Jury Verdicts & Settlements

Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis

Jury Finds Deputy 40% at Fault in Jail Fentanyl Death

A federal jury in Riverside, California, awarded $13.5 million to the family of Richard Matus, Jr., a pretrial detainee who died of fentanyl toxicity at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in 2022. Jurors found that Deputy Angel Rojas did not deliberately ignore inmate intercom calls about Matus’s emergency but unreasonably ignored one or more of them. They assigned 60 percent of the fault to Matus, and the Court entered a $5.4 million negligence judgment against Rojas and the County of Riverside. Judgment went to the Defendants on the federal civil rights and Monell claims.

Personal Injury

Jury Rejects Defect Claims Over Holstered P320 Discharge

A Maine federal jury found for Sig Sauer in David and Kimberly Cole's lawsuit over an unintended P320 discharge. David Cole, a sheriff's detective, suffered leg injuries after the pistol discharged while holstered during a 2022 search-warrant operation. The jury found that Plaintiffs had not proved the P320 was defective and unreasonably dangerous. The Court entered judgment for Sig Sauer on August 10, 2026.

Wrongful Termination/Employment

Ex-Transdev Worker Wins $10.26M Whistleblower Verdict

A federal jury in the Central District of California returned a $10,260,080 verdict for Daniel Stein, a former Waymo Roadside Assistant employed by Transdev Alternative Services, Inc. Stein claimed Transdev fired him after he reported dangerous conditions during a January 2024 street takeover in downtown Los Angeles. Transdev said it terminated him for violating company policy. After an August mistrial, a second jury found for Stein on his whistleblower and wrongful termination claims. It awarded $260,080 in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.

Defamation

Jury Clears Wilton Police, EMTs in Misdialed 911 Lawsuit

A federal jury in Connecticut returned a defense verdict in Neelu Pal v. Mark Canepari, et al. Pal, a physician representing herself, alleged that Wilton police officers injured her right arm during a 2018 handcuffing that followed a misdialed 911 call. She also claimed that officers retaliated against her for an earlier lawsuit and that police and ambulance reports defamed her. On September 18, 2026, the jury answered ‘No’ on every question it reached, clearing the officers, ambulance personnel, and the Town of Wilton.

Patent Infringement

Philips Wins $3.01M Willfulness Verdict Against Quectel

A Delaware federal jury found Quectel Wireless Solutions Co. Ltd. liable for infringing eight claims of a Philips cellular patent. The jury awarded Koninklijke Philips N.V. $3,009,749 and found that Quectel's infringement was willful. However, the jury found that Quectel did not infringe a second Philips patent. It also rejected Quectel's invalidity challenges to that second patent.

Defamation

HR Director Wins $10.15M Retaliation and Defamation Verdict

A federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas, awarded former Trinity Valley School HR Director Carrie Skains $10.15 million on September 4, 2026. Jurors found the private school retaliated against her under Title VII and the Texas Labor Code by assigning extra work without pay after she complained and filed EEOC charges. They also found two statements in a December 2024 Board email defamatory, awarding $3.59 million in compensatory and $6.3 million in exemplary damages. The jury rejected her sex discrimination claims.

Negligence

New Orleans Jury Sides With Casino Guest in Collision Suit

Nellie Legendre, then 76, alleged that a Harrah's Casino employee collided with her on the casino floor in New Orleans in May 2023, fracturing her right hip. After an appeal revived her negligence case, a federal jury found employee Eddie Giles, Jr. 95 percent at fault and Legendre 5 percent at fault. The jury awarded $279,695.21 in damages. The Court later denied the casino operator's request for judgment as a matter of law or a new trial, reduced the medical expenses award under Louisiana law, and entered Judgment against Jazz Casino Company, LLC.

Intellectual Property Law

Jury Awards $180K in Stündenglass Counterfeiting Case

An eight-member federal jury found NYC Smoke Shop & Grocery Corp. and Abdo M. Saleh liable for counterfeiting Stündenglass trademarks. The jury found that only the corporation acted willfully. It awarded GS Holistic, LLC $180,000 in statutory damages.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Oklahoma Jury Faults Trucking Firm for Vetting of New Driver

A federal jury in Oklahoma found truck driver Wilayat Hussain and Chandi 209 Trucking, Inc. liable after a March 2024 nighttime crash at or near W. Reno Avenue and Frontier Drive. Plaintiff Aldin Lewis suffered a cervical fracture and faced possible fusion surgery. The jury assigned 95% of the fault to Defendants, awarded $4.5 million in actual damages, and found Chandi liable for negligent entrustment, and found that it acted in reckless disregard of others' rights. A second phase added $3.5 million in punitive damages. The Court later denied Defendants' post-trial motion in full.

Consumer protection

Jury Finds Keystone RV Breached Warranty on Fifth Wheel

A federal jury in the Middle District of Pennsylvania found that Keystone RV Company breached its warranty on a 2022 Montana High Country fifth wheel. Plaintiff Tamara J. Kirby alleged a structural defect raised the front bedroom floor and that months of warranty repairs failed. The jury found she properly revoked acceptance and awarded $98,967.90 under the state consumer protection law. The Court later doubled that award to $197,935.80 and directed entry of Judgment that also included $129,889.60, plus costs and attorney fees.