Plaintiff alleged that she slipped and fall on water inside a national warehouse grocery chain, causing her to undergo injections, facet blocks and a low back Rizotomy. Plaintiff asked for $400k in damages, but the jury returned a defense verdict. The case was tried in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. 

We represented a national warehouse grocery chain in this case, that was tried in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Initially, the Plaintiff received a jury award in the amount of $155,000. Post-trial, we filed a Renewed Motion for Directed Verdict on causation. The Judge agreed, granting the motion entering a judgment in favor of our client, resulting in a defense verdict.

Plaintiff alleged to have incurred five different herniated disks from a forward fall on her knee and arm, ultimately undergoing a 2-level lumbar fusion, several injections, and a right shoulder arthroscopy. Plaintiff had $280,000 in past medical bills. Both liability and causation were contested. Plaintiff demanded $1.175 million, but the jury returned a complete defense verdict.

This was a rear-end collision case where liability and causation were both admitted. Plaintiff was 36 years old with a confirmed pars fracture of his L4-5, a lumbar herniation and multiple cervical herniations, with no prior complaints or injuries. He underwent a lumbar fusion and was recommended a cervical fusion at two levels. The medical bills were over $300,000 with another $150,000 in future medicals. Plaintiff asked the jury for $1.9 million dollars. The jury returned a verdict of $25,000, which was further reduced after set-offs. 

Plaintiff fell in the restroom inside a well-known regional grocery chain. Plaintiff was 56 years old at the time and had a prosthetic leg. He claimed there was water and paper at the entrance of the stall. He also claimed a store employee had just come out of the stall, arguing that the store had actual notice of the dangerous condition. He went on to have a 3-level cervical disc replacement and a 2-level lumbar fusion. His medical bills exceeded $800k. At trial, Plaintiff asked for over $20 million in damages, but the jury returned a verdict of no liability.

This was a case that was aggressively pursued by Plaintiff’s counsel and a demand below the $1 million policy limits was never made. The carrier offered $250k prior to trial and was willing to offer up to $500k to resolve the case. Plaintiff had $198k in past medicals and a life care plan for future damages. Plaintiff asked the jury for $4.4 million. The defense argued that our driver did nothing wrong and that the Plaintiff’s injuries were pre-existing, and that they should only award $11k if they thought our driver was liable. The jury returned a verdict of no liability.

Fort Lauderdale partners Jason Glusman, Jonathon Miller, and James Foster, and Miami partner Jaime Baca obtained a defense verdict in a catastrophic injury case on behalf of a large Florida-based grocery store in Osceola County, Florida, earlier this month. Plaintiff in this case was employed by an independent contractor that the grocery store used for maintenance jobs at their dairy processing plant. While performing his job duties under the instruction and supervision of his employer, Plaintiff was involved in a workplace accident that resulted in him incurring significant burns on his stomach and genitals. He was airlifted from the scene and spent several days in the hospital undergoing burn treatment protocols. In addition to the medical bills, the lawsuit included a claim for PTSD and a loss of consortium claim from Plaintiff’s wife, to whom he had been married just six months prior to the subject incident. At the end of a six-day trial, Plaintiff asked for $17 million in closing arguments. The jury found no liability on the part of our client, and returned a complete defense verdict. Due to the rejection of a Proposal for Settlement, our client will be entitled to seeks fees and costs; they also intend to pursue a separate action for indemnity from Plaintiff’s employer. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this difficult case.

