Below you will find selected results from some of the cases for which our attorneys have acted as lead counsel. Because every case is unique, and no two cases are alike, these figures are neither an indication of what you may receive in a similar case nor a guarantee of a similar result. We present them to you to show both the range of our experience and the types of results we have achieved. If you have specific questions about your matter, please contact one of our attorneys today for a free initial consultation.

Verdicts for the plaintiff

Below is a sample of our results in actual trials where at least one of our attorneys was lead counsel and where the jury reached a unanimous verdict.

A teenage driver drove her car into a canal that ran adjacent to a housing complex. She suffered profound neurologic injury. Plaintiff’s counsel alleged that the roadway was improperly designed and guarded, making it foreseeable that accidents just like this one could occur. The defendant denied any negligence, and contended that the plaintiff was responsible for the crash. The result at the time was the largest personal injury verdict in Dade County, Florida history.
Result: $18M verdict for the plaintiff.

A man was killed on North Carolina roadways when two teenagers were speeding and collided with the man’s vehicle. A lawsuit was filed and plaintiff’s counsel alleged that the type of driving the teenagers were engaged in was extremely dangerous and a threat to the safety of all of North Carolina’s drivers. The defendants contested the plaintiff’s allegations.

Result: $925,000 verdict for the plaintiff.

During the course of open or laparoscopic cholecystectomies (commonly known as gall bladder removal) a patient’s safety is dramatically endangered if the common bile duct is divided. This all too frequent occurrence can result in major reconstructive surgery or even death. In one such case plaintiff’s counsel argued this occurrence was the result of surgical malpractice. The defendant surgeon denied any wrongdoing and contended that the bile duct division was an inherent risk of the procedure.

Result: $850,000 verdict for the plaintiff.

A major hospital in North Carolina treated a Muslim woman for miscarriage. The miscarried fetal remains were destroyed, making a proper Muslim burial impossible. Counsel for the plaintiff filed a lawsuit and brought the matter before a jury alleging that the remains were improperly disposed of and against the parent’s wishes. The parents suffered deep emotional distress as a result. The hospital defended on the grounds that the fetal remains were properly disposed of pursuant to hospital policy, and that any parental emotional distress was more than likely the result of the miscarriage, instead of the misplaced remains.

Result: $110,000 verdict for the plaintiff.

At law, a verdict is a final answer or finding on a question submitted to a jury (in NC, a jury of twelve). The word comes from the latin verus meaning “true” and dictum meaning “to speak”. So to render a verdict in our courts means that the jury is speaking the truth.

Post-suit settlements

The information below conveys settlement information for cases where litigation was commenced, but the parties resolved their dispute prior to trial before a jury. Only non-privileged, non-confidential information is revealed.

It was contended by counsel for the plaintiff that a major academic medical institution delayed diagnosing a craniopharyngioma in a young child. Counsel for the plaintiff argued that the unwarranted delay caused, among other things, the child’s blindness. The defendant claimed that she was only seen twice and did not exhibit signs or symptoms for the diagnosis at either encounter.

Result: confidential settlement

In a lawsuit against a major academic teaching center, it was alleged that the patient’s medical providers failed to properly monitor oxygen saturation levels in a young child. Counsel for the child contended that the breakdown in proper oxygen monitoring resulted in permanent and irreversible brain injury. The defendant denied all claims by the plaintiff and alleged that all care delivered was proper.

Result: confidential settlement

A 15-passenger van, filled with school-aged children, was struck by another vehicle and rolled over several times. Some children were ejected from the van despite their seatbelts being secured prior to the accident. We filed suit against the manufacturer and defendant driver alleging the driver failed to yield, and the manufacturer improperly designed the van interior allowing the seatbelts to unlatch and the children to eject. Both defendants denied any wrongdoing and contended that the injuries the children suffered were not that severe.

Result: confidential settlement for all plaintiffs

A pregnant mother was administered chemotherapy. At that time, the obstetrician diagnosed the mother’s pregnancy as a molar pregnancy. The child was born blind and a lawsuit was filed contending that had the doctor not improperly diagnosed the pregnancy, the child’s blindness would have been prevented. The defendant vigorously defended all claims and denied any wrongdoing and asserted the sole cause was the mother’s negligence.

Result: confidential settlement

Following bariatric (obesity) surgery, a woman died leaving behind a husband and grown children. A lawsuit was filed alleging wrongful death against the surgeons. The defendants denied any breach of the standard of care and contended that death was not the result of negligence.

Result: $850,000 settlement for the estate

A young woman was driving home from college to spend a long weekend with her parents. Her car was struck by another vehicle resulting in only minor property damage, yet the side airbag of her vehicle deployed irregularly and struck the woman’s eye causing significant long-term impairment to her vision. The defendant manufacturer contended that the airbag deployed as intended and that the injury was the result of collision forces.

Result: confidential settlement for the plaintiff

A child suffered serious injury to its brachial plexus resulting in Erb’s palsy. Counsel for the plaintiff filed a lawsuit alleging the obstetrician / gynecologist (OB/GYN) failed to properly perform the required maneuvers in a shoulder dystocia delivery. The defendant doctor denied improperly delivering the child and contested the severity of the child’s injuries.

Result: $400,000 settlement for the child

Pre-suit settlements

The below are results where our clients accepted an offer to settle their dispute with the defendant prior to any lawsuit ever being filed.

Routine pediatric surgery gone awry - A young child’s brachial plexus was injured during a routine pediatric surgery. The child needed additional surgery to repair the injury, but the parents had no way to pay for the additional costs. The parents met with the surgeon’s insurance carrier, and the carrier offered no assistance, insisting that the result, though poor, was an accepted risk of the procedure. Our firm was hired by the parents and within 120 days of our demand being communicated, a satisfactory confidential settlement for the child was reached. The offending medical practice has since modified its post-operative care delivered to pediatric patients resulting in the ability to more quickly detect when things go wrong.

Defective and dangerous ride-on toys - A young girl was injured while operating a ride-on toy designed and marketed by a major toy manufacturer. The toy manufacturer’s attorneys contacted the family shortly after learning of the accident, but denied any wrongdoing, only offering to purchase the family a new toy at their convenience. Our investigation revealed several safety flaws in the toy and we communicated these to the manufacturer and their regulator. Shortly after, a pre-suit mediation was held and the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. The terms of the mediated agreement remain confidential but the defects discovered are no longer found on the toys.

Senior citizen injured from nursing home neglect - A senior citizen resided at a nursing home and became ill during the final years of his life. His illness was not properly recognized by the nursing home, and his complaints fell on deaf ears. After his death, the family asked us to investigate charges of neglect at the home. Our investigation showed that the home was not properly supervising its employees, leading to a breakdown in care for its residents. We contacted the defendant nursing home and showed them our results. They agreed to mediate with us pre-suit where a mutually satisfactory result was reached. In addition, the nursing home has now significantly changed its procedures for monitoring employees.

Airbag deploys for no reason - A middle-aged father drove his vehicle to work in the early morning on a dry and clear day. His vehicle unexpectedly crossed the centerline and struck an oncoming truck head on. He died from the collision. For some reason, the family did not accept the official report: that their father fell asleep at the wheel. Their personal injury attorney hired us to investigate and we found evidence that indicated the airbag had in fact fired seconds before the collision with the truck, causing the vehicle to veer out of control and cross the centerline. The cause of the airbag going off was never determined but we contacted the manufacturer and showed them results of our investigation. A pre-suit mediation was held and a satisfactory resolution was reached.

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