Brain injury
Award: $23,500,000
A 13-year-old passenger sustained traumatic brain injuries when the vehicle in which he was riding was struck by a driver who ran a red light while in the course and scope of his employment (Feitler v. E.A. Pedersen Co., Orange County Superior Court).

Delayed C-section
Award: $2,400,000
A baby was born with serious brain damage and cerebral palsy, allegedly because doctors failed to recognize problems and perform a C-section before the damage occurred (Lee v. Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, Contra Costa County Superior Court).

Nissan rollover
Award: Defense
The driver of a Nissan Pathfinder who sustained paraplegia in a vehicle rollover alleged that the vehicle was inherently susceptible to rollovers (Gordon v. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Construction defects
Award: $9,200,000
The owner of a 120-unit apartment building in Cupertino sued the contractors for damages from extensive water intrusion (Cupertino City Apartments II v. Trident Construction, Santa Clara County Superior Court).

Sexual abuse
Award: $3,531,200
Two children who resided at a residential care facility for most of their lives were repeatedly molested by the home’s employees (Deutsch v. Masonic Home for Children in Covina, Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Deceptive advertising
Award: $1,000,000
A company marketing a weight loss supplement was sued for false advertising in its claims regarding the effectiveness of its product (People of the State of California v. Cytodyne Technologies Inc., Napa County Superior Court).

Child drowning
Award: Defense
A two-year-old girl drowned in a residential swimming pool during a Fourth of July family gathering (Ferrer v. Kutz, Fresno County Superior Court).

Patient death
Award: $462,838
The misdiagnosis of a patient with bacterial endocarditis resulted in his premature discharge from the hospital and death (Spivey v. Harriman Jones Medical Group, Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Rear-end collision
Award: $1,000,000
A 42-year-old attorney alleged that a rear-end collision severely exacerbated his pre-existing cervical and lumbar spine injuries (Smith v. Kolinsky, 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.