Settlements & Verdicts

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Settlements & Verdicts

Attorneys at Messa & Associates have secured substantial recoveries for hundreds of clients in multiple practice areas. Click on any of the practice areas below to see a list of the firm's most substantial settlements or verdicts. Click the FREE CONSULTATION button below and submit your contact information to be contacted for a free consultation.

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MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

$18.5 Million settlement for negligence in a hospital Emergency Department. Plaintiff's physicians failed to diagnose and treat a rapidly spreading infection, resulting in quadruple amputation.
$16.5 Million jury verdict for failure to investigate a seven-year-old child’s surgically correctable underlying heart condition.
$11.9 Million settlement for a young girl after her pediatrician failed to diagnose and treat the H1N1 flu virus (swine flu), causing her to require emergency hospital treatment. During her hospitalization, hospital staff failed to properly diagnose her respiratory failure and intubate her, resulting in significant oxygen deprivation which caused permanent brain damage.
$12.26 Million settlement on behalf of a truck driver whose spine was severely damaged by infection.
$10 Million award for medical malpractice upheld as a consequence of performing unnecessary surgery and implanting an unapproved medical device in a man’s spine.
$8.6 Million verdict for the family of a child who suffered severe brain damage because her delivery was inexplicably delayed.
$8.5 Million recovery for the family of a 30-year-old mother who died following the birth of her daughter as a result of negligent treatment of a postpartum hemorrhage.
$8.4 Million federal court verdict to a 40-year-old mother of three young children for failure to timely treat her in the emergency room which left her paralyzed and brain injured.
$7 Million medical malpractice settlement for a birth injury. A child was injured at birth due to failure to diagnose and treat placental abruption.
$6.6 Million jury verdict for the negligent treatment of a man who presented to the Jeanes Hospital Emergency Department with severe back pain and a history of heroin abuse. He was discharged before test results came back with pain medication and a withdrawal diagnosis. A few days later, Mr. Walker awoke from his sleep paralyzed from the chest down due to a systemic blood infection the Jeanes Hospital learned of after his discharge.
$6.5 Million settlement for a 46-year-old woman after her doctor negligently performed an unnecessary procedure which resulted in a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage and irreversible brain damage.
$6 Million settlement against two hospitals, three physicians, and three nurses for a 48-year old woman who died prematurely because of a delay in diagnosis and treatment of a rare blood disorder, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (“TTP”). The allegations of the lawsuit included the failure to timely administer lifesaving blood products and plasma exchange therapy and miscommunications about transfer to an institution that could definitively treat the patient.
$6 Million settlement for cardiac defect (tetralogy of fallot) in an infant which went undiagnosed and untreated, resulting in the infant’s death.
$5.5 Million recovery for a nine year-old girl whose physicians at two leading hospitals failed to diagnose her spinal cord tumor until it caused paralysis.
$5 Million recovery for a 58 year old woman rendered a paraplegic after the hospital emergency room staff failed to timely diagnose a spinal fracture.
$5 Million settlement on behalf of a 69-year-old man who suffered a brain herniation and permanent brain damage after emergency room doctors performed a lumbar puncture without first performing a CT scan.
$4.2 Million verdict for a 72-year-old woman who suffered the amputation of her left leg above the knee six-months after she underwent a bilateral knee replacement surgery at Temple University Hospital. She developed pressure sores during her rehabilitation that went untreated. A severe MRSA infection developed and after multiple surgeries and months of hospitalizations, the patient lost her leg.
$4.05 Million settlement for the family of a child who suffered severe brain damage as a result of post-delivery neglect by the hospital staff.
$3.3 Million recovery for a young boy who suffered severe vision loss as a result of his doctors' failure to recognize that his skull was not growing normally.
$3 Million settlement on behalf of the Estates of a young woman and her unborn child. Both mom and baby died after treating physicians discharged the young mother and failed to recognize that her presenting symptoms, which remained unresolved at the time of her discharge, were signs of an abdominal bleed. Nine hours after her discharge, the young woman was rushed by ambulance to another ER, where she and her unborn child tragically died.
$3 Million settlement for a man who suffered irreversible and disabling brain damage due to the emergence of a massive brain bleed that could have been prevented but whose symptoms were ignored by trauma center medical staff.
$3 Million settlement on behalf of a deceased mother of two after doctors failed to diagnose and treat an epidural abscess that resulted in sepsis.
$2.5 Million settlement on behalf of a patient who suffered due to failure to timely diagnose rectal cancer.
$2.5 Million settlement for the family of a deceased husband and father who suffered severe anoxic brain injury while anesthesia was being administered in an out-patient surgery center. The decedent was to undergo a radiofrequency ablation procedure to reduce pain in his cervical spine caused by a car accident. He remained in a vegetative state until his untimely death three months later.
$2.3 Million recovery for a claim against doctors who failed to diagnose a brain aneurysm on an MRI which ruptured, causing the death of a young woman.
$2.2 Million settlement for a 54 year old woman who underwent an elective bilateral knee replacement that resulted in an injured femoral artery. After doctors failed to recognize the injury and deteriorating condition of her leg and foot, the woman underwent a number of surgeries and lost function in her foot.
$2 Million settlement on behalf of the Estate of a patient who died as the result of a bowel perforation sustained during a routine colonoscopy.
$2 Million verdict for body part mutilation inside a hospital.
$2 Million settlement for a young man who was left permanently impaired after a hospital’s failure to timely diagnose and treat an emerging fat embolism, causing preventable and catastrophic brain damage.
$2 Million medical malpractice settlement on behalf of an 18-year-old mother of two who died after doctors failed to diagnose and treat an epidural abscess that resulted in sepsis.
$1.75 Million verdict for the death of a one-day-old child.
$1.7 Million recovery for the family of a woman whose mole removal was never followed up with a pathology evaluation, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment of malignant melanoma and eventual metastasis and death.
$1.6 Million settlement for a man who sustained permanent brain damage caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency, the result of the medical providers' failure to include necessary vitamin additives in the total parenteral nutrition which they ordered and supplied. The client is now unable to return to work in the financial field, is affected in his ability to walk, is unable to drive or to enjoy his former hobbies which included traveling with his wife. The settlement will provide funds necessary for ongoing cognitive therapy and will replace lost wages for both him and his wife, who is now his caretaker.
$1.6 Million settlement on behalf of a 62-year-old male client whose primary physicians deviated the standard of care by 1) failing to advise him of his high-risk factors for Prostate Cancer, and 2) failing to provide helpful prostate cancer screening. These failures resulted in a diagnosis of Stage IV Prostate Cancer with metastasis that is now, tragically, inoperable and incurable.
$1.5 Million verdict for man who underwent an unnecessary and negligently performed back surgery based on a misdiagnosis. The plaintiff suffered permanent injury to his back and lost the ability to work and support himself financially.
$1.5 Million recovery for a diabetes patient who suffered partial loss of vision as a result of a failure to perform a comprehensive eye exam, including a retina examination.
$1.5 Million settlement for a birth injury resulting from the negligent use of forceps on baby’s skull during delivery, resulting in neurological injury to baby’s arm and leg.
$1.5 Million settlement for the family of a woman was admitted to the hospital and treated for hypertension and high blood pressure. Doctors failed to properly monitor her blood pressure as it dangerously decreased causing her to suffer a stroke. She suffered significant neurological injuries and other related injuries over the course of the next five years of her life and ultimately died.
$1.4 Million jury verdict resulting from a failure to diagnose fatal cancer
$1.3 Million jury verdict for a woman who sustained injuries after negligent gynecological surgery.
$1.3 Million recovery in spine surgery case. A 38-year-old man underwent an unnecessary spinal fusion surgery, resulting in permanent injuries.
$1.25 Million total recovery for a client who suffered permanent damage to his heart as a result of his physician’s negligence in prescribing a dangerous dosage of Vioxx.
$1.25 Million settlement in Buck’s County for neurological injury to a 54-year-old woman. Injury came as a result of failure to timely diagnose and treat stroke, resulting in hemiplegia.
$1.2 Million recovery for 81-year-old woman with brain injury.
$1 Million settlement on behalf of the Estate of a 24-year-old man who died as a result of a failure to diagnose an treat a pneumococcal infection (pneumonia) in the Emergency Department of a New Jersey hospital.
$1 Million medical malpractice settlement against a prominent health system in Pennsylvania for the death of a wife and mother of three adult children after an aortic valve replacement procedure. Though the procedure was successful, premature extubation post-surgery led to to the patient's tragic and untimely demise.
