Secured a Jury Verdict Significantly Less Than What Was Sought by Plaintiff’s Counsel in a Rear End Accident

Margaret Firnstein Gebhardt and Michael Schlechtweg represented a large architectural glass and aluminum fabricator after a rear end accident on September 18, 2017. In their complaint, the plaintiff alleged that they sustained injuries including myelomalacia, a left labral tear, cognitive deficiencies, emotional distress, and past and future wage losses after being rear ended by a box truck driven by our client’s employee. The parties proceeded to a jury trial in the Northern District of Illinois on July 10, 2023. At trial, the defendant admitted fault, but contested the proximate cause and extent of the injuries. The plaintiff’s counsel sought a range of damages between $15,000,000 and $20,000,000. The defendant asked the jury to return a finding of no liability, or in the alternative, damages in the amount of $25,000. On July 18, 2023, the jury returned a verdict of $122,500.