Jury Verdicts & Settlements

Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis

Poke Bar Franchise Lawsuit Ends in Zero-Damage Verdict

JB Brothers, Inc., operator of the Poke Bar franchise system, entered a legal battle against a Hawaii licensee, accusing them of secretly co-owning a rival restaurant—Tropic Poke—and misappropriating proprietary recipes and branding. The licensee countersued, claiming JB Brothers misrepresented its trademark rights and franchise disclosure details. Following summary judgments that dismissed the bulk of the claims, the dispute culminated in a jury trial on the licensee's breach of contract counterclaim. While the jury found JB Brothers in breach, they determined no actual harm was done, awarding zero damages and leaving both sides without a financial recovery.

Patent Infringement

Jury Rules on Corporate Control in Chip Patent Suit

A technology patent holder accused a major chipmaker of infringing three patents covering cache voltage scaling, memory operating voltage control, and clock speed management in processors, seeking damages, an injunction, and a finding of willful infringement. After years of litigation involving multiple consolidated actions and counterclaims challenging the patents' validity, a federal jury in the Western District of Texas returned a verdict centered not on the technical infringement questions but on a corporate ownership issue — whether an investment firm had controlled both the patent holder and an affiliated company after a specified date. The jury sided with the chipmaker on this threshold question, a finding that determined the outcome of the case.

Premises Liability

Bar Security Negligence Verdict Nets $275K Award

A Pennsylvania jury awarded $275,000 to a bar patron who was taken to the ground by security staff outside a Pittsburgh restaurant and saloon after closing hours. The Plaintiff alleged that security guards used excessive force against him after he had already left the premises and posed no threat, while the bar argued its staff acted reasonably to break up a fight. The jury found the bar negligent and, despite also finding the Plaintiff negligent, determined his conduct did not factually contribute to his own injuries, allowing him to recover the full award without any reduction for comparative fault.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Jury Awards $4.7M in SF Crosswalk Death, Injury Case

A San Francisco jury delivered a special verdict awarding more than $6.7 million combined to the family of Lovisa Svallingson and to her partner, Daniel Ramos, after a Chevrolet Avalanche driver used an unprotected bicycle lane as a traffic bypass, collided with another vehicle, and rolled into the pedestrians crossing Polk Street at Hayes Street. The jury placed full fault on the Avalanche driver, cleared the other motorist of negligence, and found that the city-owned intersection was not in a dangerous condition.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Truck Rear-End Crash Verdict Reduced by Comparative Fault

Antonio Pagan sued Dwight Benjamin Herman and JJ's Waste & Recycling, LLC, after Herman's 2021 Mack truck rear-ended Pagan's vehicle at a red light on Dean Road in Orlando on December 6, 2021. The jury found both parties negligent, split fault 50/50, awarded $15,000 in past medical expenses, and denied permanent injury. After comparative fault reduction and collateral source setoff, the Court entered final judgment for $1,370.15.

Breach of Contract

Jury Awards $1.1M to Fired Media Executive in Breach Suit

A jury in the Southern District of New York awarded $1,105,269 to Andrew Q. Kraft, a former president of The Arena Group Holdings Inc., after finding the company failed to prove it furnished him with proper written notice of a for-cause termination. The jury rejected all three of Arena's counterclaims alleging breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent concealment, and failure to disclose material facts to the Compensation Committee. The judgment included severance, COBRA reimbursement, and unpaid quarterly bonuses, plus prejudgment interest at nine percent per annum.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Jury Returns Defense Verdict in School Driveway Car Crash

Yvette Gulesserian sued Nina Margarian Akopian over a September 2018 rear-end collision on the driveway of the Vahan & Anoush Chamlian Armenian School in Glendale. Gulesserian alleged Akopian drove a 2011 Honda Odyssey at excessive speed and struck the rear of her 2017 Maserati Ghibli while it was stopped behind other vehicles during school pickup. She brought claims for negligence and negligence per se, citing California Vehicle Code Sections 21703 and 22350. The defense denied all allegations and raised ten affirmative defenses, including that Gulesserian stopped suddenly without justification and failed to wear a seatbelt. After trial in January 2026 at the Los Angeles Superior Court, the jury answered no to the threshold causation question on the special verdict form, and the Court entered judgment in favor of the Defendant.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Jury Awards $425K for High-Speed Rear-End Crash on I-84

A Waterbury, Connecticut, jury awarded $425,000 to a mother who suffered cervical disc herniations and other serious injuries after a driver traveling approximately 100 miles per hour rear-ended her family's vehicle on Interstate 84 in the early morning hours of July 31, 2021. The high-speed impact pushed both vehicles across the roadway and caused the Defendant's car to burst into flames.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Jury Awards $54K for Underinsured Motorist Claim

Following a rear-end collision on Park Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Plaintiff Victoria Dare-Zinycz sought underinsured motorist benefits from her insurer, The Standard Fire Insurance Company, after the tortfeasor's liability coverage fell short. The crash resulted in permanent injuries to her cervical spine, along with lumbar strains and ongoing physical therapy. While the defense raised several special defenses aiming to reduce liability based on policy limits and collateral source payments, the Connecticut Superior Court jury found in favor of the Plaintiff, awarding $54,000 in non-economic damages for pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.