Miami partner Jaime Baca and associate Lester Rodriguez obtained a defense verdict in an automobile negligence case in Miami-Dade County last week. This case arose from an incident in which the Plaintiff, a 62-year old woman, was struck by our insured driver while walking across the parking lot of a big box retail store on Black Friday. As a result, Plaintiff suffered a severe ankle fracture that was managed with surgery but left her with residual pain and a limp, as well as a recommendation for ankle replacement. Our client was looking for a parking space when Plaintiff ran into the side of his vehicle as she walked between two parked cars. Plaintiff alleged that our driver was distracted and accelerating through the busy parking lot, but cell phone records showed she was on a call at the time of the collision and it was likely that she was the one who was distracted. According to the testimony of our accident reconstruction expert,  our client could not have perceived the Plaintiff walking between parked cars and was not able to stop in time as a result. After a three-day trial, Plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury for $1.75 million. The jury returned a complete defense verdict in under an hour. Congratulations Jaime, Lester, the entire team that worked on this file for this excellent result.

Miami Partner Jaime Baca and Associates Francisco Varona and Alina Gonzalez recently obtained a complete defense verdict in a rejected-tender automobile negligence case in St. Johns County, Florida. This case arose from an incident in which the Plaintiff, a 66-year old woman, was struck by our insured driver while walking across the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant. First-hand reports of the incident differed, but the store footage confirmed that Plaintiff was on her phone and distracted at the time of the incident. Plaintiff claimed multiple injuries to her wrist, neck, and back, as well as an aggravation of pre-existing degeneration and a new herniation at C3-4. She underwent facet blocks, ablations, and epidural injections, and alleged she may need life-long pain management as a result of the accident. The boardable medical bills totaled $160,000. Evidence produced during discovery and presented at trial indicated that Plaintiff had the same medical conditions prior to the subject incident, and had not been truthful with her medical providers about her prior injuries. Plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury for $1.2 million in closing arguments, but the jury found no liability on the part of our client and returned a complete defense verdict. Congratulations to Jaime and his entire team on this great work.

Miami Partner, Jaime Baca, and Associates, Alina Gonzalez and Claudia Aravena, recently obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a defendant driver in an automobile negligence case in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The team was assisted at trial by co-counsel Anita Figueroa. This case arose from an accident that occurred after our driver, who was operating a commercial vehicle, rear-ended the Plaintiff, pushing her into another vehicle. Plaintiff was a world renowned Martial Artist with no records of any prior neck injury, back injury, or treatment. She claimed wage loss and ongoing pain, and underwent an ACDF neck surgery. The Court initially allowed punitive damages against our driver, but Fort Lauderdale Partner, Alyssa Reiter, assisted in getting that count dismissed via Summary Judgment. We admitted liability and tried the case on damages, arguing the injury was minor and Plaintiff’s symptoms did not correlate with an acute herniation since her MRI imaging showed pre-existing degeneration, consistent with 40 years of martial arts. After a five day trial, Plaintiff asked the jury for $3.1 million. The jury found that the accident was not the legal cause of the injury, and returned a defense verdict. Congratulations to Jaime and his entire team on this great work and excellent outcome for our client.

Miami Partner, Jaime Baca, and Associates, Natalia Pinzon Martinez and Francisco Varona, recently obtained a defense verdict on behalf of Publix Super Markets in a premises liability case in Miami-Dade County. This case arose from a slip and fall that Plaintiff claimed was caused by a large water spill near the front cash registers. Plaintiff claimed her fall aggravated an existing injury, for which she had already undergone a lumbar surgery at L4-5, and presented over $420,000 in medical bills at trial. Medical records showed that Plaintiff had not treated for more than a year before our subject incident, and MRI studies showed no change in her condition from before and after the fall. This was a difficult and contentious trial with multiple rulings that made it difficult for us to present our defense. Despite this, the jury took just 30 minutes of deliberation to reject Plaintiff’s suggested award of nearly $3 million and return a complete defense verdict in Publix’s favor. Congratulations Jaime, Natalia, Frankie, and the entire team that worked on this case. The client is thrilled with the result.

