DALLAS, Texas
(March 25, 2021) – Naman, Howell, Smith & Lee, PLLC secured a complete defense verdict
in the first in-person civil jury trial to be held in over one year in
the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division) on March 10, 2021.
The trial, based on alleged personal injuries from a 2018 motor vehicle
accident, commenced March 8, 2021 in the Dallas Federal Courthouse in
front of the Honorable Judge Jane Boyle and a jury of seven. The trial
team of Jordan Mayfield, Larry Warren, and Jacqueline Altman secured a
significant victory for their clients, a nationwide trucking company and
its driver. The jury deliberated less than one hour before returning a
verdict that neither the company nor its driver was at fault for the accident.
Not only were Naman Howell’s clients cleared of all liability, but
the jury found that the Plaintiff herself was negligent and caused the accident.
The Defendants were brought to court after a motor vehicle accident that
occurred in 2018 in a construction zone on I-45 in Corsicana, Texas. Five
months after the accident, Plaintiff filed a lawsuit seeking over $1 million
in damages, claiming that both the company and its driver were negligent.
During the course of litigation, the defense team discovered that Plaintiff
filed this lawsuit before incurring any medical bills for her alleged
injuries. It was not until after the lawsuit was filed that Plaintiff
first saw doctors who claimed she needed two major surgeries and lifelong
care. By the time of trial, Plaintiff was claiming over $700,000 in past
and future medical treatment.
Plaintiff was represented by Arnold & Itkin, a well-known Houston-based
Plaintiff’s firm. Adam Lewis, Plaintiff’s counsel, utilized
a common tactic in his opening statement: focusing on the trucking company
and general safety rules. Following this, Jordan Mayfield’s opening
statement drew from the Court’s instructions: the jury’s job
is to evaluate the evidence—not the attorneys’ arguments—and
credible evidence is consistent evidence.
When Plaintiff rested her case-in-chief, the defense team achieved another
victory when District Judge Jane Boyle granted Defendants’ motion
for judgment as a matter of law and dismissed Plaintiff’s claims
of gross negligence. In closing arguments, Larry Warren brought the evidence
full circle, listing the relevant facts that were supported by consistent
and credible evidence. Despite Plaintiff’s best efforts to craft
a story of a truck driver swerving into her lane at a high rate of speed,
Plaintiff could not overcome the consistent and credible facts. Based
on the evidence, the jury found that neither the company nor its driver
were negligent. The jury went even further and determined that the evidence
showed that it was Plaintiff’s own negligence that caused the accident
in question.
The case is
Hanan v. Crete Carrier Corp., et al., case number 3:19-cv-149, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of Texas, Dallas Division.