $500 an hour for pain and suffering. The defendant’s $25,000 liability limits had been tendered for a limited liability release. There was an additional $100,000 in UM coverage. Prior to trial, the UM carrier last offered $25,000. Mr. Sanders asked the jury to award what was reasonable, between $45,000 and $50,000. The jury awarded plaintiff $40,000 which means that the UM carrier will only have to pay $15,000.

Ben Harbin obtained a defense verdict in Gwinnett County.  This was an admitted fault case where plaintiff alleged $107,000 in medical expenses that included a wrist surgery. Mr. Harbin represented the UM carrier and was the sole and lead counsel at trial for the defense.  The liability carrier had already tendered the defendant’s $25,000 liability limits for a limited liability release. Plaintiff had expert testimony linking the wrist surgery to the accident.  Mr. Harbin was able to impeach the plaintiff regarding a subsequent accident, a prior wrist injury, and plaintiff’s memory of the position of his wrist during the accident.  The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff of $20,000. This was was less than liability limits paid, meaning the UM carrier paid nothing.  Plaintiff’s lowest demand was $200,000.