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CVN has covered a wide range of trials featuring some of the country’s best attorneys over the summer, from a Georgia wrongful death, medical malpractice case to an Oregon crash trial, and more. Watch these pivotal moments in three recent trials.
Jurors Hand Down $18.3M Med Mal Verdict for Fatal, Post-Op Heart Attack
A Georgia jury awarded more than $18 million after finding a pair of physicians responsible for the fatal heart attack a patient suffered while recovering from non-emergency colon surgery.
The man’s widow contended the surgeon that performed the procedure and the man’s long-time cardiologist are responsible, because they allegedly failed to properly address signs that the man may have suffered from critical heart issues.
The cardiologist contended that cardiovascular tests performed on the patient months before the surgery were unsurprising, given his health history, and the cardiologist was never consulted concerning the risks of the colon surgery. Meanwhile, the surgeon contended he ordered sufficient pre-surgical screening and the patient’s medical history did not require specific, cardiac screening.
In openings of the trial, which ultimately led jurors to apportion 70 percent of fault to the cardiologist and 30 percent to the surgeon, Bell Law Firm’s Lloyd Bell, representing the patient’s wife, highlighted evidence he believed showed both physicians failed the patient.
“The doctors violated the trust that [the patient] placed in them to take care of him. And as a result [he] lost his life, needlessly... painfully.”
Grocer Cleared in Wrongful Termination Case
Ralphs grocery prevailed in a California trial last month over claims that the Kroger-owned company improperly fired an employee after failing to accommodate his religious obligations.
The plaintiff contended the grocer did not allow him time off to take his children to religious school or observe religious holidays, that he was subjected to demeaning comments concerning his religion, and that the company ultimately fired him after he complained to union representatives. The grocer contended it made reasonable accommodations and that the man was ultimately discharged for insubordination.
In closings of the trial, Burkhalter Kessler Clement & George’s Daniel Kessler, representing Ralphs, argued that plaintiff’s harassment claims were inconsistent.
“Trying to get a handle on what it is [plaintiff] believes he was harassed for is like trying to catch a wet fish with your bare hands. You just can’t do it.”
Oregon Jurors Clear Logging Company of Responsibility for Fatal Wreck
In June, an Oregon jury cleared a logging company at trial over a woman’s death stemming from a crash involving an intoxicated truck driver.
The woman’s family sought roughly $73 million in damages for her death, contending the logging company negligently hired an unqualified driver with a checkered safety record. However, the company contended it is a logging company, not a trucking company, followed industry standards, and should not be held liable for the individual driver’s conduct.
And in the trial’s closings, the company’s attorney, Jeffrey Hansen, of Chock Barhoum, pointed to the history of the company’s safe conduct.
“Logging is what [the company does] and, yes, it is dangerous. But there is no evidence of a history of accidents on their sites or from trucks they load.”
Email Arlin Crisco at acrisco@cvn.com.
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