Andrew Pickett, left, and Juan Ruiz deliver closings in a damages-only trial over the death of a 32-year-old Florida man in a late-night crash. Watch the trial.
Tampa, FL— Jurors this week awarded more than $9 million to the parents of a Florida man killed in a 2022 crash with a drunk driver. Butler v. Feliu, 2023-CA-006705.
The award, by a Florida state court jury in the 13th Circuit, includes $9 million in compensatory damages and $75,000 in punitives imposed against Emmanuel Feliu, for the late-night collision that killed 32-year-old Mitchell Menes. Feliu, whose blood-alcohol concentration was found to have exceeded the legal limit after the crash, was ultimately convicted of DUI manslaughter.
Feliu admitted fault for the crash, limiting the three-day trial to a determination of damages. In Wednesday’s closings of the first phase of trial, to determine compensatory damages, Andrew Pickett Law’s Andrew Pickett, representing Menes’ parents, reminded jurors of evidence he said showed the devastating impact of their son’s death. Pickett noted a psychologist’s conclusion that both parents suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and that fallout from their grief was life-long.
“This is not the natural order of things,” Pickett told jurors Wednesday during a closing in which he ultimately suggested a roughly $95.7 million compensatory award. “When somebody loses a spouse they become a widow. When somebody loses a parent they become an orphan. But we don’t have a word for what it’s like to lose a son, because that’s just something that’s beyond comprehension.”
But Luks Santaniello Petrillo & Cohen’s Juan Ruiz, representing Feliu, noted that Menes was an adult living his own independent life at the time of the crash. And he pushed back on the PTSD conclusions made by plaintiff’s expert, while noting evidence that he said showed both parents had improved emotionally over time.
“My job here is not to minimize anyone’s loss,” Ruiz said in closings, before ultimately suggesting a $2 million compensatory award. “It’s a loss that is extraordinarily personal [to Menes’ parents]. My job is to guide you through looking at this testimony objectively.”
In a statement to CVN after the verdict, Pickett said the award made a resounding point about the circumstances surrounding the crash.
“This case represents a devastating and entirely preventable tragedy,” Pickett stated. “While no verdict can replace the loss of a loved one, this outcome sends a strong message about accountability and the importance of safe, responsible choices behind the wheel.”
CVN has reached out to Ruiz and will update this article with his comments.
Email Arlin Crisco at acrisco@cvn.com.
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