$1 Million recovery in malpractice claim involving surgery for Cushing’s disease and injury management of an epidural catheter. Negligence caused epidural hematoma, which doctors failed to recognize and treat, resulting in permanent neurological injury.
$1 Million recovery for negligently performed spine surgery in Wilmington, Delaware resulting in permanent disability to a 50-year-old wood worker. The doctor performed the surgery in a negligent manner by misplacing two of the pedicle screws which resulted in a permanent neurological injury.
$1 Million settlement for family of a man who passed away following an emergency rooms failure to diagnose a cardiac arrhythmia (electrical abnormality of the patient’s heart) caused by Lyme disease.
Confidential Multi-million dollar settlement against a prominent area hospital on behalf of a three-month old child who received negligent medical care that resulted in the amputation of her right hand and forearm. Chromosomal abnormalities caused a number of disabilities for the infant, including cognitive deficiencies and paraplegia. At the time of her hospitalization, however, despite her limitations, she had two working hands. After her hospitalization, the child had lost 50% of the only mobility she had.
Confidential Seven-figure settlement in Philadelphia County for the family of a man who died after physicians failed to properly diagnose and provide treatment for an aortic aneurysm. The man sought treatment at a hospital two days before his death.
Confidential seven-figure settlement in a New Jersey wrongful death action on behalf of the Estate of a 72-year-old man who suffered a painful and preventable death after his doctor failed to test for, diagnose, and treat pneumonia.
Confidential settlement secured for a 55-year-old woman who suffered irreversible blindness in her left eye as the result of her physician's negligence during a routine cataract procedure.
Maximum insurance policy limit for a medical malpractice case filed in Philadelphia County on behalf of a licensed professional whose job responsibilities require him to have excellent vision. The 48-year-old man suffered an injury to his right eye at home. The Plaintiff sought and received treatment from a specialist later that evening. The specialist referred him to another specialist who examined him the following day. The specialist continued to treat him for several months and, in that time, failed to diagnose a retinal detachment. When the diagnosis was finally made, the Plaintiff underwent multiple eye surgeries which resulted in complications and scarring on his retina.Following months of continued medical treatment, the Plaintiff’s right eye was deemed to have no useful vision and no depth perception, leaving him unable to resume his career as a result of his inability to perform the duties required of his position.
Confidential six-figure settlement on behalf of the Estate of a 79-year-old woman who died after her physicians missed the symptoms and subsequently delayed treatment of a post-surgical bleed that led to her untimely death.
$975,000 Recovery after a hospital failed to provide the correct dosage of medication to the patient.
$965,000 podiatry malpractice settlement was obtained for a man who injured his ankle while at work. Doctors performed a negligent surgery where screws were misplaced in his ankle joint, causing the man serious and permanent injuries. After three (3) years of litigation, the defendants agreed to pay him the amount of $965,000 to settle all claims.
$950,000 recovery in the case of a woman whose nasogastric suction tube was wrongly hooked up to her hospital room’s oxygen on a high liter flow. The oxygen inflated her gastrointestinal system with air causing a perforation of her stomach and colon. As a result of this medical error, the woman was required to undergo surgical repair of her stomach and colon perforations. She later required another surgical procedure to repair a hernia. Unfortunately, she had a serious pre-existing injury as a result of an unrelated Subarachnoid Hemorrhage with prior surgery and brain injury.
$900,000 settlement in a Philadelphia County medical malpractice action for the family of a 58-year-old man who died as a result of heart attack.The day before his death, the man went to his primary care physician complaining of back and chest pain as well as numbness in his hands. He complained of chest pain radiating into his arm. Despite abnormal EKG results and a family history of early heart disease, his physician failed to send him to the hospital for emergency care or more definitive testing. The following day, he was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. He was unable to be resuscitated, and died of a heart attack.
$875,000 medical malpractice settlement on behalf ofa young girl who suffered serious injuries at birth. The negligent handling of her delivery resulted in extensive shoulder dystocia injuries, including without limitation a right brachial plexus injury, Erb’s palsy, and weakness or partial paralysis of the right arm and hand. Because her injuries include limited mobility and paralysis, the young girl may need special accommodations and medical treatment for the rest of her life.
$850,000 settlement for a woman who was left permanently disfigured after her doctors and nurses missed textbook signs of an allergic reaction. She was continuously administered an antibiotic drug for over 60 hours before she was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson’s Syndrome, a life threatening allergic reaction to medications. the patient suffered burns to her skin, eyes, vagina, and mouth. It wasn’t for another 36 hours after the SJS diagnosis that the patient was given steroids to fight the allergic reaction and transferred to the burn unit to treat the severe burns to her body.
$800,000 settlement for failure to diagnose aortic dissection, resulting in cardiac arrest and sudden death. Plaintiff alleged that defendants failed to make the diagnosis of aortic dissection, which would have permitted medical intervention preventing his untimely death on December 18, 2001.
$750,000 verdict at trial for negligence in a spinal fusion surgery. Negligence resulted in neurological injury to snack cake route driver.
$725,000 settlement for a woman who died from bacterial meningitis after emergency room doctors failed to recognize the signs of meningitis and promptly treat her, even after she complained of pain and showed symptoms of meningitis.
$720,000 recovery for emergency room malpractice for failure to diagnose a heart attack and discharging the patient without performing an EKG or blood test which would have likely revealed the heart attack. The defendants argued it wouldn’t have made any difference and the plaintiff’s descendant would have died anyway.
$720,000 settlement for a woman who was sexually assaulted by her psychiatrist during the course of her treatment for depression and anxiety disorder. Doctor’s license was revoked as several other women, who previously were under his care, came forward with the same allegations, after plaintiffs allegations were aired in a television news piece.
$700,000 medical malpractice settlement on behalf of the Estate of a 55-year-old man who died as the result of medical negligence following gastric bypass surgery. The Client’s surgery resulted in four anastomotic leaks requiring three separate reparative surgeries. Anastomotic leaks carry with them a mortality rate of 6-39% and are considered the most important complication to recognize following gastrointestinal surgery. Unfortunately, the leaks were not timely diagnosed and led to the development of abdominal abscesses and severe sepsis resulting in the patient’s death 10 days after the initial bypass surgery.
$700,000 for a man against several defendants for negligence in failing to prevent, treat, and recognize a developing decubitus ulcer in plaintiff’s sacrum during inpatient care. Plaintiff was previously paralyzed as a result of an unrelated motor vehicle accident. After a week of hospital care, the man was transferred to a rehabilitation center. Proper protocols were not followed and plaintiff’s bed sore worsened. Although the family made complaints and was reassured that the care would improve, it did not. Due to defendants’ negligence, plaintiff developed infections including and required surgical procedures and inpatient and outpatient medical treatment.
$700,000 settlement for a man who died after developing a cardiac arrhythmia after having a gangrenous gall bladder. His primary cause of death was sepsis.
$700,000 settlement for a case where plaintiff came into the emergency room with signs of altered mental status and defendant doctors assumed she had a psychological problem and committed her to a psych ward. She died two days later of viral meningitis and encephalopathy.
$600,000 settlement for a 47-year-old man who died from HIV and AIDS after his primary doctor failed to test, diagnose and promptly treat him, even after he showed symptoms of the disease. The man was tested for HIV and Hepatitis B (HBV) infection after he reported a needle stick while at his workplace in 1993; both tests were negative. For almost a decade after, the plaintiff never received another HIV test despite having swollen glands, prolonged bowel symptoms, weight loss and other immune-related disorders, all red flags for HIV. When his symptoms progressed, an HIV test was finally ordered and came back positive. By that time, the HIV had developed into the full-blown AIDS virus and the plaintiff was too ill to receive antiretroviral medication, which if he was tested earlier and received the medication, would have prevented his death in 2003.
$500,000 settlement for a man who died after developing a cardiac arrhythmia after having a gangrenous gall bladder. His primary cause of death was sepsis.
$500,000 settlement for medicated malpractice in Chester County. Over-medication following thoracic surgery for benign tumor of the chest resulted in death.
$500,000 settlement for infection following spinal fusion surgery in a 60-year-old woman.
$425,000 Settlement after a surgeon failed to screw in hardware properly, causing further wrist damage to the client.

