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Over the last several weeks, CVN cameras have captured a broad range of major trials across the country, including an eight-figure crash case, a civil battery claim against AutoZone, and more. Watch key moments in three of the latest trials we've covered.
Washington Jury Hands Down $12.7M+ Verdict in Crash Trial Against TruGreen
Jurors in Washington state awarded $12.74 million for the injuries a father and son say they suffered when their vehicle was rear-ended by a TruGreen lawn care company truck.
TruGreen admitted responsibility for the 2023 crash, leaving the seven-day trial last month focused solely on damages.
TruGreen maintained the father, Bradley Shepherd, had been steadily recovering from the back and other injuries he suffered. However, in his opening, Panish Shea Ravipudi's Spencer Lucas, representing the Shepherd and his son, detailed the long-lasting fallout Shepherd continued to suffer from the collision,
“Brad has a host of physical limitations as a result of the severe injuries he suffered in this crash.”
After Closings, Parties Settle Case Over Man’s Catastrophic Fall From House Deck
Following the first afternoon of jury deliberations over a house deck fall that paralyzed a Georgia man, the parties to the case reached a confidential settlement.
Thomas Morder fell 15 feet, through a railing, from his house deck in 2021, suffering a traumatic brain injury and a thoracic spinal injury. Morder claims Michael Porter, a contractor doing business as McTay Improvement, which had been working on Morder’s home at the time, was responsible.
During openings of the case, Law & Moran’s Peter Law, representing Morder, told jurors the contractor failed to properly secure a railing, leading to the fall. However, Porter’s attorney, Gray Rust St. Amand Moffett and Brieske’s Matthew Moffett, told jurors Morder had been warned not to go onto the deck until the project was completed, but failed to heed those warnings.
“With no barricade, no sign, no warning… it creates a perfect illusion of safety, a booby trap for the unsuspecting person who approached it.” —Peter Law
“[Morder] knew the railing behind the grill was laid in place and not attached…. He chose to go on the deck, after being asked and instructed not to go on the deck….” —Matthew Moffett
AutoZone Cleared in Battery Trial Over Customer Attacked By Employee
In August, a Nevada state court jury cleared AutoZone of responsibility for the injuries one of its customers suffered when he was attacked by a store employee.
Ernesto Raymundo-Lazaro, who had gone into the store to buy a diesel filter for his car, was punched in the head by store employee Jose Guerra, after a dispute arose between the two. Guerra was later convicted for the incident.
Raymundo-Lazaro claims he suffered a traumatic brain injury and serious spinal injuries from the attack. However, in his closing, AutoZone’s attorney, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani's William Coggshall, reminded jurors of evidence he said proved Guerra was not acting within the scope of his employment at the time of the attack.
[Guerra] wasn’t trying to do something for AutoZone when he punched [Raymundo-Lazaro]. It was a truly independent venture.”
Email Arlin Crisco at acrisco@cvn.com.
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