During her opening statement, Elisabeth Culmo tells jurors a faulty maintenance of traffic plan contributed to the 2013 death of executive chef Stefano Riccioletti as he walked to work. Riccioletti's estate is suing the contractors who implemented the plan, The Marks Brothers, Inc. and General Asphalt Co. Inc.
Topics: Negligence, Florida, Construction, Transportation, Gerstein v. The Marks Brothers Inc.
Rebuttal of a closing argument can be one of the most difficult elements of trial for a plaintiff's attorney. It's your last opportunity to speak on behalf of your client and the last words jurors will hear from either side before they deliberate. However, the rebuttal's focus on a defense argument typically given moments earlier means you don't have the preparation time you have for your initial summation. In Van Zyl v. Fain, Keith Mitnik delivered a powerful rebuttal to the defense's damage argument, and ultimately won nearly $19 million for his client.
Topics: Negligence, Van Zyl v. Fain, Florida, Transportation
When credibility questions are central to a case, objective, expert testimony supporting your client's version of events becomes even more critical. The slightest deviation between your client's story and your expert's testimony can tilt a verdict. In Valdes v. U.S. Sugar Corp., the difference between a railway worker's details of a train yard accident and the testimony of his accident reconstruction expert may have been the key to a defense verdict in his $2 million suit.
Topics: Florida, Transportation, Video Highlight, Valdes v. US Sugar, FELA
San Bernardino — A California state court jury awarded $1.3 million on Thursday to the husband of a woman who died in a rollover accident after her car struck a roadside cement box, finding the City of Redlands to be responsible for unsafe road conditions that caused her death.
Topics: Negligence, Transportation, automotive, California, SHELDON ALECHMAN V. CITY OF REDLANDS
James Gordon delivers his closing argument in a suit against McDonald's franchise manager Marie Harrison. Jurors awarded $1.5 million to the parents of Joshua Lopez, who was killed in a 2012 collision with Harrison.
Topics: Negligence, Florida, Transportation
