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Jury Verdict Categories

### **Jury Verdict Articles**

Explore jury verdict articles and case studies.

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[![Card Image](https://media.jurimatic.com/cdn-cgi/image/q=70/images/Felicia_Johnson1.webp)](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/jury-finds-gross-negligence-in-fatal-site-drowning)

[**Wrongful Death**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/category/wrongful-death) [**Construction Law**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/category/construction-law)

January 27, 2026

###### [Jury Finds Gross Negligence in Fatal Site Drowning](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/jury-finds-gross-negligence-in-fatal-site-drowning)

[](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/jury-finds-gross-negligence-in-fatal-site-drowning)

The tragic death of Varnel Johnson Jr. serves as a harrowing reminder of the stakes involved in heavy machinery operation and site management. In August 2021, Johnson was operating a Caterpillar 725 water truck on a path constricted by culvert pipes and unstable soil. The collapse of the canal shoulder led to his vehicle submerging, resulting in his death by drowning due to a lack of emergency escape features in the truck's cabin. In a landmark decision reached on January 14, 2026, a Miami-Dade jury bypassed standard worker's compensation immunity by finding that the project superintendent’s actions constituted gross negligence. The case highlighted "serious" OSHA violations, including the failure to maintain safe travel paths, and scrutinized Caterpillar's equipment design regarding submersion safety and center-of-gravity stability.

[![Card Image](https://media.jurimatic.com/cdn-cgi/image/q=70/images/Dte_Electric_Company1.webp)](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/394m-verdict-consumers-energy-dte-win-against-toshiba)

[**Breach of Contract**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/category/breach-of-contract-jury-verdicts-settlements) [**Construction Law**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/category/construction-law)

January 7, 2026

###### [$394M Verdict: Consumers Energy, DTE Win Against Toshiba](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/394m-verdict-consumers-energy-dte-win-against-toshiba)

[](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/394m-verdict-consumers-energy-dte-win-against-toshiba)

A federal jury in Michigan delivered what is believed to be the largest civil jury verdict in state history, awarding Consumers Energy Company and DTE Electric Company $394,424,138 in damages against Toshiba America Energy Systems Corporation and Toshiba Corporation. The six-week trial centered on a botched $500 million overhaul of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, one of the world's largest hydroelectric facilities. The jury found Toshiba breached its contract by delivering defective work on critical turbine components, including discharge ring extensions that suffered cracking and degradation. The defects restricted two units to just 50 hours of annual operation and made the promised 30-year service life impossible. The jury rejected all of Toshiba's affirmative defenses and counterclaims, holding the contractor fully accountable for its failure to meet contractual standards.

[![Card Image](https://media.jurimatic.com/cdn-cgi/image/q=70/images/default_1.webp)](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/skaf-v-beydoun-fl-jury-finds-contractor-breached-contract)

[**Negligence**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/category/negligence) [**Construction Law**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/category/construction-law)

October 10, 2025

###### [Skaf v. Beydoun: FL Jury Finds Contractor Breached Contract](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/skaf-v-beydoun-fl-jury-finds-contractor-breached-contract)

[](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/category/construction-law/jury-verdict/skaf-v-beydoun-fl-jury-finds-contractor-breached-contract)

The civil action, Susanne E. Skaf, as Trustee of the Susanne E. Skaf Revocable Trust v. Beydoun Construction, LLC (Case No. CACE-22-004051), centered on a failed renovation project in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Plaintiff Skaf claimed the contractor, Beydoun Construction, fundamentally breached the renovation contract by performing substandard and incomplete work, in addition to acting negligently and filing a fraudulent construction lien. The defense argued Skaf breached the contract first by failing to pay the final balance of $18,800.00 and asserted the economic loss rule as a bar to the negligence claim. After hearing the arguments, the jury in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit returned a verdict on July 30, 2025. The jury found that Beydoun Construction, LLC, did breach the contract and was negligent, resulting in a total damage award to Skaf of $38,407.00. Crucially, the jury found that the contractor did not file a fraudulent lien and that Skaf did not breach the contract, effectively dismissing the contractor's $18,800.00 counterclaim.