Jury Verdicts & Settlements

Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis

$11.5M Smart Thermostat Patent Verdict Vacated on Appeal

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Texas found a Canadian smart thermostat manufacturer infringed four wireless building automation patents and awarded $11.5 million in lump sum damages. The Defendant challenged the verdict on appeal, and the Federal Circuit vacated the infringement and damages judgments, ordering a new trial after finding the verdict form improperly combined all patents into a single infringement question.

Negligence

Jury Awards $2.27M to Tenant for Toxic Mold Exposure

A Los Angeles County jury returned a $2,273,270 verdict in favor of a tenant who was exposed to toxic mold at his Sherman Oaks apartment after property owners and managers failed to properly remediate the contamination despite repeated complaints. The jury found both defendants liable for breach of implied warranty of habitability, negligence, and constructive eviction, assigning zero fault to the tenant.

Securities Fraud

Exxon Mobil Wins Decade-Old Federal Securities Fraud Trial

A Texas federal jury delivered a complete defense verdict in favor of Exxon Mobil Corp., clearing the energy giant of decade-old securities fraud claims. Shareholders had alleged the company misled investors regarding the valuation of its Canadian bitumen and Rocky Mountain dry gas operations, as well as the impact of climate change on asset write-downs. The jury concluded that Exxon did not violate federal securities laws, accepting the defense's arguments that corporate representations were not materially false and asset assessments did not improperly inflate stock prices.

Police Misconduct

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.

Intellectual Property Law

$40M Jury Verdict: Tech Usurpation and Unjust Enrichment

Taxinet Corporation partnered with former politician Santiago Leon to pitch its established Ecuadorian ride-hailing mobile application to government officials in Mexico City. Relying on oral joint venture agreements, Taxinet shared its proprietary tech infrastructure, app backend configurations, database architecture, and financial forecasting models. Once the municipal logistics contract was secured, Leon abruptly severed corporate ties, refused to execute a non-disclosure agreement, and allegedly told the Secretary of Mobility that Taxinet’s software was a fraud. Leon then utilized Taxinet's operational blueprints to launch a copycat ride-hailing program called Libre through his own separate entity. Following a federal trial, the jury found that Leon had been unjustly enriched by stripping Taxinet of its assets and awarded the Plaintiff $40,000,000 in compensatory damages.

Motor Vehicle Accident

$176M Verdict for Family After Fatal Street Racing Crash

On September 29, 2020, a horrific street racing incident shattered the Iskander family during an evening walk in Westlake Village, California. While crossing Triunfo Canyon Road inside a lawful, marked crosswalk, 11-year-old Mark and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander were struck by a speeding Mercedes GLE driven by Rebecca June Grossman. Grossman, who was racing her boyfriend Scott Erickson at speeds reaching 70 mph in a 45 mph zone while under the influence of alcohol, failed to yield and fled the scene after the catastrophic impact. The boys died from severe blunt force trauma, while their mother and younger brother directly witnessed the tragedy. Following an emotional trial, a Los Angeles County jury found Grossman and Erickson negligent, delivering a historic $176,000,000 verdict for wrongful death and severe emotional distress.

Employment Discrimination

Arizona Race Discrimination & Hostile Work Environment Trial

Michael L. Ruiz, a long-term Mexican American employee and Director of Marketing at Magellan Financial & Insurance Services, LLC, initiated federal litigation alleging severe workplace discrimination and wrongful termination based on his race and national origin. Ruiz claimed his supervisor targeted his heritage through continuous verbal harassment, stripped away his professional responsibilities to make him run personal errands, and eventually terminated his employment under the false pretext of a lack of available work. Magellan completely denied all allegations, maintaining that all personnel adjustments were driven strictly by legitimate, non-discriminatory business needs. Following a trial in the District of Arizona, the jury systematically rejected the Plaintiff's claims under Section 1981 and Title VII, resulting in a total defense verdict and a dismissal of the action with prejudice.

Premises Liability

California Jury Awards Over $2M in Store Slip and Fall

On December 4, 2019, shopper Richard Vega suffered severe physical and emotional injuries when he slipped on a wet surface immediately upon entering a Walmart Supercenter in Anaheim, California. Vega filed a premises liability lawsuit against Walmart, Inc. in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange, alleging that the retail giant failed to maintain a safe environment and neglected to correct a known hazard. While Walmart argued comparative negligence on the part of the shopper, the jury ultimately found the retailer overwhelmingly responsible for the hazardous condition. On January 27, 2026, the jury returned a special verdict totaling $2,091,371.58, awarding substantial damages for future medical care as well as past and future pain and suffering.

Breach of Contract

MN Jury Awards $900K for Fraud in Hemp THC Joint Venture

In Jon Wood, et al. v. Lift Bridge Brewing Technologies, LLC, et al., a group of investors known as the Tutus Parties filed suit after their joint venture to launch a hemp-derived THC and CBD beverage brand, Lyvly, Inc., collapsed. The Plaintiffs alleged that Lift Bridge Brewing and its executives fraudulently concealed a local city moratorium that banned cannabis manufacturing, failed to deliver viable product samples, and misallocated startup capital to promote their own beer products. While Lift Bridge argued the relationship was strictly bound by a manufacturing contract and failed due to a lack of investor funding, the Washington County District Court jury found that a legal joint venture existed. The jury held Lift Bridge liable for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, awarding the Plaintiffs $900,000 in damages.