5 Largest Personal Injury Verdicts & Settlements of All Time
Record-Setting Personal Injury Settlements and Verdicts from Across the Country
Personal injury cases have resulted in some of the largest verdicts and settlements in history. Individuals who suffer harm as a result of another person’s wrongdoing are often entitled to significant damages. Damages in personal injury claims may include compensation for actual losses such as medical expenses, but also for non-economic losses such as pain and suffering.
At Denlea & Carton, our White Plains personal injury lawyers fight hard to ensure that personal injury victims receive the largest compensation allowed by law. We provide dedicated representation for each of our clients, having recovered over $100 million in verdicts and settlements. If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, contact our office at (914) 368-7169 for a free consultation.
Here are 5 of the largest personal injury verdicts and settlements of all time:
1. $150 Billion Wrongful Death Verdict
A Texas jury awarded the family of a burn victim a record-setting $150 billion in damages. As reported by NBC News, the verdict was the largest personal injury award in the country.
According to reports, Robbie Middleton was eight years old when a teen doused him with gasoline after sexually assaulting him. Middleton died 12 years later from a rare form of skin cancer, believed to have been caused by the burns.
The family of Middleton filed a wrongful death lawsuit and was awarded the record-setting result after a trial that lasted only two days.
2. $145 Billion Jury Award Against Big Tobacco
In 2000, the tobacco industry was shaken after a jury awarded $144 billion in punitive damages against the nation’s biggest cigarette manufacturers including Phillip Morris, Lorillard, and R.J. Reynolds. The jury award would eventually be thrown out as excessive, but others resulted in multi-million dollar recoveries for plaintiffs.
3. $28 Billion Jury Award to Former Smoker
In another major hit to big tobacco, a California jury awarded $28 billion to Betty Bullock. Betty was dying from lung cancer at the time of the lawsuit.
She claimed, through her attorneys, that tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris failed to warn her and other consumers about the dangers of smoking, resulting in her injuries. A Los Angeles judge would later reduce the largely punitive damages to $28 million.
4. $4.9 Billion Against General Motors
In 1999, a jury ordered General Motors to pay $4.9 billion to individuals severely injured in a car accident. According to reports, the victims were severely burned after the fuel tank in their Chevy Malibu exploded.
The vehicle had been rear-ended by a drunk driver on Christmas Eve. Attorneys for the injured argued that it was a defect in the design of the vehicle that resulted in harm to their clients which included permanent disfigurement and amputation.
5. $4.69 Billion in Talc Case
Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $4.69 billion in damages after a jury found that its talc-based baby powder contained asbestos. The award included $550 million in compensatory damages and $4.14 billion in punitive damages. Nearly two dozen women named in the case had developed ovarian cancer after using the product.
Contact Denlea & Carton to Discuss Your Case
Individuals who have suffered injury due to a company’s or individual’s negligence might be entitled to compensation. It is important to act quickly as you only have a limited amount of time to file a claim for damages. Contact our office at (914) 873-1404 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
