LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has delivered a $2,764,982 verdict for a man who suffered injuries to his foot after he was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street in West Hollywood, California. Plaintiff was represented in the case and at trial by Adam Shea, Nicholas Yoka, and Spencer Lucas of Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP. Plaintiff was also represented in the matter by co-counsel, Jeffrey A. Shane of the Law Offices of Jeffrey A. Shane. The verdict was rendered on Monday, April 11th at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse following a 13-day trial before the Honorable Gregory W. Alarcon.
On September 27, 2018, plaintiff Michael Green was walking northbound in a marked pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Holloway Drive and Palm Avenue. At the same time, defendant Mohamad Navab's vehicle was traveling westbound on Holloway Drive and approaching Palm Avenue where he encountered at least two vehicles stopped in front of him. With only one lane for travel in each direction and parking lanes on both sides, defendant Navab attempted to pass the stopped vehicles by proceeding into the parking lane on the right side. Without warning, defendant Navab's vehicle entered the marked crosswalk and the left front tire of the vehicle ran over Mr. Green's left foot. At least 800 pounds of force was applied to Mr. Green's foot as a result of the incident.
Due to defendant Navab's negligence, Mr. Green suffered injuries including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Over the course of the next three years, Mr. Green participated in a variety of treatments for his injured foot including peroneal, tarsal tunnel, and calcaneal nerve release procedures as well as three lumbar sympathetic blocks, several cortisol injections to the foot, and a temporary spinal cord stimulator -- an implanted device that sends low levels of electricity directly into the spinal cord to relieve pain. Since CRPS is a lifelong disease and Mr. Green has had good results in lessening his pain with the temporary spinal cord stimulator, it is recommended that the 32-year-old undergo another procedure to have a permanent spinal cord stimulator placed in his body for the rest of his life.
Prior to and throughout trial, defendant Navab conceded that Mr. Green's foot was injured as a result of the incident but denied liability as well as the extent of Mr. Green's injuries and resulting pain.
At trial, plaintiff's counsel presented evidence of defendant's negligence through a single third-party witness, an investigating police officer, and experts in accident reconstruction and biomechanics. In addition, counsel presented evidence of plaintiff's damages through plaintiff's treating physicians and experts in the field of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
The defense disputed liability until the end, including arguing that plaintiff was at fault because he was not paying attention. The defense also argued that Mr. Green did not have CRPS, or any residual injuries from the incident, and supported this argument with hours of sub rosa surveillance videos that the defense argued showed Mr. Green was walking fine with no signs of pain. The defense had two private investigators follow Mr. Green for over 400 hours in an attempt to show he had no signs of injury or pain.
The jury took just three days to deliberate and render their verdict in favor of plaintiff, finding defendant Navab 100 percent negligent for the incident and awarding $450,000 in past non-economic damages, $1,250,000 in future non-economic damages, $95,000 for past medical expenses, and $959,982 for future medical expenses to Mr. Green for a total of $2,764,982.
Defendant was represented at trial by Fred M. Blum, Michael E. Gallagher, and J. Kyle Gaines of Edlin Gallagher Huie + Blum.
Michael Green v. Mohamad Navab
Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles
Case No. 20STCV27708
Hon. Gregory W. Alarcon
About Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP
Panish | Shea |Boyle | Ravipudi LLP is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm representing plaintiffs in wrongful death, catastrophic injury, sexual abuse/assault, product liability, mass torts, and business litigation cases. With offices in California and Nevada, firm attorneys are repeatedly recognized for their excellence by other trial attorneys, legal organizations and publications nationwide and have dedicated themselves to obtaining justice for clients who are often dealing with a life-altering injury, death of a family member or other challenges caused by the wrongful act of another. With this mission at the heart of its work, the firm has a proven track record of obtaining significant, and often record-breaking verdicts, including the largest personal injury verdict in United States history at the time ($4.9 billion), a $160.5 million jury verdict for a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a vicious beating by nightclub security personnel, a $54 million verdict for two brothers severely injured in a head-on collision with a CRST big rig and a $41.8 million verdict and subsequent $46 million settlement for a U.S. Air Force Captain who suffered catastrophic injuries after being struck from behind while on his motorcycle and then dragged by a Southern California Gas Company truck.
