Rollover accident
Award: $21,654,000
Driver of a Land Rover Discovery who suffered severe spinal injuries alleged defective design after his vehicle rolled over during avoidance maneuvers (Pannu v. Land Rover North America Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Garo Mardirossian).

Pedestrian injury
Award: $5,500,000
Long-haul trucker standing outside inspecting his rig was run over and crushed by a tractor-trailer at the Port of Oakland (Peebles v. SSA Terminals LLC, Alameda County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Mary E. Alexander).

Cerebral palsy
Award: $6,000,000
Medical staff allegedly failed to recognize signs of fetal distress during labor indicating the need for an emergency C-section, resulting in cerebral palsy in the infant (Confidential v. Regents of the University of California, Sacramento County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Bruce G. Fagel).

Wrongful conviction
Award: $5,500,000
Man wrongfully convicted of molestation served 20 years of a 40-year prison sentence before he was exonerated (Stoll v. County of Kern, Eastern District Federal Court, Plaintiff attorney: Kathleen Ridolfi).

Insurance bad faith
Award: Defense
Owners of a corporate jet extensively damaged in an accident sued their insurance carrier for denial of coverage (Trishan v. Federal Insurance Co., Central District Federal Court, Defense attorney: Robert M. Churella).

Paraplegia
Award: $6,100,000
Nineteen-year-old student was left a paraplegic after a car turned into his lane of travel and struck his vehicle, causing it to tip over and slide into a utility pole (Confidential v. Confidential, Confidential Venue, Plaintiff attorney: John D. DeMeo).

Slip and fall
Award: $2,214,190
Pharmacy intern slipped and fell on damp carpet, sustaining an elbow fracture that required a radial head implant (Top v. Crothall Services Group, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Plaintiff attorney: Douglas D. Shaffer).

Retaliation
Award: $475,000
Children of Orange County parents who signed a recall petition against school district board of trustees were allegedly subjected to disparate treatment in retaliation (Confidential v. Confidential, Unfiled Settlement, Plaintiff attorney: Daniel M. Hodes).

Wrongful death
Award: Defense
Thirty-six-year-old Federal Express delivery driver was killed when his van was struck by a tractor-trailer (Marcellino v. Cunningham, Stanislaus County Superior Court, Defense attorney: John P. Cotter).

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.