PRODUCTS LIABILITY

$35 Million settlement for a man who was ejected from the seat of a tractor trailer he was driving after the brakes failed when he applied them. The Plaintiff was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident but the vehicle jack-knifed and was forced off a highway and crashed into a guardrail. The seat belt failed to restrain the man in his seat and he hit the top of his head, breaking his neck and was ejected through the driver side window. The injuries resulted in catastrophic injuries to the man including quadriplegia.
Confidential eight-figure settlement against a leading smoke detector manufacturer and major mobile home company where a family of seven perished in a fire. The victims, including five children ages four to eleven, suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation causing their deaths. The victims’ mobile home came equipped with smoke detectors with ionization technology which failed to provide a timely warning of, what the Pennsylvania State Police investigators determined, was a slow and smoldering fire.
$8.5 Million settlement for the family of a seven-year-old girl who was killed in a fire caused by a defective curling iron that lacked proper safety precautions to prevent a fire from occurring. The curling iron was plugged into a defective power strip that lacked an industry standard fuse that would have disabled the power running to the curling iron in the event of a short.
$7 Million settlement products liability settlement for a Union carpenter who sustained career-ending injuries after a defective pair of drywall stilts broke underneath him.
Confidential seven-figure settlement in a products liability and motor vehicle accident case resulting in the deaths of a mother and twin sister of a teenage girl. The girl’s twin sister was operating her family’s vehicle when it was struck by the driver of a cement truck driving above the speed limit while carrying an overloaded amount of concrete in a cement mixer truck as the family’s car started to exit and then turned back into the travel lane in front of the cement truck.Although the women survived the impact from the truck, they ultimately died from mechanical asphyxiation when the concrete mixer truck rolled over on top of the car and discharged thousands of pounds of concrete onto them, suffocating them as they remained trapped in the vehicle’s front seat.The cement mixer truck was defectively designed in various ways, including being designed with too high a center of gravity, a drum that allowed the truck to be overloaded with concrete and an engine governor which permitted the truck to reach excessive speeds above what was recommended by the manufacturer for safe operation of the truck. The concrete mixer truck was also not equipped with safety devices to prevent the contents of the truck from spilling in the event of a rollover. The design defects significantly increased the risk of rollovers and the Defendants made no material changes to the truck design since its original manufacture in the 1970’s, and continued to replicate its dangerous design, despite tremendous advances in technology over the past 40 years to prevent rollovers like the one that ultimately occurred.
$5.25 Million settlement against a popular manufacturer and retailer of smoke detectors on behalf of the family of a grandmother and her toddler granddaughter who perished in a fire after four ionization smoke detectors failed to detect a growing fire in their two-story home.
$3.7 Million for death of a nine-year-old boy as a result of a fire in an apartment building.
$3.3 Million settlement for truck driver who sustained severe electrical burns when his dump trailer contacted uninsulated electric utility lines.
$2.9 Million settlement for a burn injury action involving a 3-year-old girl who was burned by an defective electric potpourri pot. The child suffered partial thickness burns on her right arm, right breast and shoulder. The Defendants were aware that the pot was defective and had injured other young children, but continued to market and sell it. The potpourri pots were sold without adequate warnings about the dangers and/or hazards posed by using it on a daily basis.
$2.225 Million settlement for 11-year-old burn victim. The plaintiff, an 11-year-old girl, sustained second and third degree burns to her thighs and abdomen after her nightgown ignited from a space heater. Products liability claims were filed against defendants, DESA International, Inc., and Harbor Freight, as the manufacturer in interest and distributor of the Glo-Warm space heater, and against Richard Leeds International, Inc., and Wal-Mart, as the designer and distributor of the nightgown. It had been alleged that the heater was defective since the grill guard allowed clothing to pass through and ignite rapidly from the pilot light of the heating tiles. It had been alleged that the cotton nightgown was defective since consumers were not warned that the garment was unsafe for a child, that it was not flame resistant, and that it did not comply with the children’s sleepwear regulations. This case was settled prior to trial for $2,225,000 with payments in a structured annuity expected to total an additional $4.7 million over the course of the plaintiff’s lifetime.
$2 Million settlement for a young man who lost his middle finger and injured his index finger on his dominant right hand as a result of a defective Ryobi table saw.
$1.55 Million total recovery for laborer who suffered head injury as a result of defective scaffolding, which caused a crank handle to spin around and strike him in the face and forehead. Plaintiff suffered severe injuries, including a laceration of the forehead, fractured bones of the face and nose, and a fractured skull. These injuries resulted in permanent neurological and cognitive dysfunction, and permanent loss of sense of taste and smell.
$1.5 Million total settlement in defective smoke alarm that didn’t sound, resulting in death of a child in Gloucester County, New Jersey.
$1 Million total settlement in defective smoke alarm that didn’t sound, resulting in death of a child in Gloucester County, New Jersey.
$750,000 jury verdict award to a 50-year-old woman in a single-car rollover resulting in a cervical disc injury.
$700,000 jury verdict award to a construction worker against the manufacturer of a ladder which broke under his feet. This particular manufacturer had never previously lost a trial in its history.
$680,000 total recovery for laborer who suffered a badly fractured ankle while carrying a pipe on a hotel construction site.
$650,000 total recovery for steam fitter who suffered burns on his arms while at work at U.S. Steel Fairless Hills Plant.
$600,000 settlement for plaintiff who was ejected from his vehicle after a rollover, causing multiple orthopedic injuries and lacerations of the head.
$550,000 settlement in an electric shock accident resulting in permanent nerve damage to arm and hand.
Confidential settlement reached between plaintiff and a major American pharmaceutical company as part of a class-action consumer fraud case regarding the company's concealment of material information about the substandard and defective nature of certain over-the-counter drugs, including their potentially harmful effects.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

