Jury Verdicts & Settlements

Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis

LAUSD Whistleblower Wins $1M Retaliation Verdict

A Los Angeles County jury leveled a $1,000,000 verdict against the Los Angeles Unified School District after determining that school officials unlawfully retaliated against employee Saif Hussain. Hussain filed suit following an adverse employment action that directly targeted his protected disclosures regarding school compliance with California building and safety regulations. While the school district maintained that its employment decisions rested entirely on legitimate, independent business reasons, the jury rejected the defense's position, finding that the district failed to prove its claims by clear and convincing evidence. The final judgment secured the full $1 million compensatory award for past non-economic losses alongside provisions for attorney fees and interest.

Labor and Employment Law

Disney Age Discrimination and Wrongful Termination Verdict

Two 60-year-old room service employees of Mexican descent, who had each dedicated over 33 years of service to the Grand Californian Hotel, were abruptly terminated in January 2019. The workers alleged that their supervisors subjected them to ageist and racist remarks, actively sought to replace older staff with younger hires, and ignored the severe physical and mental stress the hostility caused. The situation culminated when coworkers falsely accused the men of viewing pornography at work, which management used as a pretext for a summary termination without a meaningful investigation. Following a trial in December 2025, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found the corporate Disney entities liable for age discrimination and wrongful termination, awarding one of the veteran workers $1,306,812 in total damages.

Negligence

Dental Malpractice Lawsuit Results in Defense Verdict

A Los Angeles County jury returned a defense verdict in a dental malpractice lawsuit involving an extensive full-mouth reconstruction. The Plaintiff, Rinda Hall, alleged that a multi-year restorative treatment plan involving bone grafting, implants, crowns, and bridges was executed negligently, causing her crowns to break, her jaw alignment to fail, and her remaining teeth to be destroyed. The defense countered that the treatments met all professional standards, and that the patient's complications stemmed from the natural progression of her pre-existing dental condition. Ultimately, the jury determined that the treating dentist was not negligent, leading the Court to dismiss the complaint with prejudice and order the Plaintiff to pay all associated trial jury fees.

Labor and Employment Law

Race Discrimination & Wrongful Firing: $4.3M Jury Verdict

A San Joaquin County Superior Court jury returned a $4.31 million verdict against Community Medical Centers, Inc. for wrongfully terminating employee Randy Pinnelli. The jury found that Pinnelli’s race, his open opposition to workplace bias, and his formal internal complaints served as substantial motivating factors behind his sudden termination. Rejecting the defense's argument that the termination was performance-related, the panel determined that company leadership authorized and ratified the firing with malice, oppression, or fraud. The final award includes $1.81 million in compensatory damages for the firing and an additional $2.5 million for the company's independent failure to prevent racial discrimination and retaliation.

Insurance Law

Jury Backs Widow in $1M Life Insurance Lapse Lawsuit

A California widow took her late husband's life insurer to federal Court after it refused to pay the $1,000,000 benefit on his term life policy. The insurer said the policy had lapsed in March 2016 because a single monthly premium went unpaid. The widow argued the company never followed two California laws that require a 60-day grace period, a written 30-day notice before any termination, and an annual notice telling policyholders they can name someone else to receive lapse warnings. Her husband, who was incapacitated at the time, died in May 2016 while the family waited to learn the policy's status. After a trial before Judge Jinsook Ohta, the Court had already ruled the statutes applied to the policy and that the insurer broke the law by failing to notify her husband of his right to designate another person. On January 13, 2026, the jury sided with the widow, finding her husband did not knowingly let the policy lapse and that the insurer's missing notices caused the lapse.

Labor and Employment Law

Jury Awards $4.6M for Workplace Retaliation in MA

A 55-year-old former Wayfair manager won more than $4.6 million after a Suffolk County jury found the company retaliated against her for complaining about age discrimination and for taking protected medical leave. Mary Boyle left a 32-year career at Verizon to join Wayfair in 2019, then said the company blocked her transfer, cut her bonus, and ultimately fired her after she raised concerns and took leave. Interestingly, the same jury rejected her core claim that the company discriminated against her because of her age. The split verdict, returned in April 2026, separated the bias claim from the punishment that followed her complaints, awarding her back pay, emotional distress, and a sizable punitive sum.

Premises Liability

Oregon Jury Clears School District in Playground Fall

A Washington County, Oregon jury sided with the Forest Grove School District after a student's family claimed he fractured his leg when he fell into a hole near an exposed drainage grate during recess. The family argued the school failed to inspect, repair, and warn students about the dangerous field, and that the recess aide accused the boy of faking the injury instead of helping him. The school denied negligence and argued the student failed to use proper care for his own safety. On January 30, 2026, the jury answered "No" to the question of whether the school acted negligently, ending the case in the Defendants' favor without reaching damages.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Two-Crash Car Accident Jury Awards $450K, Splits Fault

A California jury awarded $450,000 to a driver injured in two separate rear and left-turn collisions, then reduced her recovery by splitting the blame three ways. The Plaintiff sued both drivers after a left-turn crash in September 2020 and a rear-end crash in December 2020. Following a trial before Judge Hayashi, the jury found all three people partly at fault, assigning 55 percent to the left-turning driver, 10 percent to the rear-ending driver, and 35 percent to the Plaintiff herself.

Labor and Employment Law

Florida Inside Sales Overtime Wage Lawsuit Verdict

Enrico Deluca filed a federal lawsuit against his former employer, MW International Ventures LLC (doing business as Social Mobile), and its owner, Robert Morcos, claiming that the company had misclassified his position to avoid paying overtime. Deluca, who worked as an inside software sales representative from March to August 2024, alleged that he regularly logged over 50 hours per week and was entitled to time-and-a-half compensation under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The defense countered that Deluca was exempt from overtime under administrative, executive, and highly compensated employee exemptions, and further maintained that he had never worked more than 40 hours in any given workweek. Following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the jury found that while Morcos operated as an employer, Deluca failed to prove he actually worked any overtime hours. On May 20, 2026, Judge Jacqueline Becerra entered a final take-nothing judgment entirely in favor of the Defendants.