Gwinnett Jury Awards $1.7M in Expressway Collision
The jury also said attorney fees should be awarded, but a confidential settlement precluded that issue.
April 17, 2019 at 03:06 PM
3 minute read
A Gwinnett County jury awarded more than $1.7 million to a woman who suffered back and shoulder injuries when she was rear-ended while stopped in morning rush-hour traffic on Atlanta's Downtown Connector.
The jury also determined that attorney fees should be awarded under Georgia's law allowing the recovery of litigation expenses in cases where jurors find a defendant acted in bad faith, was stubbornly litigious or caused the plaintiff unnecessary trouble and expense.
Plaintiffs attorney Michael Walker of Piasta Newbern Walker said that issue and any potential appeal were eliminated by a confidential agreement between the parties.
“We didn't get to the fees, because we resolved the case,” said Walker, who represented plaintiff Joanne Alfred with firm partner Edward Piasta and Atlanta solo Stanley Levitt.
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith partner Brantley Rowlen defended the case with associate Adi Allushi.
“We're obviously disappointed in the verdict and thought the damages were extremely high given Ms. Alfred's injuries and recovery, but Ed and Mike tried a great case,” Rowlen said via email.
According to Walker and court filings, Joanne Alfred was driving on Atlanta's Downtown Connector in March 2016 in a Toyota sedan when traffic stopped near the 10th Street overpass.
Defendant Anthony Rulli was behind her in a rented Kia sedan on his way to a business meeting on behalf of his employer, PowerSecure Inc.
The defense portion of the pretrial order said Rulli “briefly glanced at his GPS” as he was driving, and, when he looked back up, traffic had stopped in front of him and he was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting Alfred's car.
Rulli was not cited and denied he was following too closely, distracted or driving too fast.
Alfred was taken by ambulance to Atlanta Medical Center and released later that day.
She underwent arthroscopic surgery for a shoulder impingement and was out of work for about six weeks, Walker said.
“She also has some lingering pain, and one dispute was whether she was going to need additional surgeries,” he said.
Alfred sued Rulli and PowerSecure in Gwinnett County Superior Court.
Walker said there were settlement discussions, but they were unsuccessful, and trial began April 9 before Judge Warren Davis.
Alfred had about $60,000 in medical bills and made no claim for lost wages, Walker said.
The trial wrapped up after noon on April 11, and Walker said the jury took about two hours to award $1,755,396 in damages and found “an award of attorney's fees and litigation expenses to be appropriate.”
“No jurors told us the basis for awarding the fees,” Walker said.
“The defense lawyers tried a great case,” said Walker. “We just had a great, deserving plaintiff and I think the jury saw that.”
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllTrial Court Had No Authority to Reopen Voir Dire After Jury Impaneled in Civil Case, State Appellate Court Rules
'Pushed Into Oncoming Traffic': $5.85M Settlement in Mediated Auto Tort
6 minute readJustice Known for Asking 'Tough Questions' Resolves to Improve Civility
4 minute readTrending Stories
- 1How ‘Bilateral Tapping’ Can Help with Stress and Anxiety
- 2How Law Firms Can Make Business Services a Performance Champion
- 3'Digital Mindset': Hogan Lovells' New Global Managing Partner for Digitalization
- 4Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Has New York Sentence Pardoned by Trump
- 5Settlement Allows Spouses of U.S. Citizens to Reopen Removal Proceedings
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250