A Look Back at Big Verdicts of 2019
Texas Lawyer scoured VerdictSearch and the past year of news coverage for the largest verdicts that Lone Star State juries awarded this year.
December 27, 2019 at 01:11 PM
4 minute read
Photo: Jason Doiy/ALM
Texas plaintiffs across the state saw million-dollar verdicts in 2019 in personal injury, sexual assault and trademark infringement cases.
Texas Lawyer scoured VerdictSearch and the past year of news coverage for the largest verdicts that Lone Star State juries awarded this year.
Here's a look at the verdicts that rose to the top.
No. 1
Final award: $80 million
Court: Hidalgo County's 93rd District Court
Case: Lozano v. JNM Express
About: Lauro and Irene Lozano brought gross negligence claims against Lauro Lozano's employer, a trucking company, alleging the company forced him to work a shift, although he had told his supervisor he couldn't safely or legally drive unless he rested the minimum amount of time required by federal trucking law. Fearing he would lose his job, he drove the shift anyways, but fell asleep at the wheel and suffered injuries from a collision. After a seven-day trial, the jury found the trucking company and its owners were negligent in causing injury to Lauro Lozano.
No. 2
Final award: $33 million
Court: Dimmit County's 365th District Court
Case: Munoz v. D.G.J. Transport
About: Ramiro Munoz Jr. was driving on a highway in Carrizo Springs when a D.G.J. Transport Inc. cement truck's tire tread separated from the tire, causing the truck to veer into oncoming traffic and collide with Munoz's truck, killing him. His estate and family sued the cement truck company and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which manufactured the tire. The jury found that the defendants were liable for the accident. Goodyear was assigned 90% of the liability, and D.G.J. Transport was assigned 10% of the liability. Post-trial, the case was resolved confidentially by agreement before judgment was entered.
No. 3
Final award: $32 million
Court: Denton County's 462nd District Court
Case: Fletcher v. I.G.
About: The 14-year-old plaintiff was sexually assaulted by two classmates in another student's front yard and sued them for assault, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, gross negligence and malice. Other defendants were nonsuited before trial. After a three-day trial, the jury found assault and apportioned 50% liability to each of the two boys. The jury also found gross negligence or malice and sexual assault or aggravated sexual assault.
No. 4
Final award: $24.2 million ($20.26 million jury verdict, increased by prejudgment interest)
Court: Tarrant County's 348th District Court
Case: XIP v. CommTech Sales
About: XIP alleged that CommTech Sales and its co-owner and operator were infringing on trade secrets and intellectual property while making and selling generator-interface panels, used in cellular towers. Other defendants settled or were dismissed before trial. Among other things, the jury found that CommTech willfully infringed XIP's trademark, misappropriated trade secrets, and harmed XIP through malice or gross negligence.
No. 5
Final award: $23.7 million (reduced from $37.62 million)
Court: Dallas County's 116th District Court
Case: Milburn v. Uber Technologies
About: Sarah Milburn in 2015 was paralyzed in a collision when riding in an Uber driver's Honda minivan. The driver and vehicle owner settled before trial and Uber Technologies were dropped without making any monetary settlement. The trial went forward against American Honda Motor, and Milbern alleged it designed its seatbelt in a defective way that put a passenger in danger, because the lap belt and shoulder belt were separate, and it was possible to buckle the shoulder belt without doing the lap belt—which is what Milburn had done.
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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.
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