$28.75 Million verdict for a child that was rendered a paraplegic in a motor vehicle accident.
Confidential eight-figure settlement in Central Pennsylvania on behalf of a family grieving the loss of two loved ones in a horrific trucking crash. The crash was caused by a truck driver, leading to the tragic death of a young woman and infant.
$15 Million verdict against multiple defendants in a truck crash case that resulted in the death of a four-year-old girl.
$12.9 Million jury verdict against the Philadelphia Joint Board Workers' Union on behalf of a man struck by a trade union vehicle being operated by an intoxicated, non-union employee. *HIGHEST MOTOR VEHICLE VERDICT IN PENNSYLVANIA IN 2019
Confidential seven-figure settlement in a products liability and motor vehicle accident case resulting in the deaths of a mother and a teenage girl when a cement truck crashed into the family vehicle at an excessive rate of speed. The women survived the impact from the truck, but ultimately died when the concrete mixer truck rolled over on top of the car and discharged thousands of pounds of concrete onto them, suffocating them as they remained trapped in the vehicle’s front seat. The cement mixer truck was defectively designed in various ways, including a high center of gravity that increased the risk of rollover. The concrete mixer truck was also not equipped with safety devices to prevent the contents of the truck from spilling in the event of a rollover. The Defendants made no material changes to the truck design since its original manufacture in the 1970’s, and continued to replicate its dangerous design, despite tremendous advances in technology over the past 40 years to prevent rollovers like the one that ultimately occurred.
Confidential seven-figure settlement on behalf of a 19-year-old girl who sustained paralyzing spinal cord injuries when a vehicle in which she was a back-seat passenger collided with a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction on a Northeast Pennsylvania interstate highway.
$6.9 Million recovery from accident with tow truck resulting in brain injury to a 70-year-old man, requiring nursing home care.
$4.65 Million settlement with bus company Atlantic Express and bus driver Aguir Jancaj after a bus crash that caused Rachel Davis to sustain numerous injuries, including traumatic brain injury, cervical spine herniations, injuries to her right shoulder, and the development of major depressive disorder. Rachel can not return to her doctoral studies or to her job as a teacher and will require specialized therapies and medical treatments for the rest of her life.
$3.8 Million settlement for a Fortune 500 executive who was rendered completely disabled after being sideswiped while traveling on vacation.
$3 Million settlement for the victim of a crash caused by a distracted Verizon bucket-truck driver. The plaintiff, Ms. Pinkerton, suffered a mild traumatic brain injury and multiple herniated discs in her neck and back. It was her neuropsychologist’s opinion that the TBI caused significant memory loss and ended her 32-year career as a nurse. The Verizon driver was on both his business and personal cell phones simultaneously when he took his eyes off of the road and rear ended Ms. Pinkerton’s car.
$2.75 Million settlement for motorcycle accident involving 64-year-old man and Lex Electric work vehicle.
$1.875 Million settlement for a couple who sustained serious orthopedic injuries when their stopped car was rear ended by a speeding work van and propelled across traffic lanes until it crashed against a utility pole on the side of the road.
$1.75 Million verdict in Camden County, NJ for a man who sustained permanent lumbar disc and nerve injuries as a result of a car crash.
$1.5 Million settlement on behalf of our client who sustained several injuries after being struck on the driver side of his work vehicle by a landscaping dump truck that ran a red light. The injuries our client sustained as a result of the collision include mild traumatic brain injury, transverse process fractures of the lumbar spine, and a vocal cord injury that affected his voice, leaving him unable to return to his employment in the pest control business.
$1.5 Million recovery on behalf of the Estate of a 20-year-old woman who was killed after being run over in the street by a garbage truck. Lawyers for the defendants tried to dispute liability, blaming the young woman for her own death by arguing that she was not in the crosswalk, was dressed in black, and was wearing ear buds, but attorneys Messa and Almquist garnered compelling evidence of systemic failures of the garbage truck company that prompted the defendants to settle for $1.5 Million.
$1.075 Million partial settlement involving a motor vehicle accident due to a shopping center’s negligence in Plymouth Meeting, PA.
$1.05 Million settlement for a man who was hit by a paratransit bus making a sudden illegal left-hand turn while he was driving his motorcycle. His motorcycle “T-boned” the driver’s side door of the paratransit bus and he was thrown from his motorcycle and run over by another driver. The driver of the paratransit bus had previously been cited and disciplined for numerous other driving violations, many of which were for major breaches of safety protocol including four motor vehicle accidents. The Plaintiff suffered significant severe and permanent injuries including multiple fractures.
$1 Million partial settlement involving a motor vehicle accident due to a shopping center’s negligence in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. The owners and the property management company of the center failed to maintain proper landscaping and signage causing obstruction of vision for both drivers. The negligence caused an accident resulting in traumatic aortic dissection and multiple orthopedic fractures for the defendant.
$1 Million settlement for a 55 year-old factory worker who was seriously injured when a Ford F-450 truck struck her while she was attempting to cross a four lane highway at nightime. Ms. Munoz-Garcia suffered several fractures, requiring multiple surgical procedures and amputation of two toes on her right foot.
$885,000 settlement for a trucking accident, which resulted in multiple serious injuries. The plaintiff was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike at night, during a rainstorm and decided to pull onto the shoulder until the storm letup.
$850,000 recovery in trucking accident case for a man hit by a tractor-trailer. He suffered from serious injuries, including severe orthopedic injuries.
$850,000 settlement for the victim of a crash caused by a negligent GARDA armored truck driver. The plaintiff, Mr. Jazlovietcki, was driving northbound through an intersection at which he had the right of way (green light) when a westbound GARDA armored truck blew through a red light, T-boning the plaintiff’s car. Mr. Jazlovietcki suffered a fractured arm, bulging discs in his neck and lower back, and post concussion syndrome that lead to numerous cognitive deficiencies.
$800,000 settlement for a man who was involved in a workplace accident causing neck and back injuries, resulting in multiple surgeries.
$775,000 verbal threshold verdict for the victim of a crash who sustained permanent and debilitating neck and back injuries after her car was broadsided at the intersection of Rt. 47 and Fulling Mill Road in Rio Grande, New Jersey.
$750,000 verdict for plaintiff Julia Pison who sustained severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, after her car was “t-boned” by another vehicle driving down Cooper Rd. in Voorhees, New Jersey.
$750,000 jury verdict award to a 50-year-old woman in a single-car rollover resulting in a cervical disc injury.
$750,000 recovery for a motor vehicle/truck accident in Berks County, PA (Reading) where plaintiff suffered a fractured pelvis, fractured leg and head trauma. The vehicle was hit on the right rear bumper, causing the vehicle to cross into oncoming traffic, where it was impacted again.
$550,000 settlement for a man who was working as a machine operator on a rail gang when the brakes of the scrapper machine he was riding failed, collided with another machine, and derailed. Problems with the brakes on the equipment were reported before the accident. The plaintiff suffered a herniated disc in his neck and had to have a spinal fusion surgery.
$525,000 recovery for a man was rear-ended in New Jersey causing him to permanently lose his sense of smell.
$465,000 settlement for a man who was in a motorcycle accident with a City Water Department truck, resulting in a severe fracture of his left leg, requiring surgery.
$450,000 verdict for a female passenger aboard a SEPTA bus that sustained significant injuries after the SEPTA vehicle was struck by a small bus owned by Crystal’s Care, Inc.
$450,000 settlement for man injured in a collision with a city tow truck.
$450,000 settlement secured on behalf of client, Valerie Cline, who sustained serious and permanent cervical spine, lumbar spine, and closed head injuries in a motor vehicle accident caused by an uninsured motorist.
$445,000 settlement for a pedestrian injured when she was struck by a Philadelphia Police cruiser while she was crossing the street within a crosswalk.
$440,000 settlement against the City of Philadelphia on behalf of the Estate of a 90 year-old woman. The elderly woman was crossing the street near her home in Northeast Philadelphia when a City of Philadelphia police officer made a careless left turn into a busy intersection and struck her in the crosswalk with his police vehicle. The pedestrian suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the crash, including multiple fractures and internal bleeding, which ultimately led to her tragic and untimely death approximately 10 hours later.
$400,000 settlement on behalf of a client who sustained a closed head injury after she was hit by an uninsured motorist. The victim experienced concussion symptoms that affected her family life.
$330,000 verdict for a woman who was injured in a car accident while riding as a passenger. The car was hit when another car ran a red light, forcing her car to collide with a stop sign.
$295,000 verdict after a motor collision causing a concussion to a young woman.
$205,000 awarded to a Montgomery County couple for a motor vehicle accident resulting in two shoulder surgeries. Their vehicle was rear-ended when it stopped to avoid colliding with the driver ahead of them who reversed on a highway because she had missed her exit.
$175,000 verdict in New Jersey, for 45-year-old woman involved in a rear-end motor vehicle accident. As a result of the accident, she suffered an aggravation of degenerative disc disease in her neck and back.
$150,000 settlement for a Chester County, PA resident involved in a motor vehicle accident who sustained a lumbar fracture and resulting surgery. The settlement was achieved despite a witness who alleged our client disregarded a red traffic signal and caused the accident.
$150,000 for a woman involved in a motor vehicle accident. She sustained a herniated disc and required microsurgery.
$144,000 settlement for a man who was involved in a motor vehicle accident when a transportation van ran his vehicle off the road and into a tree. The accident led to an arthroscopic surgery on his knee for a damaged meniscus.
$142,000 for an elderly man who was rear-ended in New Jersey and suffered a subdural hematoma.
$120,000 combined settlement for a husband and wife who were rear-ended in New Jersey causing them each neck and back injuries.
$175,000 recovery after a driver ran over a pedestrian's foot causing a fracture and requiring surgery.
$200,000 Verdict for a woman struck by a school bus while walking in a crosswalk