West Palm Beach Partners Mark H. Ruff, Jr., and Joshua Jurnovoy, and Miami Partner Jaime Baca, recently obtained a defense verdict on behalf of Publix Super Markets in Seminole County, Florida. This case involved a low-speed collision in the loading dock area behind a Publix store. The Plaintiff filed suit against Publix, alleging that the accident was caused by its truck driver, and that the Plaintiff suffered spinal injuries leading to a two-level cervical fusion and $200,000 in medical expenses as a result. We contended that the Plaintiff was at fault for the accident, and that given that the collision occurred at a slow speed and caused very minor property damage to the vehicles, the accident was not the cause of the Plaintiff’s injuries. Trial lasted five days, with Plaintiff’s counsel asking the jury for $2.7 million at closing. The jury found that Publix and its truck driver were not at fault, and returned a complete defense verdict.  

Miami Partner Jaime Baca and Associates Natalia Pinzon Martinez and Belissa Ardisson prevailed in an automobile negligence case in Hillsborough County, Florida this week. We represented a national cell phone carrier in this case that involved our employee driver in an admitted-liability rear-end collision with Plaintiff’s vehicle. Plaintiff was a 38-year-old man who claimed he suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple disc herniations, and a rotator cuff tear as a result of the accident. He underwent significant treatment including injections and PRP blocks, with medical bills totaling $85,000. This was a transferred file that we received very close to the trial date. All discovery deadlines had already passed when we assumed control of the case and very limited defense expert testimony was available. These limitations notwithstanding, Jaime and his team still prevailed in striking several of Plaintiff’s experts and obtaining directed verdicts on the TBI claim and future damages claim. By the time the case went to the jury, the only claim left to consider was past medical damages. Plaintiff’s counsel asked for more than $300,000 in closing arguments, but the jury returned a verdict of just $15,000. This award triggers a Proposal for Settlement, which will enable our client to seek fees and costs. Congratulations to Jaime, Natalia, Belissa, and the entire trial support teams in the Miami and Tampa offices on this outstanding outcome.

Congratulations to the 46 Wicker Smith attorneys who have been named to Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers Ones to Watch for 2026. Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. The process is designed to capture the consensus opinion of lawyers about their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. This recognition is well-deserved and we are proud to have you representing Wicker Smith. 🔹 🔹 🔹 🔹 🔹 Lawyers of the Year: Oscar J. Cabanas, Mike Tyson Best Lawyers: Jaime Baca, Renee Brant, Nick Christin, Jordan Cohen, Bruce Crawford, Kevin Crews, John Floyd, Richards Ford, Charlie Garcia, Hugh Harris, Frederick Hasty, Mandi Karvis, Nichole Koford, Taylor McLeod, Joe Menello, Liz Messianu, Patrick Mixson, Brandon Nichols, Robert Paradela, Jay Potts, Rick Ramsey, Baron Ringhofer, Kurt Spengler, Connie Ray Stockham, Taira H. Towne, J.D., M.B.A. Ones to Watch: Marlene Brito, Mark Cavins, Ashley Elizabeth Ettaro, John Floyd, Kyle Fontaine, Samuel Garner, Kelley Godfrey, Devin Harvey, Ryan Hestbeck, Shivam Kumar, Selavi Patel, Alex Price, Lester Rodriguez, Sonny Romano, John Thomas Salmon, Kyle Leigh Schmitt, Bryan Yasinsac

Miami Partner, Jaime Baca, and Associate, Lester Rodriguez, recently obtained a favorable verdict in an auto negligence case in Miami-Dade County. This was an admitted liability case in which the Plaintiff was a passenger of a car that collided with our defendant driver at low speed. She claimed a rotator cuff and labral tear as well as bulging discs in the neck, for which she underwent surgery to her shoulder and multiple injections. Plaintiff was a Registered Nurse, and her counsel leaned heavily on sympathy in their arguments. The defense of the case was further complicated by the striking of our radiology expert, who was deemed cumulative in combination with an orthopedic expert who performed an IME. Despite these challenges, the jury returned a verdict awarding the amount of Plaintiff’s ER bill only. After set-offs, the award will be reduced to zero. Due to the rejection of a Proposal for Settlement, our client will be entitled to seek fees and costs.