Verdicts & Settlements

Jury verdict obtained in a Medical Malpractice case for client whose child suffered brain damage as a result of a birth injury due to the premature, artificial rupture of membranes by the obstetrician, failure to timely perform a C-section and problems associated with prematurity. The case settled while on appeal.

Settlement for a complex business litigation matter involving a breach of contract claim and failure to provide an accounting. This case involved extensive forensic accounting, data searches, and financial experts. Litigation was extremely contentious and Plaintiffs prevailed over the Defendant's delay tactics. The terms of the contract and amount owed to the Plaintiff were vigorously disputed. The settlement amount was 20 times greater than the Defendant originally offered to pay at the start of litigation.

Settlement for three victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse. Two of these cases were amongst the first cases originally filed against the church in 1992, resulting in some of the highest settlements at the time. The claims were later revived and re-filed, together with a first time claim, on behalf of the three victims in 2001. These are amongst the highest settlements in clergy abuse cases.

Settlement for a driver and passenger of a SUV that was hit head on by the driver of a company pickup truck who was not working and on a personal errand to the grocery store at the time of the accident. The driver at fault only had a $15,000.00 insurance policy. A case was pursued against the employer for negligent hiring, supervision and entrustment of the work truck. After vigorous litigation, the company and its general liability insurance company decided to settle before trial.

Jury verdict for a 42 year old lumber yard worker who was hit by a car while standing on the side walk pushing a pedestrian cross-walk button. The client suffered a fracture of the sacrum which healed without surgery and fractures of the left tibia and fibula, which required surgery. Client medical expenses were $45,000.00. This case was forced to jury trial by the two insurance companies who had a maximum of $30,000.00. The insurance companies waived any policy limits to settle the judgment. This is one of the largest jury verdicts in the country for a leg fracture and was one the highest verdicts in any injury case at the Redondo Beach Branch of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

 Settlement of a Wrongful Death case pursued on behalf of the family of a 40 year old man killed in a roll-over vehicle collision. The case was brought against the driver of the other vehicle and the State of California for negligent and dangerous road design and placement of signs which obstructed the other driver’s vision.

Settlement for Motorcycle Accident case involving a 35 year old army sergeant who was cut off by a left-turning sedan in Monterey, California. The client suffered from multiple pelvic fractures and other injuries requiring surgery. The accident caused him to retire early from his career in the army. Prior to Meissner Law Firm taking over the case, it was believed that the policy limits were only $1,000.000.00. However, after aggressive litigation, an umbrella policy was discovered, which provided an additional source from which to recover.

Settlement during Trial obtained for three victims of Medical Malpractice committed in New York during male enhancement surgeries, resulting in scarring, disfigurement and disability. The case settled after the defendant doctor testified in court.

Settlement from an insurance company for a 26 year-old client who was shot on the freeway by another motorist in a gang-related shooting. The client suffered injuries to his hip and spleen requiring surgery. Claimed medical expenses were $186,000.00. Mr. Meissner obtained the settlement from three different insurance policies, two of which were discovered in litigation. Additionally, this was the first case of its kind in California to result in a large payment by an insurance company since intentional acts are generally excluded. The settlement came after Mr. Meissner won a Motion for Summary Judgment and filed a lawsuit for Bad Faith against the insurance company.

Settlement for a 70-year old woman who suffered a tibial plateau fracture after the driver of the vehicle she was a passenger in crashed into a wall. The insurance company tried to minimize the claim and argue comparative liability and causation due to the woman not having any seatbelt abrasions, thus concluding that she was not wearing her seatbelt at the time. This argument was defeated and Meissner Law Firm was able to obtain the full policy limits for their client.

Settlement from an insurance company who refused to pay the client his life insurance benefits after the accidental death of his wife. The insurance company tried to void the policy based upon alleged misrepresentations in the application and then accused the insured of murdering his own wife. This case was in both Federal and State court and no criminal charges were ever filed.

Policy Limit Settlement for the Wrongful Death of a 36 year old farm worker who was survived by two adult daughters. The driver of decedent’s vehicle fell asleep at the wheel and caused a head-on collision on the I-15 in Utah. Despite there being other injured parties, Meissner Law Firm was able to obtain the full policy limits for their clients.

Underinsured Motorist Policy Limit Settlement for our client who had minimal property damage but required multiple spinal injections and surgery. The negligent third-party driver only had $15,000.00 insurance policy limits, but our client was able to pursue his underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage through his own insurance for the remaining $985,000.00.