TRUCK CRASHES

$35 Million settlement for a man who was ejected from the seat of a tractor trailer he was driving after the brakes failed when he applied them. The Plaintiff was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident but the vehicle jack-knifed and was forced off a highway and crashed into a guardrail. The seatbelt failed to restrain the man in his seat and he hit the top of his head, breaking his neck and was ejected through the driver side window. The injuries resulted in catastrophic injuries to the man including quadriplegia.
Confidential eight-figure settlement in Central Pennsylvania on behalf of a family grieving the loss of two loved ones in a horrific trucking crash. The crash was caused by a truck driver, leading to the tragic death of a young woman and infant.
$15 Million verdict against multiple defendants in a truck crash case that resulted in the death of a four-year-old girl.
Confidential seven-figure settlement in a products liability and motor vehicle accident case resulting in the deaths of a mother and a teenage girl when a cement truck crashed into the family vehicle at an excessive rate of speed. The women survived the impact from the truck, but ultimately died when the concrete mixer truck rolled over on top of the car and discharged thousands of pounds of concrete onto them, suffocating them as they remained trapped in the vehicle’s front seat. The cement mixer truck was defectively designed in various ways, including a high center of gravity that increased the risk of rollover. The concrete mixer truck was also not equipped with safety devices to prevent the contents of the truck from spilling in the event of a rollover. The Defendants made no material changes to the truck design since its original manufacture in the 1970’s, and continued to replicate its dangerous design, despite tremendous advances in technology over the past 40 years to prevent rollovers like the one that ultimately occurred.
$6.9 Million recovery from accident with tow truck resulting in brain injury to a 70-year-old man, requiring nursing home care.
$3.3 Million settlement for truck driver who sustained severe electrical burns when his dump trailer contacted uninsulated electric utility lines.
$3 Million settlement for the victim of a crash caused by a distracted Verizon bucket-truck driver. The plaintiff, Ms. Pinkerton, suffered a mild traumatic brain injury and multiple herniated discs in her neck and back. It was her neuropsychologist’s opinion that the TBI caused significant memory loss and ended her 32-year career as a nurse. The Verizon driver was on both his business and personal cell phones simultaneously when he took his eyes off of the road and rear ended Ms. Pinkerton’s car.
$1.5 Million settlement on behalf of our client who sustained several injuries after being struck on the driver side of his work vehicle by a landscaping dump truck that ran a red light. The injuries our client sustained as a result of the collision include mild traumatic brain injury, transverse process fractures of the lumbar spine, and a vocal cord injury that affected his voice, leaving him unable to return to his employment in the pest control business.
$1.5 Million recovery on behalf of the Estate of a 20-year-old woman who was killed after being run over in the street by a garbage truck. Lawyers for the defendants tried to dispute liability, blaming the young woman for her own death by arguing that she was not in the crosswalk, was dressed in black, and was wearing ear buds, but attorneys Messa and Almquist garnered compelling evidence of systemic failures of the garbage truck company that prompted the defendants to settle for $1.5 Million.
$1 Million settlement for a 55 year-old factory worker who was seriously injured when a Ford F-450 truck struck her while she was attempting to cross a four lane highway at nightime. Ms. Munoz-Garcia suffered several fractures, requiring multiple surgical procedures and amputation of two toes on her right foot.
$885,000 settlement for a trucking accident, which resulted in multiple serious injuries. The plaintiff was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike at night, during a rainstorm and decided to pull onto the shoulder until the storm letup.
$850,000 recovery in trucking accident case for a man hit by a tractor-trailer. He suffered from serious injuries, including severe orthopedic injuries.
$850,000 settlement for the victim of a crash caused by a negligent GARDA armored truck driver. The plaintiff, Mr. Jazlovietcki, was driving northbound through an intersection at which he had the right of way (green light) when a westbound GARDA armored truck blew through a red light, T-boning the plaintiff’s car. Mr. Jazlovietcki suffered a fractured arm, bulging discs in his neck and lower back, and post concussion syndrome that lead to numerous cognitive deficiencies.
$750,000 recovery for a motor vehicle/truck accident in Berks County, PA (Reading) where plaintiff suffered a fractured pelvis, fractured leg and head trauma. The vehicle was hit on the right rear bumper, causing the vehicle to cross into oncoming traffic, where it was impacted again.
$465,000 settlement for a man who was in a motorcycle accident with a City Water Department truck, resulting in a severe fracture of his left leg, requiring surgery.
$450,000 settlement for man injured in a collision with a city tow truck.

