$6.89M Ask Ends in Complete Defense Verdict

Gina Y. Kandarian-Stein, K. Robert Gonter, Jr., and Alisha Siddiqui secured a complete defense verdict following a six-day trial in Orange County.

Although liability for the three-vehicle accident was admitted, the defense maintained that the accident was not a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s claimed injuries. The plaintiff asked the jury for $6.89 Million, including more than $5 million in future non-economic damages.

The plaintiff underwent extensive treatment, including injections, a rhizotomy, and implantation of a permanent spinal cord stimulator. The defense presented evidence of longstanding degenerative conditions, chiropractic treatment predating the accident, and subsequent incidents involving the plaintiff’s low back. Defense experts further testified that the procedures were unnecessary and unrelated to the accident and that the imaging showed chronic rather than traumatic changes.

After just 1 hour and 18 minutes of deliberations, the jury found that the defendant’s negligence was not a substantial factor in causing the claimed harm.

Final result: complete defense verdict. $0 awarded.