State Bar of California California Bar Journal
Home Page Official Publication of the State Bar of California March2009
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Subprime loans
Award: $8,600,000,000
Attorneys general from 10 states participated in a settlement with mortgage lender for false advertising and unfair competition in the origination of residential mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit (People of the State of California v. Countrywide Financial Corp., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Edmund G. Brown Jr.).

Dangerous road
Award: $2,390,790
Truck driver was severely injured when he came around a blind curve and collided with a tractor-trailer due to lack of proper warning measures by road crew (Rosiles v. Imperial County, Imperial County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Bruce A. Broillet).

Medical malpractice
Award: Defense
Patient sued his dermatologist for failure to diagnose his malignant melanoma in its early stages (Wall v. Buckley, San Mateo County Superior Court, Defense attorney: Barry C. Marsh).

Mesothelioma
Award: $7,500,000
Machinist contracted mesothelioma after many years of on-the-job exposure to asbestos (Hilt v. Allis-Chalmers Corp., San Francisco County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Gilbert L. Purcell).

Wal-Mart overcharges
Award: $1,200,000
Wal-Mart settled with the State of California for statewide scanning errors that resulted in customers being overcharged for merchandise (People of the State of California v. Wal-Mart Inc., San Diego County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Edmund G. Brown Jr.).

Unruly passenger
Award: Defense
Airline passenger sued after being removed from a flight due to her unruly behavior (Bergerson v. Southwest Airlines Co., Southern District Federal Court, Defense attorney: Arthur I. Willner).

Brachial plexus
Award: $900,000
Infant sustained avulsions of cervical nerve roots during delivery, resulting in partial paralysis of his upper arm (Lora v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc., San Bernardino County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Carl A. McMahan).

Driver falls asleep
Award: $4,215,000
Driver fell asleep at the wheel, crossed over the center line, and collided head on with an 18-year-old driver, resulting in massive injuries (Hernandez v. Detloff, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: John F. Denove).

SLAPP
Award: Defense
Neighbor was unsuccessfully sued for invasion of privacy for videotaping plaintiff’s dog to document excessive barking (Dekhtyar v. Berman, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Defense attorney: Robert W. Armstrong).

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.

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