WORK RELATED INJURIES

$35 Million settlement for a man who was ejected from the seat of a tractor trailer he was driving after the brakes failed when he applied them. The Plaintiff was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident but the vehicle jack-knifed and was forced off a highway and crashed into a guardrail. The seatbelt failed to restrain the man in his seat and he hit the top of his head, breaking his neck and was ejected through the driver side window. The injuries resulted in catastrophic injuries to the man including quadriplegia.
8.265 Million settlement for a husband and father of two who suffered permanent paralysis (paraplegia) as the result of a two-story fall on a construction site. The working conditions on the construction site were unsafe, including, among other hazards, lack of safety equipment, stairs, ladders, and guard rails.
$7.2 Million settlement verdict for an electrocution case in Camden County.
$7 Million products liability settlement for a Union carpenter who sustained career-ending injuries after a defective pair of drywall stilts broke underneath him.
$3.3 Million settlement for truck driver who sustained severe electrical burns when his dump trailer contacted uninsulated electric utility lines.
$3 Million jury verdict for a carpenter who sustained serious and permanent injuries after a temporary staircase on a construction site collapsed underneath him.
$3 Million settlement for a defective product on a worksite causing physical and emotional injuries.
$3 Million recovery for a defective product on a worksite causing physical and emotional injuries.
$1.6 Million settlement for an ironworker injured in fall at construction site.
$1.55 Million total recovery for laborer who suffered head injury as a result of defective scaffolding, which caused a crank handle to spin around and strike him in the face and forehead. Plaintiff suffered severe injuries, including a laceration of the forehead, fractured bones of the face and nose, and a fractured skull. These injuries resulted in permanent neurological and cognitive dysfunction, and permanent loss of sense of taste and smell.
$1.375 Million for a Chester County man injured on a work site when the operator of the lift of the work cage he was in slammed on the brakes causing the cage to shake and causing Mr. Wilson’s left side to hit the left rail of the work cage. At the same time the operator hit the brakes, he hit the lever to lower the cage, and slammed the cage to the ground. He suffered severe and permanent injuries to his legs and back, including a herniated disc and required surgery.
$1 Million settlement to compensate Rosado, a delivery truck driver, for injuries and damages he suffered after his foot was run over by a forklift operator employed by Dream Well in 2012. Rosado required multiple hospitalizations and surgeries to repair fractures in his foot, skin graft procedures for his foot and ankle, multiple therapeutic treatments, and the ultimate amputation of the toes on his right foot.
$1 Million settlement on behalf of a client who sustained permanent physical and emotional injuries after falling through an unsecured temporary floor on an OSHA non-compliant construction site.
$850,000 settlement on behalf of a Philadelphia man who fell through a warehouse roof on a job site where he was employed. As a result of the incident, the man suffered multiple fractures and an elbow injury which required surgical intervention. Evidence was uncovered that proved that the plaintiff’s alleged employer, as well as the property owner, both had superior knowledge of the defective condition of the roof which resulted in the man’s fall and subsequent injuries.
$840,000 construction injury settlement awarded to Melvin Santos, a house painter who sustained severe injuries including a concussion with post concussive syndrome and multiple fractures resulting in traumatic arthritis to the wrist, after falling nine feet through an unguarded hole on a job site. Due to his injuries, Mr. Santos is unable to return to work or care for/support his family.
$800,000 settlement for a man who was involved in a workplace accident causing neck and back injuries, resulting in multiple surgeries.
$725,000 settlement for a man injured on a saw at work.
$700,000 jury verdict awarded to a construction worker against the manufacturer of a ladder which broke under his feet. This particular manufacturer had never previously lost a trial in its history.
$685,000 settlement for a construction accident case filed in Philadelphia County involving the failure to remove dangerous snow and ice from a construction site. The Plaintiff was a subcontractor performing carpentry work at a construction of a new home when he fell on ice and snow at the construction site. This failure to remove the concealed ice caused him to fall and suffer torn rotator cuffs and required surgery to both shoulders.
$680,000 total recovery for laborer who suffered a badly fractured ankle while carrying a pipe on a hotel construction site.
$650,000 total recovery for steam fitter who suffered burns on his arms while at work at U.S. Steel Fairless Hills Plant.
$475,000 settlement for a carpenter who suffered injuries to his shoulder and back while at work, as a result of a failure to take steps to have proper fall protection at work.
$300,000 settlement for worker who injured shoulder while working in a sewer. Scaffolding plaintiff was standing on broke, causing him to fall to the floor of the sewer, injuring his right shoulder, neck, and back.

WRONGFUL DEATH

$15 Million verdict against multiple defendants in a truck crash case that resulted in the death of a four-year-old girl.
Confidential eight-figure settlement against a leading smoke detector manufacturer and major mobile home company where a family of seven perished in a fire. the victims, including five children ages four to eleven, suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation causing their deaths. The victims' mobile home came equipped with smoke detectors with ionization technology which failed to provide a timely warning of, what the Pennsylvania State Police investigators determined, was a slow and smoldering fire.
Confidential seven-figure settlement in a products liability and motor vehicle accident case resulting in the deaths of a mother and a teenage girl when a cement truck crashed into the family vehicle at an excessive rate of speed. The women survived the impact from the truck, but ultimately died when the concrete mixer truck rolled over on top of the car and discharged thousands of pounds of concrete onto them, suffocating them as they remained trapped in the vehicle’s front seat. The cement mixer truck was defectively designed in various ways, including a high center of gravity that increased the risk of rollover. The concrete mixer truck was also not equipped with safety devices to prevent the contents of the truck from spilling in the event of a rollover. The Defendants made no material changes to the truck design since its original manufacture in the 1970’s, and continued to replicate its dangerous design, despite tremendous advances in technology over the past 40 years to prevent rollovers like the one that ultimately occurred.
Confidential seven-figure recovery in a rural county in North Central Pennsylvania for the family of a teenage girl who was killed after the car she was riding in was struck by an oncoming train while the car drove through a railroad crossing that did not have crossing gates.
Confidential seven-figure settlement in a New Jersey wrongful death action on behalf of the Estate of a 72-year-old man who suffered a painful and preventable death after his doctor failed to test for, diagnose, and treat pneumonia.
$8.5 Million recovery for the family of a 30-year-old mother who died following the birth of her daughter as a result of negligent treatment of a postpartum hemorrhage.
$8.5 Million settlement for the family of a seven-year-old girl who was killed in a fire caused by a defective curling iron that lacked proper safety precautions to prevent a fire from occurring. The curling iron was plugged into a defective power strip that lacked an industry standard fuse that would have disabled the power running to the curling iron in the event of a short.
$6 Million settlement against two hospitals, three physicians, and three nurses for a 48 year-old woman who died prematurely because of a delay in diagnosis and treatment of a rare blood disorder, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura ("TTP"). The allegations of the lawsuit included the failure to timely administer lifesaving blood products and plasma exchange therapy and miscommunications about transfer to an institution that could definitively treat the patient.
$3.7 Million for death of a nine-year-old boy as a result of a fire in an apartment building.
$3 Million settlement on behalf of the Estates of a young woman and her unborn child. Both mom and baby died after treating physicians discharged the young mother and failed to recognize that her presenting symptoms, which remained unresolved at the time of her discharge, were signs of an abdominal bleed. Nine hours after her discharge, the young woman was rushed by ambulance to another ER, where she and her unborn child tragically died.
$2.3 Million recovery for a claim against doctors who failed to diagnose a brain aneurysm on an MRI which ruptured, causing the death of a young woman.
$2 Million settlement on behalf of the Estate of a patient who died as the result of a bowel perforation sustained during a routine colonoscopy.
$2 Million settlement for a medical malpractice case involving a mother of two who died after doctors failed to diagnose and treat an epidural abscess that resulted in sepsis.
The woman delivered her second baby, and complained of back and abdominal pain three weeks later. She was evaluated by physicians at the hospital who did not complete a thorough medical examination despite her multiple visits in the emergency room. Just four days after her first emergency room visit, she was admitted at another hospital and diagnosed with sepsis. The following day, she went into cardiac arrest and failed to produce a pulse. Doctors attempted to resuscitate her, but were unable to do so.An autopsy ruled that the cause of her death was sepsis. The woman was 18-years-old at the time of her death, and a mother to her one-month-old baby girl and another toddler girl.
$1.9 Million settlement for the family of an underage man killed in a motor vehicle accident after he and he friends were served at a bar, and then left intoxicated. The deceased was a passenger in his friend’s car. His friend was also intoxicated and lost control of the car while traveling at a high rate of speed in an attempt to evade police officers who were trying to pull the vehicle over. The car hit a tree resulting in the young passenger's death.
$1.75 Million verdict for the death of a one-day-old girl.
$1.7 Million recovery for the family of a woman whose mole removal was never followed up with a pathology evaluation, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment of malignant melanoma and eventual metastasis and death.
$1.5 Million recovery on behalf of the Estate of a 20-year-old woman who was killed after being run over in the street by a garbage truck. Lawyers for the defendants tried to dispute liability, blaming the young woman for her own death by arguing that she was not in the crosswalk, was dressed in black, and was wearing ear buds, but attorneys Messa and Almquist garnered compelling evidence of systemic failures of the garbage truck company that prompted the defendants to settle for $1.5 Million.
$1.5 Million total settlement for the untimely and tragic death of a child in Gloucester County, New Jersey after a defective smoke alarm failed to sound.
$1 Million settlement on behalf of the Estate of a 24-year-old man who died as a result of a failure to diagnose an treat a pneumococcal infection (pneumonia) in the Emergency Department of a New Jersey hospital.
$1 Million medical malpractice settlement against a prominent health system in Pennsylvania for the death of a wife and mother of three adult children after an aortic valve replacement procedure. Though the procedure was successful, premature extubation post-surgery led to to the patient's tragic and untimely demise.
$900,000 settlement for a Philadelphia County wrongful death action on behalf of the family of a woman died as a result of hospital negligence.The 53-year-old woman had a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia and was severely obese weighing approximately 450 lbs. She had a psychiatric crisis and was taken to the Emergency Room for treatment. Upon being examined, she was admitted to the hospital because of underlying respiratory issue which included shortness of breath. After being intubated, she became agitated and began pulling on the trach. The nursing staff noted the change in her behavior, but assumed that she was just trying to get attention and failed to realize that her actions were a result of her lack of oxygen to her brain. The woman continued to pull on the trach until it came out. She was not intubated quickly enough after that and died as a result.
Confidential six-figure settlement on behalf of the Estate of a 79-year-old woman who died after her physicians missed the symptoms and subsequently delayed treatment of a post-surgical bleed that led to her untimely death.
$440,000 settlement against the City of Philadelphia on behalf of the Estate of a 90 year-old woman. The elderly woman was crossing the street near her home in Northeast Philadelphia when a City of Philadelphia police officer made a careless left turn into a busy intersection and struck her in the crosswalk with his police vehicle. The pedestrian suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the crash, including multiple fractures and internal bleeding, which ultimately led to her tragic and untimely death approximately 10 hours later.

