Top 20 Wrongful Death Verdicts in the United States in 2020
We are pleased to present to you the list of the top 20 wrongful death verdicts obtained in the United States in the year 2020. The list is comprised of various case types that were tried in one of the Nation's state or federal courts.
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| 1 | |
| Amount: | $115,000,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Ted Buck, Anne Bremner, Evan Bariault of Frey Buck, P.S. |
| Case: | Cox v. State of Washington |
| Type: | Government Negligence, Murder, Negligent Supervision, Wrongful Death, Children's Rights, Child Abuse, Failure to Protect, Negligent Tort, Child Protection |
| State: | Washington |
| 2 | |
| Amount: | $38,625,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Benjamin P. Cloward, Ian C. Estrada of Richard Harris Law Firm |
| Case: | Estate of Salazar v. Sportsman’s Royal Manor LLC |
| Type: | Business Liability, Negligent Supervision, Wrongful Death, Negligent Security, Gunshot Wound, Negligent Hiring, Negligent Training, Negligent Tort, Negligent Retention |
| State: | Nevada |
| 3 | |
| Amount: | $30,000,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Gary A. Friedman, Friedman & Friedman |
| Case: | Estate of Fernandez v. Baptist Health Medical Group Orthopedics L.L.C., et al. |
| Type: | Medical Malpractice, Professional Malpractice, Wrongful Death, Failure to Treat, Lack of Informed Consent, Negligent Tort, Vicarious Liability, Respondeat Superior |
| State: | Florida |
| 4 | |
| Amount: | $26,750,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | James W. Gustafson, Jr. of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley; Gary M. Paige of Gordon & Partners, P.A. |
| Case: | Estate of Duignan v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. |
| Type: | Conspiracy, Fraudulent Concealment, Product Liability, Tobacco, Wrongful Death, Defective Product, Intentional Tort, Strict Liability |
| State: | Florida |
| 5 | |
| Amount: | $21,029,363.00 |
| Attorneys: | R. Shane Lazenby of Lazenby Law Group L.L.C. |
| Case: | Estate of Holland v. Cypress Insurance Co., et al. |
| Type: | Business Liability, Motor Vehicle Accident, Pedestrian Accident, Truck Accident, Wrongful Death, Negligent Tort, Single-Vehicle Accident |
| State: | Georgia |
| 6 | |
| Amount: | $18,000,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Jonathan M. Ritter, S. Edmond El Dabe of ElDabe Ritter Trial Lawyers; Joshua E. Ritter of Werksman, Jackson & Quinn LLP |
| Case: | Estate of Shen v. Hershel |
| Type: | Motor Vehicle Accident, Pedestrian Accident, Personal Injury, Truck Accident, Wrongful Death, Emotional Distress, Negligent Tort, Single-Vehicle Accident |
| State: | California |
| 7 | |
| Amount: | $13,000,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Steve Garner, Chandler Gregg, Nick Smart of Strong Garner Bauer P.C. |
| Case: | Church v. CNH Industrial America L.L.C. |
| Type: | Failure to Warn, Product Liability, Wrongful Death, Defective Product, Loader Accident, Strict Liability, Design Defect |
| State: | Missouri |
| 8 | |
| Amount: | $12,500,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Eric S. Rosen of Rosen Injury Law, P.A.; Catherine C. Darlson of Kelley Uustal Trial Attorneys |
| Case: | McHugh v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. |
| Type: | Conspiracy, Fraudulent Concealment, Product Liability, Tobacco, Wrongful Death, Defective Product, Intentional Tort, Strict Liability |
| State: | Florida |
| 9 | |
| Amount: | $10,250,272.00 |
| Attorneys: | Langdon ‘Trey’ Smith and Michael Gomez of Jim S. Adler & Associates; Francisco Guerra, IV of Watts Guerra LLP; R. Louis Bratton of The Bratton Firm, P.C. |
| Case: | Espinoza, et al. v. John Christner Trucking LLC, et al. |
| Type: | Motor Vehicle Accident, Pedestrian Accident, Truck Accident, Wrongful Death, Negligent Tort, Vicarious Liability, Respondeat Superior |
| State: | Texas |
| 10 | |
| Amount: | $9,689,948.00 |
