Case Results – All Practice Areas

 Personal Injury

Plaintiff was a truck driver who, over a few years, had delivered sand to a concrete company. The unloading area was set by the concrete company and required the driver to back his tractor and 53 foot trailer under an overhead power line. On the day of the incident, it was raining and the gravel area where the tractor and trailer were was wet and had puddles around it. When the trailer was dumping the sand, the high voltage wire “arced” and sent 50, 000 volts through the air, into the trailer – and then ran all the way through the tractor into the plaintiff’s left hand and out of his big toe, which was partly lost. He incurred $81,893.59 in medical bills and lost $36,809 in wages. The Insurance company settled the case for $850,000.00 after suit was filed and depositions had been taken.

A man was riding his moped/scooter in the bike lane of a mid-sized road. As he rode straight, a car turned right heading onto a side street and crashed into the moped. The rider was thrown off of the moped/scooter. He suffered a neck injury and low back pain. His medical bills exceeded $25,000. The case settled for $54,000.00.

 Diminished value – A sample of Virginia results

The following cases were filed in General District Courts in central Virginia. See how the insurance companies for the at-fault defendant generally offered roughly 1/2 of what was awarded by each court. The year, make, model and mileage of each vehicle, value before the collision, plus whether the car suffered frame/unibody damage, the insurance company offer, judgment amount, interest and costs awarded are set forth for each case.

CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE UNDERTAKEN BY PAULLIN LAW FIRM.

 Henrico General District Court

1. 2008 Ford Taurus X SEL Wagon – 33.6% diminished value recovered

Mileage – 56,785

Value before collision – $17,850

Repairs – $7,883.32, including 3.0 hours frame/unibody

Offer – $3,972 by Farmers Ins. (22.2%)

Judgment – $6,000, plus $.99/day interest from date of accident, plus costs

2. 2007 Hyundai Sonata SE 4 door sedan – 20% diminished value recovered

Mileage – 4,177

Value before collision – $17,575

Repairs – $9,710.75, including 4.0 hours frame/unibody

Offer – $1,586 by USAA (9%)

Judgment – $3,500, plus $.58/day interest from date of judgment, plus costs

 Chesterfield General District Court

1. 2002 BMW 330XI AWD 4 door sedan – 40.7% diminished value recovered

Mileage – 77,871

Value before collision – $13,325

Repairs – $6,313.99, including 5.0 hours frame/unibody

Offer – $3,972 by USAA (29.8%)

Judgment – $5,430, plus $.89/day interest from date of accident, plus costs

 City of Richmond General District Court

1. 2006 Honda Civic 4 door sedan – 28.4% diminished value recovered

Mileage – 13,521

Value before collision – $14,075

Repairs – $4,537.88, including 3.0 hours frame/unibody

Offer – $2,140 by USAA (15.2%)

Judgment – $4,000, plus $.66/day interest from date of accident, plus costs

 Loudoun County General District Court

1. 2012 Buick LeSabre 4 door sedan – 18.5% diminished value (settled) recovered

Mileage – 10,743

Value before collision – $29,675

Repairs – $18,475.06, including 2.0 hours frame/unibody

Offer -$3,300 by Geico (11.1%)

Settlement – $5,500

 City Portsmouth General District Court

1. 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302- 16.3% diminished value (settled before trial)

Mileage – 8,500

Value before collision – $40,000.00

Repairs – $12,475.77, including frame/uni-body

Offer – $3,052 by USAA (7.6%)

Settlement – $6,500.00

 Fairfax County General District Court

1. 2007 Chevrolet Corvette 2 door Coupe V8 – 30% diminished value recovered

Mileage – 17,714

Value before collision – $35,025.00

Repairs – $7,814.80

Offer – $3,500.00 by Progressive 9.99%

Judgment – $10,507.50, plus $1.75/day interest from date of trial, plus costs

Claims Settled with No Suit Filed

These claims were settled without suit being filed.

1. Manassas, Virginia

2010 Cadillac CTS – 23% diminished value (settled) recovered

Mileage: 31,000

Value before collision: $26,000

Repairs – $15,710.23 (no frame)

Offer before Paullin Law Firm retained – $3,000.00 (Progressive) (11.5%)

Settlement: $6,000.00 (23%)

2. Chesterfield, Virginia

Mercedes Benz C300 – 8.7% diminished value (settled) recovered

Mileage: 37,844

Repairs – $3,211.60 9 (no frame)

Value before Collision – $28,600

Offer – GEICO offered 0.00 before Paullin Law Firm retained

Settlement: $2,500.00

 Chesapeake Eminent Domain Case

The City of Chesapeake took .039 acres (1,679 sq. feet) of a farm that bordered an industrial area to create a drainage pit, but denied that the residue of 14.31 acres was damaged by the drainage pit. The City at first said the highest and best use of the property was “residential” and valued the take $2,753.00. After the landowner protested, the City changed appraisers and acknowledged that the highest and best use of the property was “commercial.” The take was then valued at $6,455.00, but damage to the residue was again denied.

After a two day trial, a jury of five Chesapeake landowners agreed that the residue was devalued and awarded damages to the residue of $55,000.00, plus the value of the take, $6,455.00, for a total of $61,455.00, plus interest.

City employees testified that there was “no problem” with the mechanics of the drainage pit, but the City’s drainage contractor had estimated that it could “repair” any problem with the pit for $2,500. This inconsistency contributed to the overall lack of credibility of the City’s case.

Traffic Tickets

A military soldier stationed in North Carolina was charged with reckless driving for travelling 91 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone. There was a conviction the prior year in another state for speeding 9 mph over and a seat belt ticket and speeding in a safety zone in Virginia two years prior. The 91 in a 60 was reduced to speeding 79 in a 60, contingent on completing a driver improvement school, plus payment of court costs and a fine.

A school bus driver (with a commercial driver’s license) was driving a personal vehicle going 96 mile per hour in a 60 mph zone. She claimed that the officer “had the wrong vehicle.” The court noted that commercial drivers were held to a higher standard that regular drivers, but only imposed a fine of $200.00, 2 days in jail (eligible for weekend service) and suspended the right to drive for 90 days, with permission to seek a restricted license (to drive to/from work, medical appointments, children’s medical needs, religious services, etc.).

CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE UNDERTAKEN BY PAULLIN LAW FIRM.