Electrocution
Award: $25,000,000
A 26-year-old construction worker sustained severe injuries, including multiple amputations, brain damage and disfiguring scars when a drill he was using struck an underground power line (McGee v. City of Alameda, Alameda County Superior Court).

Twin mix-up
Award: $3,487,000
A health care team became confused during delivery as to which twin was in distress and directed its efforts to the wrong infant (Confidential v. Confidential, Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Discriminatory termination
Award: $63,899,000
A 63-year-old highly decorated veteran serving as chief pilot for a private airline company was replaced on bogus pretenses so that the company could replace him with a less qualified friend (Baker v. PrivatAir Inc. Co., Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Asbestos
Award: Defense
A former auto mechanic alleged that he contracted malignant mesothelioma as a result of his work with asbestos-containing brake linings (Lantz v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., San Francisco County Superior Court).

Labor Code violations
Award: $37,000,000
A class action suit was brought against a brokerage house for violating laws regarding overtime pay and overhead expenses (Burns v. Merrill Lynch, Northern District Federal Court).

Child burned
Award: $5,100,000
A two-year-old boy suffered severe burns when gasoline spilled from a container lacking a child-resistant cap was ignited by a pilot light (Diaz v. A.O. Smith Corp., Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Bad faith
Award: $11,061,188
An insurance company refused to defend plaintiff insured in a lawsuit over destruction from a sewer backup (Griffin Dewatering Corporation v. Northern Insurance Company of New York, Orange County Superior Court).

Gastric bypass death
Award: Defense
A patient’s death following gastric bypass surgery was alleged to be the result of negligence (Agustin v. Nazarian, Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Worker fall
Award: $3,000,000
A construction worker fell to his death after stepping on an unguarded skylight on the roof of a building (Chacon v. Royal Truck Bodies Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Editor's Note: California Bar Journal publishes this abbreviated summary of important trials in California provided by Trials Digest, a Thomson West business. To report your case results, go to west.thomson.com/trialsdigest/form.asp or call 415-344-6000.