| Attorneys: | Steven R. Levin of Levin, Riback, Adelman & Flangel P.C. |
| Case: | Estate of Ware v. Home Opportunity L.L.C. |
| Type: | Dangerous Condition, Premises Liability, Wrongful Death, Failure to Maintain, Negligent Tort |
| State: | Illinois |
| 11 | |
| Amount: | $8,000,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Shawn J. McCann, Jesse E. French of Banafsheh, Danesh & Javid PC |
| Case: | Pulido v. Alameda Unified School District |
| Type: | Negligent Supervision, Professional Malpractice, School Safety, Wrongful Death, Failure to Train, Negligent Tort |
| State: | California |
| 12 | |
| Amount: | $7,285,800.00 |
| Attorneys: | John Burris, Benjamin Nisenbaum, Lateef H. Gray of Catalano Law Group |
| Case: | Estate of Tindle v. Mateu |
| Type: | Civil Rights Violation, Excessive Force, Wrongful Death, Gunshot Wound, Police Brutality, Police Misconduct, Negligent Tort |
| State: | California |
| 13 | |
| Amount: | $7,009,694.00 |
| Attorneys: | Michael Ramsden & Theron De Smet of Ramsden Marfice Ealy & De Smet |
| Case: | B.K.L.N., et al. v. Finlay |
| Type: | Assault & Battery, Wrongful Death, Intentional Tort |
| State: | Idaho |
| 14 | |
| Amount: | $6,050,002.00 |
| Attorneys: | Eugene G. Iredale, Julia Yoo, Grace Jun of Iredale and Yoo A.P.C. |
| Case: | Estate of Brown v. Lambert, et al. |
| Type: | Civil Rights Violation, Wrongful Death, Intentional Tort, Emotional Distress, Harassment, Police Misconduct, Unreasonable Search & Seizure |
| State: | California |
| 15 | |
| Amount: | $6,000,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Curtis C. Osborne of Osborne Law Firm P.C.; Wade E. Byrd of Law Offices of Wade E. Byrd P.A. |
| Case: | Estate of Pendergrass v. S&D Coffee Inc., et al. |
| Type: | Car Accident, Motor Vehicle Accident, Truck Accident, Wrongful Death, Head-on Collision, Negligent Tort, Vicarious Liability, Respondeat Superior |
| State: | North Carolina |
| 16 | |
| Amount: | $5,872,150.00 |
| Attorneys: | H. Briggs Bedigian, Michael M. McCubbin of Gilman & Bedigian L.L.C. |
| Case: | Estate of Mason v. University of Maryland Medical System Corp. |
| Type: | Business Liability, Delayed Treatment, Medical Malpractice, Negligent Supervision, Professional Malpractice, Wrongful Death, Failure to Monitor, Negligent Tort, Vicarious Liability, Respondeat Superior |
| State: | Maryland |
| 17 | |
| Amount: | $4,086,004.00 |
| Attorneys: | Michael V. Baxter, William Zoeller of Schuler, Halvorson, Weisser, Zoeller & Overbeck P.A |
| Case: | Estate of Sanford v. Vedere, et al. |
| Type: | Hospital Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Professional Malpractice, Wrongful Death, Failure to Treat, Surgical Error, Failure to Supervise, Failure to Monitor, Negligent Entrustment, Negligent Tort, Vicarious Liability, Respondeat Superior |
| State: | Florida |
| 18 | |
| Amount: | $3,420,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Michael R. Cowen and Malorie J. Peacock of Cowen Rodriguez and Peacock |
| Case: | Tovar v. M Construction Ltd. |
| Type: | Construction Accident, Dangerous Condition, Premises Liability, Work Accident, Workplace Safety, Wrongful Death, Fall, Negligent Tort |
| State: | Texas |
| 19 | |
| Amount: | $2,980,000.00 |
| Attorneys: | Mary Ellen Wright of Jacoby & Meyers L.L.P. |
| Case: | Estate of Smith v. Northern Manhattan Nursing Home Inc. |
| Type: | Business Liability, Nursing Home Malpractice, Professional Malpractice, Wrongful Death, Inadequate Care, Failure to Monitor, Negligent Tort |
| State: | New York |
| 20 | |
| Amount: | $2,967,200.00 |
| Attorneys: | Brian J. Lee of Schuler & Lee P.A; John Hatfield, Kate Hatfield of Hatfield & Hatfield, PA.; Michael D. Marrese of Morgan & Morgan P.A. |
| Case: | Estate of Sitts v. First Coast Security Services Inc. |
| Type: | Business Liability, Wrongful Death, Negligent Security, Failure to Protect, Drowning Accident, Negligent Tort, Vicarious Liability, Respondeat Superior |
| State: | Florida |