Truck drags pedestrian
Award: $3,700,000
Pedestrian suffered massive injuries when he was struck in a crosswalk by a trash-hauling truck and dragged 20 yards under the front of the truck (Hatten v. NASA Services Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: William H. Newkirk).

Prisoner suicide
Award: $1,000,000
Santa Clara County Jail failed to notify mother of inmate with severe psychiatric disorder, who committed suicide in the jail, that he had previously attempted suicide (Krenn v. County of Santa Clara, Northern District Federal Court, Plaintiff attorney: Geri Lynn Green).

HIV transmission
Award: $12,500,000
Wife alleged her husband knowingly or recklessly infected her with HIV (Confidential v. Confidential, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Lawrence P. Grassini).

Motorcyclist killed
Award: $2,250,000
A 38-year-old husband and father was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle that pulled out abruptly from a stop sign into his path (Confidential v. Confidential, Sacramento County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Abram Charles Zukor).

Elevator decapitation
Award: $3,750,000
Janitor was decapitated by an elevator that descended on him as he was cleaning the enclosure (Callejas v. Kone Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Andrew C. Bryman).

Dangerous road
Award: $10,157,257
Two minor boys were injured when the motorized dirt bike they were riding on was struck by an SUV as they attempted to cross a busy road that lacked stop signs and whose visibility was obstructed by vegetation (Merrill v. City of San Juan Capistrano, Orange County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: C. Brent Scott).

Pool accident
Award: $3,897,000
Thirteen-year-old girl who struck her head on the bottom while diving into a swimming pool alleged that negligent medical treatment left her a quadriplegic (Martinez v. Confidential, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Michael D. Payne).

Bulldozer fatality
Award: $2,500,000
Commercial truck driver standing outside his vehicle was killed at a landfill when a bulldozer backed into him and crushed him to death (Berroteran v. County of Riverside, Riverside County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: G. Nicholas Vaters Jr.).

Employment breach
Award: $1,920,000
CEO sued company for failure to fulfill all the terms of his compensation agreement (Calvert-Jones v. Helinet Aviation Services LLC, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Jon D. Meer).

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.