Settlement for a 63-year old woman who was injured when she exited the door of defendant's restaurant and did not notice the immediate 5-inch drop off outside of the door and onto the public sidewalk, causing her to fall and sustain a traumatic brain injury, which was nearly asymptomatic and not treated until two months later. The defendant initially offered $40,000.00 to settle the claim, but Meissner Law Firm was able to obtain a large settlement despite the heavily disputed liability and lack of witnesses or physical evidence of the accident.

Settlement for the family of a 65 year old mother and amputee who was being transported by a medical van to her dialysis appointment when her driver did not seatbelt her properly, causing her to fall and fracture her hip, leading to complications over the next few months, arguably resulting in her untimely death. 

Settlement for an 82 year old woman who was injured while a passenger in a medical transportation van. The client was unable to fasten her seat belt by herself and the driver failed to assist her. When the van came to an abrupt stop, the client was thrown out of her seat and landed on the floor. She suffered a femur fracture, requiring surgery. The defendant driver fabricated a story in an attempt to blame the client. After intense litigation, the van company agreed to settle on the eve of Trial.

Settlement for a 43 year old woman who was vacuuming her car at a car wash when she fell on the vacuum hose that she was using, fracturing her leg and leading to CRPS. Liability was heavily disputed as to both standard of care and comparative fault, but after expert depositions and many accident reenactment videos, the Defendant ultimately settled days before Trial.

Settlement for a 26 year old woman involved in a Automobile Accident when another driver negligently turned left in front of her. The client suffered fractures of both bones in her left arm and underwent two surgeries. Total medical expenses were $126,000.00. This case was litigated and settled at mediation and was one of the largest settlements in Los Angeles County for arm fractures.

Settlement, before trial, for a 46 year old wood floor installer who was involved in a rear-end accident on State Highway 65 in Sacramento. The client was rear-ended by a cement truck and underwent neck surgery for spine decompression and fusion.  Medical expenses were approximately $125,000.00.

Settlement for a 27 year old woman who fell on a deceptive curb offset that was not visible from the path she was walking, causing her to fracture her ankle and arguably resulting in CRPS. Defendants filed a lengthy Motion for Summary Judgment which was heavily fought and ultimately denied by the Court. This case settled the day before Trial after many expert depositions, site inspections, and an animation reenactment video.

Settlement in Medical Malpractice action for a 66 year old widow who underwent back surgery for scoliosis. During the surgery, a screw was wrongly inserted into her spinal canal causing severe pain and disability. This settlement was against a prominent university medical center involving the chief of orthopedic surgery.

Settlement for a 60 year old female who now suffers from advance breast cancer due to Medical Malpractice by the radiologist who failed to properly read her mammogram films.

Settlement for a 74 year old female who was injured at a grocery store when a store employee pushed a merchandise cart into her, requiring shoulder and elbow surgery for her injuries suffered. Defendants heavily disputed the nature and extent of injuries and reasonableness of bills.

Settlement for a 48 year old female Bus driver injured while working. The client was rear-ended by a large delivery truck and had lower back injuries requiring surgery. Medical expenses were $116,000.00. The client recovered an additional $90,000.00 on her Workers’ Compensation case.

Settlement during Trial for a family of three who were injured when rearended by a vehicle on the freeway while they were stopped in the middle lanes due to car failure. The defense argued that the lights a on the disabled vehicle were not on and that the driver was faced with a sudden and unavoidable peril. After Mr. Meissner delivered his opening statement to the jury, the case settled.

Settlement for a 33 year old computer programmer involved in a rear-end accident in Sacramento, resulting in lower back surgery for discectomy, foramenotomy and for nerve root decompression. Total medical expenses were $35,000.00. Loss of wages were claimed to be $10,000.00.

Settlement for a Medical Malpractice claim for negligently labeling pathology slides resulting in a mastectomy being performed on the wrong breast of a 72 year old female. The client also obtained future medical care and treatment as part of the settlement. The client does not have metastatic cancer and should make a good recovery. Since this case was against and HMO, there were no out-of-pocket expenses.

Trial Award for the death of a 45 year old woman and mother of three adult children in a Medical Malpractice case. The client underwent gallbladder surgery and was administered an excessive amount of blood thinners due to inadequate monitoring and testing, resulting in severe bleeding, related complications and wrongful death. 

Settlement for a 42-year-old man whose pickup truck was struck by a motorcyclist on a highway in Northern California. The motorcyclist swerved into the oncoming vehicle while rounding a corner and passed away as a result of the accident. Even though the accident was determined to be the fault of the motorcyclist, our client suffered significant psychological trauma as a result of being involved in a fatal collision.

