Jury Verdicts & Settlements

Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis

Jury Awards $103M in Age Discrimination Wrongful Firing Case

A Los Angeles jury returned a $103 million verdict in favor of a 49-year-old claims department employee who was terminated by her insurance company employer after 31 years of dedicated service. The jury found the company engaged in age discrimination, age-based harassment, and retaliation after the employee complained about the mistreatment. The panel awarded $20 million in compensatory damages and $83 million in punitive damages after concluding the employer acted with malice, oppression, and fraud.

Premises Liability

Jury Awards $9.6M in School Sexual Abuse Negligence Verdict

A Los Angeles jury awarded $9.6 million to a former Beverly Hills High School student who was sexually abused by a teacher and coach over three years in the late 1970s. The jury found the school district 60 percent responsible for failing to supervise and retain the employee, assigning the remaining 40 percent to the abuser. All twelve jurors unanimously found three district administrators negligent.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Queens Parkway Rear-End Car Accident Injury Verdict

On September 11, 2022, a violent rear-end collision occurred on the Grand Central Parkway near CitiField in Queens, New York. Debra Ottley slowed her 2021 Subaru due to heavy traffic when Jingwen Xue, operating a 2022 Honda, crashed into the back of her vehicle. The impact inflicted severe and permanent injuries, leaving Ottley with a permanent consequential limitation of a body member and significant structural impairments. Following a summary jury trial before Judge Joseph F. Kasper, the jury returned a total damages verdict of $175,000, including $75,000 for past pain and suffering and $100,000 for future care over 25 years. However, due to a binding pre-trial high/low stipulation executed by the parties, the Plaintiff's final recovery was legally capped at a fixed maximum sum of $25,000.

Labor and Employment Law

Whistleblower Executive Wins Retaliation Lawsuit

A California federal jury delivered a mixed verdict in a high-stakes corporate showdown involving the co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Surgical Theater, Inc. The executive claimed he was abruptly terminated in August 2022 after filing internal whistleblower reports exposing self-dealing, fiduciary breaches, and severe international data security vulnerabilities connected to the company's chairman and largest shareholder. While Surgical Theater maintained that the discharge was based on legitimate, independent business reasons and accused the executive of unauthorized theft of company funds, the jury ultimately found the company liable for whistleblower retaliation. In a balanced final judgment, the Court awarded the former CEO $300,000 for economic losses while simultaneously ordering him to pay $229,000 to Surgical Theater for breaching his fiduciary duties and exercising unlawful control over corporate money.

Labor and Employment Law

LAUSD Whistleblower Wins $1M Retaliation Verdict

A Los Angeles County jury leveled a $1,000,000 verdict against the Los Angeles Unified School District after determining that school officials unlawfully retaliated against employee Saif Hussain. Hussain filed suit following an adverse employment action that directly targeted his protected disclosures regarding school compliance with California building and safety regulations. While the school district maintained that its employment decisions rested entirely on legitimate, independent business reasons, the jury rejected the defense's position, finding that the district failed to prove its claims by clear and convincing evidence. The final judgment secured the full $1 million compensatory award for past non-economic losses alongside provisions for attorney fees and interest.

Labor and Employment Law

Disney Age Discrimination and Wrongful Termination Verdict

Two 60-year-old room service employees of Mexican descent, who had each dedicated over 33 years of service to the Grand Californian Hotel, were abruptly terminated in January 2019. The workers alleged that their supervisors subjected them to ageist and racist remarks, actively sought to replace older staff with younger hires, and ignored the severe physical and mental stress the hostility caused. The situation culminated when coworkers falsely accused the men of viewing pornography at work, which management used as a pretext for a summary termination without a meaningful investigation. Following a trial in December 2025, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found the corporate Disney entities liable for age discrimination and wrongful termination, awarding one of the veteran workers $1,306,812 in total damages.

Negligence

Dental Malpractice Lawsuit Results in Defense Verdict

A Los Angeles County jury returned a defense verdict in a dental malpractice lawsuit involving an extensive full-mouth reconstruction. The Plaintiff, Rinda Hall, alleged that a multi-year restorative treatment plan involving bone grafting, implants, crowns, and bridges was executed negligently, causing her crowns to break, her jaw alignment to fail, and her remaining teeth to be destroyed. The defense countered that the treatments met all professional standards, and that the patient's complications stemmed from the natural progression of her pre-existing dental condition. Ultimately, the jury determined that the treating dentist was not negligent, leading the Court to dismiss the complaint with prejudice and order the Plaintiff to pay all associated trial jury fees.

Labor and Employment Law

Race Discrimination & Wrongful Firing: $4.3M Jury Verdict

A San Joaquin County Superior Court jury returned a $4.31 million verdict against Community Medical Centers, Inc. for wrongfully terminating employee Randy Pinnelli. The jury found that Pinnelli’s race, his open opposition to workplace bias, and his formal internal complaints served as substantial motivating factors behind his sudden termination. Rejecting the defense's argument that the termination was performance-related, the panel determined that company leadership authorized and ratified the firing with malice, oppression, or fraud. The final award includes $1.81 million in compensatory damages for the firing and an additional $2.5 million for the company's independent failure to prevent racial discrimination and retaliation.

Insurance Law

Jury Backs Widow in $1M Life Insurance Lapse Lawsuit

A California widow took her late husband's life insurer to federal Court after it refused to pay the $1,000,000 benefit on his term life policy. The insurer said the policy had lapsed in March 2016 because a single monthly premium went unpaid. The widow argued the company never followed two California laws that require a 60-day grace period, a written 30-day notice before any termination, and an annual notice telling policyholders they can name someone else to receive lapse warnings. Her husband, who was incapacitated at the time, died in May 2016 while the family waited to learn the policy's status. After a trial before Judge Jinsook Ohta, the Court had already ruled the statutes applied to the policy and that the insurer broke the law by failing to notify her husband of his right to designate another person. On January 13, 2026, the jury sided with the widow, finding her husband did not knowingly let the policy lapse and that the insurer's missing notices caused the lapse.