$14M Demand Ends in $11K Verdict

Gina Y. Kandarian-Stein and Raquel Solis secured a strong defense result following a 13-day jury trial in Los Angeles County.

The plaintiff alleged neck and low-back injuries from a rear-end collision and underwent extensive treatment, including lumbar fusion, an epidural injection, and placement of a trial spinal cord stimulator. She also claimed that she would require additional fusion surgery, injections, and a permanent spinal cord stimulator.

The defense argued that the plaintiff had a longstanding degenerative lumbar condition that was not worsened by the accident. Evidence showed prior emergency and urgent-care treatment for low-back pain and sciatica, including an emergency-room visit approximately three months before the collision. Defense experts testified that the imaging contained no acute or traumatic findings and that the extensive treatment and claimed future care were unrelated to the accident.

The plaintiff’s final pretrial demand was $2 million. The defense made a final pretrial offer of $200,000—twice the $100,000 policy limit. At trial, the plaintiff asked the jury for more than $14 million.

The jury returned a unanimous 12-0 verdict, awarding just $11,286.53 in economic damages, with zero non-economic damages and zero future damages.

Final result: $11k after a $2 million demand and a demand exceeding $14 million.