Settlement for a 57 year old woman who suffered a hip fracture while exiting a hotel shuttle van at Disneyland. As the woman was stepping onto the plastic stool provided by the driver, the stool gave way and slid out from underneath her causing her to fall. The client required a total hip replacement. Medical expenses were covered by the Navy since her husband was a retired naval officer.

Settlement for a 70-year-old female, retired nurse, who tripped over a string left by a construction crew in a parking lot of a housing development project. The client suffered injuries to her shoulder and knee. She required rotator cuff surgery and knee surgery, which was partially due to the accident and degenerative joint disease. The total medical expenses were $74,693.87.

Arbitration Award to a 38 year old female who was rearended in an automobile collision and suffered herniated discs in her neck and lower back.  Her doctors recommended epidural steroid injections and possible surgery. Her insurance company would not offer more than $25,000.00 even though the uninsured motorist policy limits were $250,000.00. The case was litigated and the Arbitrator awarded the full $250,000.00 to the client.

Settlement in a Medical Malpractice case brought on behalf of a 19 year old client who suffered the loss of a testicle as a result of the emergency room physician not properly diagnosed for testicular torsion. One testicle had to be removed. However, the client is still able to procreate successfully with the remaining testicle. This was the largest settlement in the country at the time for the loss of a single testicle in a medical malpractice action.

Settlement for a 46 year old female caregiver who was injured while riding as a passenger on a city owned bus.  The client suffered injuries to her knee and required surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament. The total medical expenses were $40,554.00.

Settlement for a woman in Sacramento who was attacked and bit on the face by a neighbor’s dog at the neighbor’s house. The defense argued that the plaintiff trespassed and had no right to come over to visit and feed the dog when nobody was home.

Settlement when a Faulty Punch Press at a meat processing and manufacturing plant caused the amputation of the client’s right ring finger. The client was a 21-year-old female. Mr. Meissner successfully argued that the facts of the case warranted an exception to the workers’ compensation exclusive remedy. The client also obtained a workers’ compensation settlement.

Settlement obtained for a 47 year-old woman who was knocked off her bicycle by a dog that chased her while she was biking with her dog on a leash. The client suffered a fracture of her jaw, broken teeth and facial injuries. The total medical expenses were $36,295.49.

Settlement for a Products Liability case for a 48 year old lumber yard worker who was injured when a piece of wood kicked back from a rip saw seriously injuring him in the chest requiring surgery. The case was pursued against the manufacturer of the saw that was over 40 years old. After tracking down several successor companies, the case settled prior to trial. Additionally, the client obtained a $600,000.00 workers’ compensation settlement and an additional $100,000.00 from the employer for serious and willful misconduct.

Jury Verdict for a 46 year old male who fell over a sprinkler head, at the client’s apartment complex, resulting in a hip fracture surgery. Medical expenses were $25,000.00.

Settlement obtained for Tenants who were harassed and discriminated by their Landlord. The Landlord tried to wrongfully evict the tenants. After successfully defending the Unlawful Detainer actions, the Plaintiffs filed suit to recover for wrongful eviction, harassment, and infliction of emotional distress.

Policy limits Settlement for a 10 year old boy who was bitten in the face by a dog brought over to the property by one of his father’s friends.

Settlement for a 38 year old female real estate agent who slipped and fell at a shopping mall, fracturing a bone in her right foot. The client’s medical expenses were $11,781.00.

Settlement for an Assault and Battery case. The client was assaulted at a night club by an off duty security guard and suffered an eye injury which fully recovered. The client suffered eye, neck and back injuries. The total medical expenses were $7,084.00.

Arbitration Award for a 26 year old female involved in a Rear-end Collision. The insurance company refused to pay the claim stating that it was a minimal impact accident and that the client would not have been injured. Based upon the Arbitration Award, the insurance company ended up paying more than the policy limit.

Jury Verdict for a 38 year old female involved in an Automobile Accident. The insurance company would not pay plaintiff’s demand of $13,500.00. The insurance company only offered $7,842.00 to settle before trial, even though the policy limits are minimal in the sum of $15,000.00. After prevailing at trial, the insurance company paid the entire amount of the verdict plus costs and interest.

This is an important result because insurance companies know that many lawyers are not willing to go to court on what they deem to be “lower value” cases, however, we treat every case seriously and are willing to go to trial on any case, even the so-called “smaller” cases, where the insurance company tries to take advantage and make unreasonable offers of settlement.

Jury Verdict for a 9 year old boy who was injured while being allowed to play basketball and rough house in his classroom at a public elementary school. The client suffered a fracture to his arm which required surgery. The school district argued that it was just an accident but investigation revealed that there was grossly inadequate supervision.