Defense Verdict: Trucking Negligence (Orange County, Florida)

Orlando Partners Kurt Spengler and Bryan Yasinsac, and Associate Gregory Marlowe, obtained a defense verdict in a trucking case in Orange County, Florida, this week.

We represented the trucking company and their driver in this case, in which it was alleged that our driver turned left into the path of Plaintiff’s oncoming vehicle, causing an accident that led to Plaintiff sustaining significant injuries including a broken femur, the loss of his spleen, and a permanent tracheostomy. At the time of the collision, Plaintiff was driving 92 mph in a 45 mph zone.

This was a highly contentious case that endured multiple delays and one mistrial before it finally went before a jury. There were significant contributing factors involved in the accident that were deemed prejudicial by the Court and precluded from being mentioned at trial, and Plaintiff’s counsel relied heavily on sympathy in their closing arguments, asking the jury for damages in excess of $16 million. Ultimately however, the jury relied on evidence that showed that had Plaintiff been traveling at a lower rate of speed the accident would have never occurred, and they returned a complete defense verdict.

Congratulations and well done to the entire team that prepared this matter for trial. It was our honor to represent our clients in this case and protect them from a very aggressive lawsuit that had the potential to bankrupt their small, family-owned company.