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Miami, FL— Attorneys Tuesday debated who was responsible for the bicycle accident that severely injured a Florida woman’s arm, as trial opened against Miami-Dade County and a security company tasked with overseeing a subdivision exit gate. LaTour, et al. v. Miami-Dade County, et al., 2018-CA-000853. 

In any trial involving a corporate defendant, jurors can carry inherent, subconscious biases against that corporation, which may turn into a key hurdle for the defense. Introducing a defendant corporation in a way that gives it a “face” beyond the logo can be a powerful way to lay the critical groundwork for overcoming those biases. And in a trial over the cancer a man developed after taking diabetes medication Actos, D’Lesli Davis’ introduction of manufacturer Takeda painted the company as just "folks,” helping set up a defense win. 

Michael Goldberg and Joseph Fried discuss how they won a $16.2 million verdict in a crash case against Amazon. Learn how to watch the full discussion.

Framing a case as a system failure can be a particularly powerful approach in a plaintiff’s claim against a defendant company. And during a wide-ranging discussion of how they won a $16.2 million verdict in a groundbreaking crash trial against Amazon, Fried Goldberg’s Michael Goldberg and Joseph Fried detailed how they argued that the crash stemmed from a failure of the delivery giant's system. 

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Kailua-Kona, HI— A Hawaii state court jury handed down a $91 million verdict earlier this month against R.J. Reynolds after finding the tobacco company liable for the throat cancer of a long-time smoker. Manious v. R.J. Reynolds, 3CCV-22-72. 

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with comments from the attorneys.

Sarasota, FL— A Florida state court jury awarded more than $5.7 million Wednesday for the shattered leg and other injuries a teenager suffered in a 2022 crash. Gerlt v Odon, 2023-CA-001479.