Tampa Managing Partner John Rine and Partner Nick Dareneau obtained a very favorable verdict for their property owner client in a Sarasota County trial in a lawsuit arising from a traffic accident. At the end of closing arguments, plaintiff's counsel requested appropriately $18 million from the jury. The jury returned a net verdict of just over one thousand dollars.
The plaintiff was on a scooter and was involved in an accident with an SUV in a parking lot intersection. Our firm represented the property owner. The plaintiffs argued that the landscape vegetation was too tall and violated the sight lines of the two drivers, and that the height of the shrubbery violated the owner's landscaping contract and a local sight line ordinance. They also argued that the intersection lacked a stop sign in contrast to the other six parking lot entrances, which had stop signs.
The plaintiff was 38 years old at the time of the 2022 accident. She was transported to the ER from the scene in an ambulance and admitted into the trauma unit. She was diagnosed with a thoracic fracture, a sacrum fracture, pars fracture, spondylolysthesis, and nine herniated discs in her lumbar and cervical spine. She underwent a fusion surgery on her lumbar spine after she continued to complain of pain after steroid injections and chiropractic care. At the time of trial, she had recommendations for two more spine surgeries and a series of radiofrequency ablations.
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