Latest jury verdicts, settlements, and legal outcome analysis
A federal jury in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee found Ryan Upchurch liable to David Robertson and Daniel Rodni for defamation per se and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The jury awarded $17.5 million in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages. Upchurch later sought judgment as a matter of law, a new trial, or remittitur.
A Plymouth Superior Court jury awarded Josephine and Keith Beadling a total of $530,000 after finding G. Lopes Construction, Inc. and Bette Maki liable on negligence and nuisance claims. The jury also found G. Lopes Construction liable for negligent trespass.
A jury in Porter Superior Court awarded $18,500,000 to Brian Mischka after a breaker bar struck his foot during a steel loading operation at Steel Warehouse of Burns Harbor, LLC. The jury assigned 0% fault to Brian and 100% fault to Steel Warehouse. Wendy Mischka received $800,000 on her loss of consortium claim.
The legal dispute between Christina Shields and Deanie Caffey concluded in April 2026 following a jury trial in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. The lawsuit arose from an incident on January 25, 2023, at a rental property in Lucerne Valley, where Shields alleged that Caffey arrived unannounced to discuss the parties' rental agreement and subsequently assaulted her, causing physical injuries and emotional distress. Shields asserted claims for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. However, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Caffey, finding that she was not negligent, did not touch Shields with the intent to harm or offend her, and did not engage in conduct that was outrageous. The court later entered judgment in Caffey's favor on all claims.
A California jury has cleared Meta Platforms, Inc. and two of its former employees of allegations that a fired product manager was subjected to years of pregnancy-related bias, gender-based harassment, and retaliation before her 2022 termination. The Plaintiff, who joined Meta in 2018, claimed she was passed over for roles during her pregnancies, denied a promotion despite a positive review record, and stripped of responsibilities during a 2022 team reorganization that left only male employees in leadership roles. Following a trial that began in February 2026, the San Francisco County Superior Court jury rejected all five of her claims and awarded no damages.
Quentin Watts, an African American millwright, filed a federal lawsuit against his employer, J&L Industrial Services, LLC, alleging race discrimination and retaliation under Title VII and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. After reporting a severe racial slur by a coworker, Watts was reassigned to a lower-paying shop and subsequently terminated under the guise of a "reduction of force." J&L denied the allegations, mounting a mixed-motive defense. However, the jury sided entirely with Watts, finding that race and retaliation drove both his demotion and termination. The Court finalized a total judgment of $978,075, which included $400,000 in punitive damages alongside substantial front and back pay awards.
A Florida federal jury found Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. negligent after a passenger suffered severe second-degree burns to both feet during a poolside contest aboard the Grandeur of the Seas. The jury awarded the passenger $1,670,000 in total compensatory damages, apportioning 60 percent fault to the cruise line and 40 percent to the passenger.
An inmate at North Kern State Prison sued prison medical staff after a series of inmate attacks left him with a stab wound to the neck, a torn rotator cuff, and a retained shank fragment lodged near his carotid artery. He alleged that a prison doctor and two nurses were deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs, misdiagnosing his wound as an ingrown hair and delaying imaging that could have located the foreign object. After years of litigation, a jury found that the treating physician was not deliberately indifferent to the Plaintiff's medical needs, and the Court entered judgment accordingly.
A Miami-Dade jury awarded $440,591.98 to the estate of a nursing home resident who died after suffering repeated falls and unexplained injuries. The lawsuit alleged the facility failed to implement adequate fall precautions, properly supervise the resident, and maintain sufficient staffing, violating his statutory rights as a nursing home resident under Florida law.
A San Mateo County jury found that a driver was not negligent in a September 2021 collision that left a minor with lacerations to his arm, wrist, and face, and a chest wound, delivering a defense verdict after a nine-day trial.
