Perini v. MGM Mirage Design Group, the suit involving nearly a half-billion dollars in claims, has settled for a currently undisclosed amount, according to multiple sources. CVN will provide more information as it becomes available. 

Las Vegas—Shortly before opening statements were to begin in Perini v. MGM Mirage Design Group, the nearly $500-million construction defect suit involving MGM’s CityCenter development project, parties settled the case according to multiple sources. The terms of the settlement were not immediately disclosed, but CVN will provide more information as it becomes available.

The settlement ends years of legal wrangling between scores of parties. The lawsuit revolved around the Harmon Hotel, a 48-story, luxury tower intended to be the jewel of the $8.5 billion Las Vegas CityCenter development. Construction on the Harmon ceased in 2008, after inspectors determined the building was structurally unsound. The hotel sat empty as the rest of the CityCenter opened in 2009. The Harmon was eventually dismantled, as building contractors and property owners argued over the tower's fate and who should be held responsible. Contractor Tutor Perini Corp. and its subcontractors contended that MGM Mirage Design Group and other property owners owed them more than $492 million on the project, while the defendants claimed that Perini and its subcontractors were liable for defects that made the building uninhabitable.

The Attorney: Beth Wilkinson, for defendant Michael Rubin.

Even when a case is about numbers, it's about people... at least as far as jurors are concerned. In other words, as important as evidence like earnings reports and valuations may be to your case, if you can't tie them to a face, you risk turning that critical evidence into bloodless data and white noise to your jury. That's why it's important to tell your jury about the story the people responsible for those numbers, which Beth Wilkinson did in a case that revolved around a business's valuation: Novack v. GSI Commerce. 

On the docket: Trial is expected to begin next week in a Florida suit by a former Waste Management worker who lost his legs in a vehicular collision. Click here to watch the trial. 

Bradenton, FL—Jury selection is expected to begin December 8 in a suit by a former Waste Management worker who lost his legs after a vehicular collision pinned him to his truck in 2011. Johnson v. Drakulich, et al. 

Jerry Johnson and his wife Sabrina are suing Daniel Drakulich for damages they say Jerry Johnson sustained when the Jeep Wrangler Daniel was driving crossed lanes and struck Johnson, a Waste Management employee, as he waited by his disabled sanitation truck. According to reports, the collision, which occurred December 13, 2011, pinned Johnson to the truck, crushing his legs and pelvis. Doctors amputated both of Johnson’s legs, and he was hospitalized for more than five months following the accident. Documents filed with the court estimate that Johnson, now 43, will face more than $7.2 million in future medical expenses alone.

According to reports, Daniel was 19 when the collision occurred. The Johnsons’ suit also names Diane Drakulich and Jean Lucente, co-owners of the Jeep that Daniel was driving when the collision occurred.

Leo Blackman, a Waste Management worker who sustained minor injuries in the collision, is expected to be a key witness concerning the events surrounding the accident.

The trial is expected to last up to two weeks.