Jurimatic: Verdicts and Settlements

The case centered on a 2019 rear-end collision involving an Orlando Police Department vehicle driven by Officer Christopher Moulton. Michael L. Hagans, the Plaintiff, said the officer failed to maintain a proper lookout and slammed into his Nissan on S. Westmoreland Drive. After years of litigation, a 2025 jury ruled that the officer’s negligence caused the crash and that the City was legally responsible under Florida’s dangerous instrumentality doctrine. Jurors awarded $77,000 for medical expenses and $150,000 for past pain and suffering after finding that Hagans suffered a permanent injury. The total award reached $227,000. The verdict closed the long-running dispute and confirmed that the crash left Hagans with lasting physical and emotional harm.

On March 8, 2019, Jorg Bober was rear-ended by a Dodge Ram 3500 driven by Scott D. Johnson of Pipeline Constructors while traveling on Interstate 295 in Jacksonville, Florida. Bober filed suit, alleging active negligence by Johnson and negligent hiring and supervision by Pipeline Constructors. The jury found Pipeline and Johnson liable, awarding Bober $43,000 for medical expenses, $40,000 for past pain and suffering, and $60,000 for future distress, totaling $143,000. The verdict recognized Bober’s injuries as significant and permanent, directly resulting from the crash.

In the Miami-Dade County civil action Harlan Dale Beck vs. Jose Alberto Martin Martinez et al., a jury awarded Plaintiff Harlan Dale Beck $246,000 for injuries sustained in a November 15, 2022 motor vehicle collision. The crash occurred when Martinez, a commercial driver for Big Red Auto Transport Corp., negligently struck Beck’s vehicle. Beck argued that the impact caused permanent injuries, chronic pain, and loss of life enjoyment, while the defense contested the severity and cited pre-existing conditions. After a four-day trial, the jury found both Martinez and his employer liable under negligence and vicarious liability principles. Although the medical expenses awarded were modest, the jury granted substantial damages for Beck’s past and future pain and suffering, validating claims of long-term physical and emotional harm. The verdict, delivered on February 20, 2025, concluded the litigation with a total award of $246,000.

In Corriea, Jerry, et al. v. Suhre, Eric, et al., residents Gerald Corriea, Jerry Corriea, and Michelle Rosas sued their neighbors in a heated agricultural and residential dispute over leased farmland on County Road X in Glenn County, California. The Plaintiffs alleged that after purchasing the adjoining property, Defendant Eric Suhre attempted to break an existing farming lease and initiated a campaign of harassment with tenants Joshua and Jennifer Jensen to drive them off the land. Their complaint included claims for breach of lease, breach of quiet enjoyment, constructive eviction, trespass, nuisance, interference with prospective economic relations, and negligence. The Defendants denied all allegations, arguing that no harassment, interference, or contractual breaches occurred. After a multi-week civil trial, the jury issued a complete defense verdict on December 20, 2024. The panel found the Plaintiffs failed to prove any claim, awarding them no damages. The Court declared Defendant Eric Suhre the prevailing party and granted him recovery of litigation costs. The verdict ended a contentious property and neighbor dispute with a full victory for the Defendants.

In Pizarro v. Grandison, et al., Plaintiff Jessica Pizarro sued driver Wayne Grandison and his employer, S.E. Funeral Homes of Florida, after a September 22, 2020 motor vehicle collision in Orange County. Pizarro alleged Grandison negligently caused the crash while operating a company-owned vehicle in the course of his employment, leading to permanent injuries to her nose and neck. She sought damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and non-economic losses, contingent on proving permanent impairment under Florida’s no-fault threshold. The defense denied negligence and argued that Pizarro failed to establish any permanent injury with medical certainty. After a February 21, 2025 jury trial, the panel found Pizarro did not sustain a permanent injury to either her nose or neck. Under Florida law, this finding barred any award for pain and suffering, resulting in a total recovery of zero dollars. Judgment was entered in favor of Defendants Wayne Grandison and S.E. Funeral Homes of Florida, LLC, fully resolving the case.

