In a case of admitted negligence, a Cook County jury found in favor of the plaintiff, but awarded less money than plaintiff demanded – and less money than the final settlement offer. In this case, a Johnson & Bell trial team, including Charles P. Rantis, Timothy R. Couture and Valandis Vrakas, achieved a very favorable outcome for their client, a public transportation agency. Plaintiff, who suffered various injuries when his vehicle was rear-ended by a vehicle owned and operated by Johnson & Bell’s client, asked for $7.5 million at trial. The defense team sought a more realistic damages amount given the plaintiff’s injuries, but plaintiff stated he would not settle for less than $1.5 million. As a final proposal, Johnson & Bell made a settlement offer of $750,000. Once this offer was refused, the case headed to trial. As it turned out, the jury viewed the case and the plaintiff’s injuries very similar to the defense team. While the jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff, it only awarded $500,000 in damages. Here is a PDF of the Jury Verdict Reporter for this case.
Related Item of Interest:
Seeking $1.4M in Damages for Alleged Injuries, Plaintiff Feels Pain of Defense Verdict
About Johnson & Bell
Clients rely on Johnson & Bell to defend their interests in court. Since 1975, we have developed a reputation for providing legal counsel that accomplishes our clients’ business objectives. Building on a track record of success handling major catastrophic personal injury cases, Johnson & Bell continues to represent numerous clients across a broad array of business concerns. We work with clients to mediate, settle or litigate their business issues. In addition, our lawyers represent clients in a wide range of commercial transactions and commercial litigation in both State and Federal court, locally and throughout the country.
