Jury Verdicts & Settlements

Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis

Jury Awards Damages Over Unlawful Post-Release Supervision

A federal jury in the Southern District of New York awarded compensatory damages to a class of individuals who were subjected to post-release supervision that no sentencing Court had ever imposed. The class action, brought against former New York State Department of Correctional Services and Division of Parole officials, alleged that the agencies continued administratively imposing and enforcing PRS terms even after the Second Circuit's 2006 ruling in Earley v. Murray declared the practice unconstitutional. The jury awarded $200 per day for unlawful supervision, $800 per day for wrongful incarceration stemming from PRS violations, and $100,000 to an individual class member for related harm.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Jury Awards $325K in Fatal School Vehicle Crash Suit

A jury in the Eastern District of California awarded $325,000 in noneconomic damages to a mother and her minor son following the wrongful death of the family's husband and father, who was killed when a Colusa County Office of Education employee struck him with a county-owned vehicle. The case, originally filed in Colusa County Superior Court and later removed to federal Court on diversity grounds, centered on claims of motor vehicle negligence and negligent hiring and supervision. After a jury trial before Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez, the parties stipulated to split the award equally between the surviving spouse and minor child.

Employment Discrimination

SF Transit Officer Loses Bias, Retaliation Jury Trial

A San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency parking supervisor sued the city, alleging years of ethnic slurs, disability-related mockery, and retaliation for opposing fraudulent ticketing quotas, claiming the hostility forced his constructive resignation. After a multi-week jury trial, the panel rejected his discrimination, retaliation, and harassment claims, finding the city had not subjected him to any adverse employment action, resulting in a full defense verdict and judgment for the city.

Employment Discrimination

Jury Clears Hospital in Nurse's Race Bias Claim

A dialysis nurse who alleged years of racially biased scheduling, unsupported discipline, and eventual wrongful termination took her employer to trial, only for the jury to reject her core discrimination claims against both the hospital and her supervisor. The case traced a long history of workplace grievances, a prior arbitration reinstatement, and disputed factual accounts between the nurse and hospital management before ending in a defense verdict.

Patent Infringement

LG Wins High-Stakes Smart TV Software Patent Trial

In a decisive victory for smart television manufacturers, LG Electronics successfully defeated an eleven-patent infringement lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas. Multimedia Technologies Pte. Ltd. alleged that LG’s webOS operating system copied proprietary technology governing on-screen channel grids, unified search mechanisms, and translucent application overlays. However, a unanimous jury returned a total defense verdict, finding zero infringement and explicitly ruling every single litigated patent claim invalid under a clear and convincing evidence standard. The final judgment commands that the Plaintiff recover nothing, cementing a complete vindication for LG’s software design.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Florida Jury Awards $1.3M in Car Accident Injury Case

A Florida jury found that a driver operating a vehicle owned by a rental company acted negligently when his vehicle collided with another motorist's car on Sand Lake Road in Orange County. The jury determined the injured driver suffered a permanent injury and awarded him a total of $1,315,651.60 in past and future medical expenses and pain and suffering damages. The Court entered final judgment holding both the driver and the rental company jointly and severally liable, with interest accruing at 9.15% per year.

Breach of Fiduciary Duty

SF Neighbors Awarded $120K in HOA Roof Deck Breach Case

A San Francisco jury found that neighbors on Broderick Street breached their homeowners association's covenants and their fiduciary duty when they removed a shared roof deck to repair their own roof, pulling a permit that misrepresented the property as a single-family home. The jury awarded the affected homeowners $120,000 while rejecting the Defendants' cross-claims for breach of CC&Rs, private nuisance, and negligence.

Personal Injury

Jury Clears Grill Retailer in Backyard Fireball Injury Case

A Sacramento County jury cleared California Backyard, Inc. of liability after a built-in gas barbeque grill it sold and later repaired emitted a large fireball, burning the Plaintiff's legs. Jurors found the grill had been misused or modified after leaving the retailer's possession in a way that was highly extraordinary and not reasonably foreseeable, and that this misuse was the sole cause of the Plaintiff's harm. The jury also found the retailer was not negligent in its prior repair of the grill and rejected the implied warranty of merchantability claim, finding the sale included notice disclaiming quality representations. The Court entered judgment in favor of the Defendant.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Lane Change Collision Results in $3.8M California Verdict

On March 13, 2022, Plaintiff Nguyet Thi My Luc was driving eastbound on West Calaveras Boulevard in Santa Clara County when an adjacent vehicle driven by Rony Omar Santos made an abrupt lane change, colliding with her car. Luc suffered severe bodily injuries, incurring substantial economic losses including medical expenses and a devastating loss of future household services. While the Defendant raised multiple affirmative defenses—including comparative negligence and exclusive workers' compensation jurisdiction—a Santa Clara County jury found Santos negligent and calculated total damages at $3,834,992.85.