In Jane Doe v. Advanced Facility Inc., et al., a Pinellas County jury ruled that a Clearwater care facility, its manager, and an employee were responsible for severe abuse inflicted upon a vulnerable adult resident. Thill filed suit under a pseudonym in 2021, alleging that between 2018 and 2019, employee Falo Kane sexually assaulted and exploited her while she lived at Advanced Care Center. The complaint further asserted that the facility owner, Advanced Facility, Inc., and manager Donald De Baker failed to provide proper supervision, safety measures, and oversight, enabling the abuse to occur. After reviewing evidence of intentional misconduct and systemic negligence, the jury found Kane liable for sexual assault and exploitation of a vulnerable adult. They also determined that the corporate entity and its manager were negligent, violated Thill’s statutory residents’ rights, and legally caused her injuries. On February 17, 2025, the jury awarded Thill $250,000 in damages—$125,000 for sexual assault and $125,000 for exploitation—holding all three Defendants responsible for her trauma and long-term harm.

In Bradley Andersohn et al. v. Leroy Cross et al., a Santa Cruz County jury issued a detailed verdict following a collision between an electric bicycle and a construction trailer on November 29, 2021. Plaintiff Bradley Andersohn was riding in a marked bike lane when a trailer towed by Defendant Leroy Cross crossed into the lane, struck the bicycle, and caused severe injuries. The Plaintiffs alleged motor vehicle negligence, general negligence, and loss of consortium, also seeking to hold trailer owner Michael Price and Price Construction liable through agency and permissive-use theories. The jury found Cross negligent and determined that Michael Price, as the trailer’s owner, had granted permissive use, creating liability for Price and his company. However, the jury also concluded that Andersohn was 95% responsible for the accident. Total damages were calculated at $593,500 for Bradley Andersohn and $25,000 for Debra Andersohn, but the overwhelming comparative-fault apportionment sharply limited the Plaintiffs' actual recovery. The February 21, 2025 verdict closed a complex dispute over liability, agency, permissive use, and responsibility within bike-lane traffic incidents.

In Marquita Smith v. FEG Sawgrass, LLC, a Broward County jury found the operator of a Johnny Rockets restaurant negligent for a December 15, 2019 slip-and-fall incident. Smith claimed she fell on a slippery floor inside the Sunrise, Florida restaurant due to unsafe conditions the Defendant failed to address. After trial, the jury assigned 80% liability to FEG Sawgrass and 20% comparative fault to Smith. They awarded $584,589.44 in damages for medical costs and pain and suffering, subject to reduction for Smith’s percentage of fault. The February 24, 2025 verdict concluded a multi-year dispute over premises safety, causation, and damages.

A Miami-Dade County jury sided with contractor Mige Group, LLC, in a heated Coral Gables remodeling dispute against homeowners Waeil Hmidi and Margot Huber. The homeowners had accused the contractor of delays and substandard work, while Mige Group countered that the owners halted payments prematurely, breaching the contract first. After a two-week trial, the jury rejected all claims by the homeowners and found they had materially breached the agreement. The decision concluded a tense construction dispute that underscored the importance of payment compliance in residential contracts.

A class action lawsuit against Pactrack, Inc., a California logistics company, ended in a $160,000 settlement in September 2024. Plaintiff Carmen Bustamante filed the case alleging that Pactrack failed to pay hourly workers for all hours worked, including overtime, and neglected to reimburse them for job-related expenses. The complaint also cited inaccurate pay stubs and violations of California labor laws. The Los Angeles Superior Court approved the settlement, providing financial relief to affected employees and resolving the wage and hour claims without trial.

A wage and hour class action against Metro Eighteen, Inc. ended with a $495,000 settlement approved by the Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2024. Plaintiff David Cancino alleged that the retail operator’s time-rounding system consistently favored the employer, causing employees to lose pay for minutes worked. The lawsuit accused the company of failing to issue accurate wage statements and engaging in unfair business practices. Metro Eighteen denied all wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement to resolve the claims and avoid a lengthy trial.

In a major California labor dispute, furniture retailer La-Z-Boy and its subsidiary LZB Retail, Inc. reached a $1.07 million class action settlement with former and current hourly employees. The lawsuit, led by Plaintiff Dustin Evers and filed in the San Diego Superior Court, accused the company of failing to pay workers for all hours worked and not providing required meal and rest breaks. The settlement, approved in September 2024, provided compensation to hundreds of employees for unpaid wages, penalties, and attorneys’ fees, closing a two-year battle over alleged wage and hour violations.