Following a three-week jury trial in San Diego County, Wyeth Burrows and Cassandra Pickens secured a favorable result on behalf of a trucking company and its driver after three plaintiffs sought more than $6.7 million in damages arising from a multi-vehicle freeway collision.
Liability was admitted before trial, leaving the case to be decided almost entirely on the issues of injury, causation, and damages. Plaintiffs contended that the collision caused significant and lasting injuries, particularly to the father of the family, who claimed substantial spinal injuries as a result of the accident.
According to plaintiffs, those injuries led to lumbar spine surgery and would require extensive future medical treatment for years to come. Plaintiffs' physicians and retained experts further opined that the father would require two future cervical spine surgeries, implantation of a spinal cord stimulator, ongoing pain-management treatment, and related medical care.
Plaintiffs sought approximately $1.24 million in future medical expenses for the father alone and argued that his alleged injuries warranted $4 million in noneconomic damages. Collectively, plaintiffs requested more than $6.7 million from the jury.
Wyeth and Cassandra challenged both the extent of the claimed injuries and the necessity of the treatment attributed to the collision. While liability was not contested, the defense disputed whether the evidence established the necessity of lumbar surgery and future surgical intervention, as well as the substantial future damages sought at trial. The defense argued that the medical evidence did not support the scope of care and damages advocated by plaintiffs' experts.
After deliberation, the jury returned a collective verdict of $895,000, rejecting more than $5.8 million of the damages sought and awarding less than 15% of the amount requested at trial.
This result underscores Burrows & Stutsman's commitment to developing dynamic and targeted defense strategies tailored to the unique facts of each case. Even in admitted-liability cases involving multiple plaintiffs, extensive treatment claims, and significant future-damages allegations, Burrows & Stutsman works tirelessly to challenge unsupported damages claims and protect their clients from paying more than is fairly supported by the evidence.
