The Estate of Patrick Brent Guinn, by Jody Guinn, et al. v. Builders Transportation Co., L.L.C., Berkut Transport, Inc., and Swift Transportation Co., Inc. (2008)
Description:
A United States District Court Jury awarded $1,700,000.00 for the wrongful death of a 57 year-old husband and father. $400,000.00 was awarded to make an example of the trucking company that killed him. Evidence unearthed before trial showed that the trucking company violated numerous federal regulations intended to promote highway safety. Many Wyoming State Highway Patrol Troopers testified at the trial regarding the excessive speed which the trucker was operating in blizzard conditions. The Fitzgerald Law Firm was gratified to bring the facts to light, which helps the Troopers to do their best to enhance safety on Wyoming highways. The speed limits in the area of the wreck are now reduced in the winter, at the urging of the Troopers, which will help save lives.
Rocky Mountain Verdicts & Settlements, December 2008
American National Bank of Cheyenne v. Hannifan (2008)
Description:
Suit for an injured miner and his children brought action against the mine manager, safety manager, and others, seeking damages after the miner was brain injured and paralyzed when a large boulder landed on the piece of mining equipment that he was operating.
The jury awarded $22,000,000.00 in damages which is the largest verdict for physical injuries ever attained in the State of Wyoming. By law, the judgment came to $9,460,000.00, affirmed on appeal.
American Association for Justice: Volume 50, No. 7, September 2007
Jim Fitzgerald's Closing Argument in American National Bank v. Hannifan
Wyoming Supreme Court Opinion
Tobin v. SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (2002)
Description:
A U.S. District Court jury in Wyoming awarded $6.4 million to the relatives of a Gillette man who killed his family and himself after he took the antidepressant drug, Paxil, made by GlaxoSmithKline. The jury ruled that the global pharmaceutical company was 80 percent responsible for the deaths for failure to provide doctors with pertinent information and warnings.
Jim Fitzgerald’s Closing Argument in Tobin v. SmithKline Beecham
Tobin - West Opinion
Tobin Verdict, June 6, 2001
Tobin Judgment, June 6, 2001
New York Times: Jury Awards $6.4 Million in Killings Tied to Drug, June 8, 2001
Caterpillar Tractor Company v. Donahue (1983)
Description:
Donahue died when the front-end loader he was operating rolled over and crushed him, due to its defective design. The jury awarded the widow and children $1,500,000 in damages, affirmed on appeal. This case set the record in 1982 for the largest wrongful death verdict in the State of Wyoming at that time.
Relevant Links:
Jim Fitzgerald’s Closing Argument
Wyoming Supreme Court Opinion
Kuiper v. International Harvester
Kuiper was partially blinded due to the defective design of a front-end loader. The jury awarded $500,000.00 in damages, which at the time was the third largest verdict in the nation for partial blindness.
Annen v. Dukane
Phillips v. Duro-Last
Reynolds v. Ford
