Nation's #1 Legal News Source Announces Annual "Top Ten" Jury Awards - Lawyers Weekly USA Offers Review of Largest Civil Jury Awards in 2004
Lawyers Weekly USA, the authoritative voice for lawyers throughout the country, today released their annual list of Top Ten jury awards for 2004.
Boston, MA (PRWEB) December 31, 2004
$1.6 billion, $776 million and $366 millionÂ….these represent only a sampling of 2004Â’s most notable jury verdicts. Lawyers Weekly USA, the authoritative voice for lawyers throughout the country, today released their annual list of Top Ten jury awards for 2004.
The Top Ten jury verdicts to individual plaintiffs increased across the board in 2004, with the average award four times larger than in 2003. Topping the list at #1 is a $1.6 billion award to a woman who paid $3,000 for a nonexistent life insurance policy.
The abrupt decline in damages that occurred in 2003 reversed itself this year. Each of the Top Ten verdicts in 2004 was larger than the verdict in the corresponding position last year – and all ten were for more than $100 million.
“The difference can be attributed primarily to punitive damages,” said Susan Bocamazo, Editor of Lawyers Weekly USA. “Last year only two of the Top Ten verdicts included punitives, compared to six of the top verdicts this year. In other words, punitives from 2003 accounted for just 22 percent of the total money awarded in the Top Ten verdicts, but in 2004, punitives accounted for 70 percent of the total, and the average punitive award was 13 times larger than the previous year.”
In addition to large awards, this past yearÂ’s list was also important in various other ways.
In the #7 verdict, for example, lawyers for the family of a boy killed by Islamic terrorists established a new cause of action that will make it possible to go after domestic funding sources for international terrorists. The #2 verdict is the largest award by a factor of 10 against the manufacturers of the diet drug fen-phen, while the #5 verdict was FordÂ’s first defeat involving Explorer rollover accidents after building an impressive record of 13 consecutive defense verdicts.
In compiling its annual list of the Top Ten Jury Awards, Lawyers Weekly USA monitors cases from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The list includes awards issued to individual plaintiffs, which is defined as a single person, family or group of individuals who were injured in a single incident and had their claims tried in one case. Business-to-business suits and class actions are not included. Further details can be found in this weekÂ’s edition of Lawyers Weekly USA and on the paperÂ’s website, www. lawyersweeklyusa. com
Lawyers Weekly USAÂ’s Top Ten Jury Awards Of 2004
1. 1.6 Billion – Whittaker v. Southwestern Life Insurance Co. - Alabama (Feb. 4, 2004)
The plaintiff paid her insurer $3,000 in premiums for an insurance policy that had already lapsed. The case settled 30 days after the verdict for a confidential amount.
2. $1 Billion – Coffey v. Wyeth - Texas (April 27, 2004)
The plaintiff, a mother of three, died of a rare lung disease after taking the diet drug fen-phen. Drug maker Wyeth is appealing the verdict.
3. $776 Million – Brown v. Dorsey - Georgia (Nov. 18, 2004)
The sheriff-elect for DeKalb County was gunned down outside his home by henchmen hired by the corrupt sheriff he was about to replace. The victimÂ’s family is trying to collect against the county, but the trial court held that this was not possible because the sheriff was paid by the state. The family has appealed that ruling.
4. $570 Million – Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. v. Michelson - Tennessee (Oct. 12, 2004)
The inventor of a revolutionary spinal treatment sued a medical device manufacturer, claiming that it failed to pay sufficient royalties for his spinal device and failed to promote his other inventions. The company is planning to appeal.
5. $368.6 Million – Buell-Wilson v. Ford Motor Co. - California (June 3, 2004)
The plaintiff was paralyzed when her 1997 Ford Explorer rolled over on a highway. She sued Ford, claiming that it had concealed the vehicleÂ’s design defects from the public. The verdict was reduced by the trial judge to $150 million. Ford is appealing.
6. $366 Million – Poliner v. Texas Health Systems - Texas (Aug. 27, 2004)
The plaintiff, a cardiologist, claimed his practice was ruined when three fellow doctors and a hospital worked together to suspend his privileges to perform heart procedures.
7. $156 Million – Boim v. Quranic Literacy Institute - Illinois (Dec. 8, 2004)
The family of a teenager shot to death in Israel sued three U. S. based Islamic charities and an Illinois man for allegedly funneling money to terrorists. It is the first time a domestic funding source has been held liable for international terrorism.
8. $11.7 Million – Reden v. Wagner - New York (Jan 26, 2004)
The plaintiffsÂ’ daughter was severely brain damaged during birth. The plaintiffs sued her doctors for failing to respond to warning signs of fetal distress during the birth. The case settled for $6 million based on a high-low agreement.
9. $105.5 Million – Flax v. DaimlyerChrysler - Tennessee (Nov. 23, 2004)
The parents of an 8-month-old boy who was killed when a minivan seat collapsed on him and fractured his skull sued DaimlerChrysler for failing to redesign its seats. The carmaker plans to appeal.
10. $105 Million – Brown v. Price - Maryland (Jan. 9, 2004)
A Maryland police officer on his way to work shot to death a man he believed to be his estranged wifeÂ’s lover. The officer claimed that he was acting in his official capacity and felt threatened by the victim, who was hit by 21 bullets. The verdict was reduced by the trial judge to $27 million.
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