CVN screenshot of defense attorney Michael Amaro delivering his closing argument
Los Angeles, CA - A California state court jury cleared Six Flags Magic Mountain of all liability on Thursday in a long-running lawsuit alleging a roller coaster at the amusement park caused a girl's traumatic brain injury, and the full trial was recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
The Los Angeles County jury returned their verdict one day after hearing closing arguments in a trial that began on on August 4. They found in a 10-2 decision that the Green Lantern coaster did not cause injuries to plaintiff Talia Wise, who claimed the ride caused damage to her brain in 2015 when she was 13-years-old.
Wise’s attorneys sought roughly $34.7 million in damages, but Six Flags successfully argued that Wise’s medical records contradicted her claimed injuries, and that she went on to lead a productive life after the incident, including gaining admission to several colleges.
Gavel-to-gavel video of the full trial, including all witness testimony, is available with a monthly or annual subscription to CVN’s online trial video library. CVN video library subscribers get unlimited on-demand access to hundreds of civil trials in a wide range of practice areas featuring many of the top plaintiff and defense attorneys in the country.
Attorney Sanaz Cherazaie of Amaro Baldwin, who represented Six Flags, told CVN after the trial that her team is pleased with the jury’s finding, which she said was based on Magic Mountain’s “longstanding culture of safety in everything it does.”
“Safety of guests at Magic Mountain, and all Six Flags parks is one of the most important aspects of operation,” Cherazaie said. “The jurors noted that they were especially impressed by the knowledge and integrity of Magic Mountain's employees, as well as the many levels of safety tests and inspections involved with the rides.”
Attorneys for Wise did not respond to a request for comment.
Wise’s legal team argued the Green Lantern, which closed in 2019 after generating some controversy among coaster enthusiasts, utilized a supposedly unsafe design that provided riders with individually spinning seats.
They suggested the ride caused Wise’s head to violently snap back and forth, and that she began suffering physical symptoms like nausea and weakness immediately after getting off the ride that developed further into supposedly tell-tale symptoms of a traumatic brain injury in the months that followed.
They maintained Six Flags should have taken action after 44 prior first aid incidents involving Green Lantern riders allegedly complaining of head-related symptoms, but the defense team told jurors that no riders on the Coaster, including Wise, were ever subjected to g-forces that could have caused any brain injuries.
The defense argued Wise’s initial symptoms at the park resulted from dehydration, and that the emotional problems she developed later, that her attorneys attributed to a brain injury, in fact resulted from underlying psychological issues.
Six Flags lawyers also repeatedly argued to jurors that medical specialists hired by Wise’s own legal team failed to find any physical evidence of a brain injury.
Wise was represented by Lagomarsino Law and by The Law Firm of Donald E. Karpel.
The trial took place before Judge J. Stephen Czuleger.
The case is captioned Talia Wise v. Six Flags, et al., case number BC679307 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
E-mail David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
