Good Verdict in Prince George's County

Yesterday I was at a trial lawyer event in Columbia Maryland and I learned about a great jury trial verdict that one of my colleagues got in P.G. County, Maryland. His client was injured in a car accident that was the result of the negligence of a Prince George's County Police Officer. The injuries were not catastrophic, but were run of the mill injuries that occur in car accidents. The medical bills were less than $10,000.00. The PG County Attorney apparently refused to make a settlement offer in the case. My trial lawyer friend and the defense attorney stipulated to the medical records and bills coming into evidence without live expert testimony. This allowed the case to be presented to the jury in an economical way. I must say though, that I usually prefer to present live expert testimony in jury trials.

In any event, the jury returned with a verdict of $95,000.00! This is a great result for my colleague and his client; as it is much more than the presumed settlement value of the case would have been. It is a reminder that jury trials are risky for both sides, and anything can happen. At our firm we like to think that we know which cases should be brought to trial, and which cases should be settled. Of course if the defense attorney makes a "zero offer" --then the decision is easy---the case will go to trial! Ultimately though, the decsiion of whether to settle or go to trial is the clients to make because at trial, anything can happen.