INJURIES TO CHILDREN

$15 million verdict against multiple defendants in a truck crash case that resulted in the death of a four-year-old girl.
Confidential eight-figure against a leading smoke detector manufacturer and major mobile home company where a family of seven perished in a fire. The victims, including five children ages four to eleven, suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation causing their deaths. The victims’ mobile home came equipped with smoke detectors with ionization technology which failed to provide a timely warning of, what the Pennsylvania State Police investigators determined, was a slow and smoldering fire.
$11.9 Million settlement for a young girl after her pediatrician failed to diagnose and treat the H1N1 flu virus (swine flu), causing her to require emergency hospital treatment. During her hospitalization, hospital staff failed to properly diagnose her respiratory failure and intubate her, resulting in significant oxygen deprivation which caused permanent brain damage.
Confidential multi-million dollar settlement against a prominent area hospital on behalf of a three-month old child who received negligent medical care that resulted in the amputation of her right hand and forearm. Chromosomal abnormalities caused a number of disabilities for the infant, including cognitive deficiencies and paraplegia. At the time of her hospitalization, however, despite her limitations, she had two working hands. After her hospitalization, the child had lost 50% of the only mobility she had.
$8.6 Million settlement verdict for a family of a child who suffered severe brain damage because her delivery was inexplicably delayed.
$8.5 Million settlement for the family of a seven-year-old girl who was killed in a fire caused by a defective curling iron that lacked proper safety precautions to prevent a fire from occurring. The curling iron was plugged into a defective power strip that lacked an industry standard fuse that would have disabled the power running to the curling iron in the event of a short.
$6.1 Million settlement on behalf of his six-year old client who tragically lost her right eye at just three years of age. the plaintiff’s right eye was impaled by a protruding metal latch on a playground fence at an area college campus where she attended pre-school. Mr. Messa asserted that the institution acted with serious negligence when they failed to repair the latch a year earlier after it caused an injury to another little girl. The college’s failure to alert the proper parties in order to repair the fence’s dangerous condition and prevent further injury allowed the dangerous condition to continue and cause the little girl a life changing injury.
$6 Million settlement for cardiac defect (tetralogy of fallot) in an infant which went undiagnosed and untreated, resulting in death of the infant.
$5.75 Million settlement for wrongful death of a two-year-old at a Philadelphia daycare center. In 2006, a little girl’s older brother arrived to pick her up from a local Philadelphia daycare center, only to find the workers who were responsible for her care could not find her. He eventually discovered his little sister slumped on a tricycle wedged under a jungle gym outside in the playground. While waiting for the arrival of the EMS, not a single employee attempted to do CPR or first aid on the toddler. She was then rushed to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia (CHOP) after the EMS was unable to resuscitate her. The toddler lost consciousness after her daycare teachers failed to properly supervise her causing severe injuries including hypoxic brain injury, or suffocation, and cardiac arrest. The toddler died a few days later after being declared brain dead while maintained on life support throughout the duration of her stay at CHOP.
$5.5 Million recovery for a nine year-old girl whose physicians at two leading hospitals failed to diagnose her spinal cord tumor until it caused paralysis.
$4.05 Million settlement for the family of a child who suffered severe brain damage as a result of post-delivery neglect by the hospital staff.
$3.7 Million settlement for death of a nine-year-old boy as a result of a fire in an apartment building.
$3 Million recovery for a young boy who suffered severe vision loss as a result of his doctors' failure to recognize that his skull was not growing normally.
$3 Million Settlement after a child is struck by a vehicle while crossing the street.
$2.9 Million settlement for a products liability action involving a 3-year-old girl who was burned by an electric potpourri pot. The child suffered partial thickness burns on her right arm, right breast and shoulder. The Defendants were aware that the pot was defective and had injured other young children, but continued to market and sell it. The potpourri pots were sold without adequate warnings about the dangers and/or hazards posed by using it on a daily basis.
$2.225 Million settlement for an 11-year-old burn victim. The plaintiff, an 11-year-old girl, sustained second- and third-degree burns to her thighs and abdomen after her nightgown ignited from a space heater. Products liability claims were filed against defendants, DESA International, Inc., and Harbor Freight, as the manufacturer in interest and distributor of the Glo-Warm space heater, and against Richard Leeds International, Inc., and Wal-Mart, as the designer and distributor of the nightgown. It had been alleged that the heater was defective since the grill guard allowed clothing to pass through and ignite rapidly from the pilot light of the heating tiles. It had been alleged that the cotton nightgown was defective since consumers were not warned that the garment was unsafe for a child, that it was not flame resistant, and that it did not comply with the children’s sleepwear regulations. This case was settled prior to trial for $2,225,000 with payments in a structured annuity expected to total an additional $4.7 million over the course of the plaintiff’s lifetime.
$1.5 Million recovery for birth trauma. Negligent use of forceps on baby’s skull during delivery, resulting in neurological injury to baby’s arm and leg.
$1.29 Million settlement for the father of a young autistic man who was killed by police after being left unattended at a shopping mall. The young man was brought to the mall by an employee of a facility that was responsible for his oversight 24 hours a day.
$1.05 settlement for a minor in a New Jersey dog bite case.
$568,375 jury verdict on behalf of a 17-month-old boy who suffered disfiguring injuries from a dog-bite on the patio of the American Sardine Bar at 18th and Federal Streets in the Point Breeze section of Philadelphia.
$475,000 settlement for a carpenter who suffered injuries to his shoulder and back while at work, as a result of a failure to take steps to have proper fall protection at work.
Confidential policy-limit settlement on behalf of a nine-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted in a Philadelphia home day care center. The child was assaulted when her day care provider left the center and did not provide appropriate and qualified adult supervision to care for the children.
Confidential seven figure settlement for a child who lost part of their pinky.

