Age and disability discrimination found
Award: $1,064,000

A 58-year-old purchasing agent was terminated by Unihealth Corp. because of her age and her physical handicap (osteoporosis) (Allred v. Unihealth Corp., Tulare County Superior Court).

Conversion action regarding franchise
Award: $760,000

The termination of a franchise was found to be a scheme by defendants to deprive plaintiff of a judgment obtained in a prior action (Hogans v. United Franchise Owners, Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Jet skier injured
Award: $3,000,000

A jet skier sustained head and arm injuries when she collided with a speedboat on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona (Gonzalez v. Purvis, Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Power press hand injury
Award: $444,161

A power press operator working at defendant tool and die shop lost his middle knuckle from a crush injury to his hand (Villalobos v. Valley Stamping Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Heirs claim elder abuse
Award: Defense

The heirs of a retired auto mechanic alleged elder abuse under the Welfare and Institutions Code by a younger auto mechanic (Kressler v. Troup, Sonoma County Superior Court).

Treatment causes paralysis
Award: $1,110,000

A neurosurgeon's treatment resulted in permanent nerve root injury and paralysis in an exhibit builder's right arm (Everett v. Abu-Assal, San Bernardino County Superior Court).

Bad faith on fire loss claim
Award: $5,460,300

State Farm was held liable for bad faith in its investigation of the fire loss claim by a Los Angeles dry cleaning business (Calharr Inc. v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Three Stooges' images used without permission
Award: $225,000

A T-shirt/poster vendor sold Three Stooges images without permission from Comedy III productions, the exclusive owner and licensor (Comedy III Productions Inc. v. Saderup, Los Angeles County Superior Court).

Slip and fall in wet laundry room
Award: $650,000

A tenant slipped and fell in the wet laundry room of an apartment complex, sustaining grade-4 chondromalacia (Richards v. Consolidated Property Masters, Stanislaus County Superior Court).

EDITOR’S NOTE: California Bar Journal publishes this abbreviated summary of important trials in California provided by Trials Digest Publishing Inc. For a free complete trial report on any case listed, call 510/420-1800.