Jury Verdicts & Settlements

Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis

Bicycle Accident Injury: Jury Awards Cyclist $28.1M

On October 21, 2020, Scott Souter was riding his bicycle along Maple Avenue in Hesperia, California, when an oncoming motor vehicle operated by Sandra Gonzalez-Rodriguez struck him. The collision occurred on public property managed by the City of Hesperia, causing Souter severe physical trauma, permanent impairments, and massive financial losses. Souter and his wife, Amy, filed an unlimited civil lawsuit alleging motor vehicle negligence and premises liability. While the defense argued comparative fault and statutory immunity, a San Bernardino County jury found the driver entirely negligent and cleared the cyclist of any blame. The Court ordered a final judgment awarding a combined $28,100,015.00 in total economic, non-economic, and loss of consortium damages.

Personal Injury

Jury Clears Corporate and Individual Defendants in Race Suit

A federal jury in the Southern District of New York found entirely in favor of the Defendants including CVS Health Corporation, Aetna-AHM, and several individuals—rejecting a Plaintiff's claims of workplace race discrimination, a hostile work environment, and battery. Following a full trial, the jury determined that the Plaintiff failed to establish liability under Title VII, Section 1981, or New York state and city human rights laws, resulting in a defense verdict with zero damages awarded

Motor Vehicle Accident

Pedestrian Sidewalk Crash Lawsuit Ends in City Settlement

A traffic incident on August 22, 2020, in Chino, California, triggered a multi-year lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and an LAPD detective. The legal battle began after a city-owned 2005 Honda CR-V, driven by Detective Alex Anthony Pozo, allegedly failed to stop for a red traffic light. This failure to yield forced a third-party vehicle to lose control and strike pedestrian James Thomas Simpson as he stood on a nearby sidewalk. James Simpson and his wife, Maria Luz Simpson, filed suit seeking economic and non-economic damages for severe bodily injuries, psychological trauma, and loss of spousal consortium. After the defense raised multiple statutory immunities and comparative fault arguments, the parties avoided trial by entering into a conditional settlement in April 2024.

Patent Infringement

$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.