Jury Verdicts & Settlements

Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis

Jury Rules in Favor of Jail Officer in Excessive Force Suit

Following a physical altercation over uniform shorts hanging on a cell door at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, pretrial detainee Keschener Destin filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Corrections Officer E. Loiseau and the Miami-Dade Corrections Department. Destin alleged excessive force, racial discrimination, and a failure by the department to properly train its staff, pointing to injuries including partial vision loss and severe emotional distress from 118 days in solitary confinement. The defense argued qualified immunity, stating the officer acted reasonably in self-defense against an aggressive inmate. On June 2, 2026, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a complete defense verdict, finding no constitutional violations occurred.

Tort -General

Portland Cider Riot May Day Attack Jury Verdict Guide

On May 1, 2019, an open International Workers' Day celebration at the Cider Riot pub in Portland, Oregon, turned into a scene of violent conflict. Approximately 20 heavily geared and armed individuals affiliated with the right-wing group Patriot Prayer USA descended upon the property. The confrontation quickly escalated into physical warfare as the group deployed chemical sprays and struck patrons with weapons, leaving one customer with a broken vertebra. The business and its owner, Abram Goldman-Armstrong, filed a civil suit against several participants, alleging trespass, intentional interference with economic relations, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. On January 30, 2026, a Multnomah County Circuit Court jury held the Defendants accountable, awarding $600,000 in compensatory damages for emotional trauma alongside $160,000 in punitive damages to penalize and deter the malicious conduct.

Civil Rights Litigation

Jury Rejects Inmate Excessive Force Claim Against Guards

Alexander Jewell, an incarcerated individual at Green Haven Correctional Facility, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Sergeant Daniel Mulligan, Officer Peter Link, and Sergeant Michel Blot under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Jewell alleged that after a brief yard fight on April 6, 2019, he complied with orders and was handcuffed, after which officers subjected him to a brutal, coordinated beating that left him unconscious. He claimed he suffered a torn knee requiring surgery, hearing loss from an ear injury, and broken ribs, and that supervisors failed to intervene and later threatened him in the infirmary to cover up the assault. The Defendants denied all allegations, asserting they acted reasonably to restore order and that Jewell's injuries stemmed from the initial fight with another inmate. Following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, a jury found completely in favor of the correction staff on all counts, resulting in the total dismissal of the complaint with prejudice.

Construction Law

Jury Rules in Favor of Engineer in Home Design Fee Dispute

A Riverside homeowner sued an engineering firm after paying over $12,500 for home construction plans that never received city approval. After years of delays and a failed permit application, the case went to trial in San Bernardino County. The jury found that the money paid was actually used for the Plaintiff's benefit, ending her damages claim entirely and delivering a defense verdict in favor of the engineer.

Personal Injury

Jury Awards Damages in Uber Passenger Sexual Battery Case

In a significant development within the broader Uber passenger safety litigation, a jury in the Western District of North Carolina reached a verdict regarding a 2019 assault. The Plaintiff, WHB 823, alleged that she suffered a sexual battery at the hands of her driver, Jeffrey Richardson, during a ride facilitated by the Uber app. While the case involved complex claims regarding Uber’s safety protocols and corporate liability, the jury’s final decision centered on the physical battery committed by the driver. On April 20, 2026, the jury officially found that the battery occurred and awarded the Plaintiff $5,000.00 in compensatory damages.

Civil Rights Litigation

Son Wins $1.6M Inheritance Feud Over Father’s Dementia Will

After Ronald H. Wise was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, his wife, Marsha Wise, allegedly isolated him and pressured him into signing a trust amendment that disinherited his three children. While the original 2020 trust distributed the $6.8 million estate among the family, the 2021 "Purported Amendment" left nearly everything to Marsha. Robert Wise sued, claiming his father lacked the mental capacity to make such changes and that Marsha had exerted undue influence. In March 2026, a Washington County jury sided with Robert, finding that Marsha had intentionally interfered with his inheritance and awarding him damages equal to his original 24% share.

Civil Rights Litigation

Inmate Wins $37,502 in Prison Cell Search Setup Lawsuit

A federal jury in Pittsburgh handed a Pennsylvania state prisoner a partial victory in his civil rights lawsuit against four corrections officials at SCI Greene, awarding him $37,502 in damages over a 2018 cell search he said was rigged from the start. The inmate, who is serving two consecutive life sentences, claimed that staff planted a glove with white powder in his cell, falsified drug test results, and locked him away in a mental health unit for weeks even though he carried no psychiatric diagnosis. The jury sided with him on two of his four Section 1983 claims, hitting the unit manager with $37,500 in punitive damages while clearing two other officers of any wrongdoing.

Wrongful Termination/Employment

Evans v. POST: $8.3M Whistleblower Retaliation Verdict

Tamara Evans, a long-term consultant for the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST), discovered that a Southern California training center was inflating invoices for federal grant programs. When she refused to approve the unsupported payments and reported the potential fraud, her superiors pressured her to remain silent. Following a state audit that confirmed her concerns, the agency stripped Evans of her duties and eventually terminated her employment in 2013. A federal jury determined that Evans was a victim of whistleblower retaliation, initially awarding her over $8.7 million for lost wages and the severe emotional distress she suffered after her career in law enforcement was destroyed.

Constitutional and Civil Rights

SCVTA v. Wu: $1.4M Eminent Domain Jury Verdict

In Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority v. Aiguo Wu, a Santa Clara County jury returned a significant verdict in favor of a property owner facing condemnation for a public infrastructure project. The case centered on the VTA's use of eminent domain to acquire fee simple ownership, utility easements, and temporary construction easements from the defendant. While the government entity had established a right to take the property as of August 7, 2023, the parties disputed the "just compensation" owed. The jury ultimately rejected the Authority's initial valuations, awarding the landowner $551,600 for the land acquisition and a combined $57,087 for the easements. Crucially, the verdict included $668,440 in "severance damages" for the reduction in value to the remaining property and an additional $170,076 for well replacement costs, determining that the Authority's previous payment of $177,650 for the well was insufficient. The total award exceeded $1.4 million.