CVN News

Free CVN Webinar: Breaking Down Historic $123M “Duck Boat” Crash Verdict- Part 2

Written by David Siegel | Jun 28, 2021 3:25:45 PM

Lead plaintiff attorney Karen Koehler dons a naval cap as she takes on the persona of a Duck Boat captain

On Thursday, July 1st at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific, Courtroom View Network will present a free webinar following up on our popular previous session featuring CVN’s exclusive gavel-to-gavel video coverage of a civil trial stemming from a “duck boat” crash and the lead trial attorney and trial consultant who successfully secured a $123 million verdict for multiple victims and their families.

Free Zoom registration link:

https://remotecounsel.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_33YRlqQmTnCF4_jgE6vN7g

Attorney Karen Koehler of Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore, along with the renowned trial consultant she consulted with on the case, Artemis Malekpour of Malekpour & Ball, will be joined by Randi McGinn of McGinn Montoya Love & Curry PA - who wasn’t part of the trial team but will offer her outside perspective as a veteran plaintiff’s trial attorney.

These three pros will curate numerous video clips from the trial, showcasing how Koehler and her team weaved together an incredibly complex array of facts, causes of action and range of injuries among multiple victims into a coherent narrative that a jury could absorb and understand. They will offer actionable, real-world advice that a trial attorney at any stage in their career will benefit from seeing.

The 2018 trial, which took place in Seattle in Washington state court, resulted from a crash involving a "Duck boat” amphibious tour vehicle that left five people dead and more than 60 injured.

The accident occurred on Seattle’s Aurora Bridge in 2015, when a “Ride The Ducks” vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a tour bus. Duck boats are repurposed World War II-era vehicles that can drive on roads and also function as a boat.

Koehler argued at trial that the crash was caused by a broken axle on the duck boat that could have been prevented, and the lack of a median divider on the road.

Thursday’s webinar will focus specifically on video clips showing how the trial team successfully dealt with:

- 4 months of trial with a mountain of evidence and testimony, off site vehicle inspection, damages and liability all mixed together

- Conceptualizing and delivering closing – getting the theme and sticking to it - and using the unorthodox tactic of building those arguments around emotionally-moving music (Koehler is especially known in the legal community for outside-the-box creativity in her openings and closings)

- Cleanly trying a case to protect against appealable issues and getting the judgment paid in a few months which rarely happens in a big case.

- Objectively analyzing the strengths and merits of the defense arguments and analyzing how/why they fell short in this case (time permitting)

 A generous time allotment for direct Q&A with webinar attendees at the conclusion of the panel's presentation. 

Part 1 of the webinar is available on-demand with a CVN subscription. Thursday’s live webinar is free with registration and open to all participants, and it will be available on-demand as part of a CVN subscription, which includes access to numerous other CVN webinars with top trial attorneys and the hundreds of civil trials in CVN’s online video library.

Don’t miss out on Thursday’s webinar for an educational, empathetic, fun and eye-opening look at trial practice that will leave you better equipped the next time you step in front of a jury.

Free Zoom registration link:

https://remotecounsel.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_33YRlqQmTnCF4_jgE6vN7g