PREMISES LIABILITY

$6.1 Million settlement for a little girl who lost her right eye after it was impaled by a gate-latch in disrepair at daycare.
$5.4 Million settlement on behalf of a client who was run-over by a garbage truck in a dimly lit and poorly designed parking lot, and dragged for more than 10 feet. The client underwent 12 surgeries in an attempt to repair the damage done to her leg, including numerous skin grafts. Today, the client is mostly bedridden, in constant pain, and suffers from ongoing lymphedema and bilateral frozen shoulders. She is unable to return to her previous job, where she had been employed for more than 25 years as a food service worker.
$5 Million settlement for a woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury at the age of 41 when she slipped and fell on stairs leading from the parking lot to her apartment.
$2.5M verdict against Big Boulder Ski Resort on behalf of an injured snowboarder who sustained a serious leg injury after skiing down an improperly marked closed trail.
$1.5 Million slip and fall settlement for a 76-year-old nurse practitioner who was seriously injured when she slipped and fell on an ice patch in front of a nursing home on her way to work. The victim underwent surgery to repair her prosthetic hip as a result. After surgery, however, she experienced numerous complications necessitating additional surgeries, hospitalizations, and rehabilitation.
$1.2 Million recovery for 81-Year Old Woman with Brain Injury as a result of an injury at Philadelphia International Airport.
$1.075 Million partial settlement involving a motor vehicle accident due to a shopping center's negligence in Plymouth Meeting, PA.
$954,000 jury verdict for Mr. Agresta, who slipped and fell on ice at the Springton Point condominium Association sidewalk where his family resides in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The sidewalk was a common element under the control of the townhouse community; however, was contracted by Wentworth Property Management to maintain.
$750,000 settlement for a hotel employee who was rendered disabled while falling into a hidden construction ditch in the employer’s parking lot.
$550,000 total recovery for man whose foot was badly fractured in piece of gym equipment.
$500,000 premises liability/slip and fall settlement for a woman who fell at a shopping center job site.
$478,000 verdict against Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital and Trinity Health on behalf of Michelle Robinson. Ms. Robinson sustained a tibial fracture and aggravation of lumbar degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, and arthritis after a fall from her wheelchair due to the defective and dangerous condition of the defendants' handicapped parking spaces.
$450,000 verdict in mold case.
$375,000 for a Montgomery County school bus driver who tripped and fell while attempting to cross the street because of a concealed hazard. The fall resulted in multiple ruptured tendons and multiple surgeries. The woman has developed multiple restricting conditions which continue to impact her daily life.
$350,000 settlement for a woman who fell down steps as she exited a retail store and was unable to access the handrail due to display racks that had been placed on the landing in the front of the store’s exit. She suffered a spiral fracture to her left leg, requiring surgery as well as back injuries.
$300,000 reward after Philadelphia cop falls off police horse and injures back when the horse stepped into a pothole.
$300,000 settlement for a man who fell while working in a sewer, causing him neck and back injuries.
$195,000 settlement for a woman who slipped and fell on a wet floor in a Ross department store located in Bucks County which resulted in a fractured wrist and surgery.
$175,000 settlement for a woman who tripped and fell on a parking wheel stop at a movie theater which resulted in broken teeth and facial nerve damage.
$150,000 settlement for a man involving a slip and fall in City Hall causing a torn rotator cuff.
$125,000 settlement for a neighborhood resident who shattered multiple bones and required several surgeries due to a defect in the sidewalk.

FIRES, BURNS, EXPLOSIONS

Confidential eight-figure against a leading smoke detector manufacturer and major mobile home company where a family of seven perished in a fire. The victims, including five children ages four to eleven, suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation causing their deaths. The victims’ mobile home came equipped with smoke detectors with ionization technology which failed to provide a timely warning of, what the Pennsylvania State Police investigators determined, was a slow and smoldering fire.
$8 Million settlement settlement for the family of a seven-year-old girl who was killed in a fire caused by a defective curling iron that lacked proper safety precautions to prevent a fire from occurring. The curling iron was plugged into a defective power strip that lacked an industry standard fuse that would have disabled the power running to the curling iron in the event of a short.
$5.25 Million settlement against a popular manufacturer and retailer of smoke detectors on behalf of the family of a grandmother and her toddler granddaughter who perished in a fire after four ionization smoke detectors failed to detect a growing fire in their two-story home.
$3.7 Million for death of a nine-year-old boy as a result of a fire in an apartment building.
$2.9 Million settlement for a burn injury action involving a 3-year-old girl who was burned by an defective electric potpourri pot. The child suffered partial thickness burns on her right arm, right breast and shoulder. The Defendants were aware that the pot was defective and had injured other young children, but continued to market and sell it. The potpourri pots were sold without adequate warnings about the dangers and/or hazards posed by using it on a daily basis.
$2.225 Million settlement for 11-year old burn victim.
$1.5 Million total settlement in defective smoke alarm that didn't sound, resulting in death of a child in Gloucester County, New Jersey.
$1.4 Million for a company whose business equipment, inventory, tools and personal possessions as well as a portion of the property UPA was leasing was destroyed in a fire.
$1 Million recovery for faulty smoke detectors resulting in the death of a child in Camden County, New Jersey.
$550,000 settlement in an electric shock accident resulting in permanent nerve damage to arm and hand.
$6.4 Million Recovery after children and adults were injured in an apartment fire.

PHARMACEUTICAL INJURIES

MASS TORT, CLASS ACTION, & MULTI-DISTRICT LITIGATION

$235 Million total recovery for passengers injured and deceased in the 2015 Amtrak derailment in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia. Joseph Messa and Thomas Sweeney secured a significant portion of the total settlement for their client, a husband and father who was permanently injured as a result of the derailment.
$120 Million total settlement for plaintiffs injured as a resuly of implantation of spinal bone screws into the spine during spinal fusion procedures. AcroMed marketed the orthopedic bone screws to alleviate back pain, but thousands of patients claimed that the screws actually exacerbated the pain, often breaking after they were implanted in the patients' spines.
$50 Million Verdict awarded to Army veteran and Special Forces Green Beret, against 3M for its defective Cobat Arms earplugs.
$20 Million total settlement for clients injured as a result of ingestion of the diet drug Fen-Phen.
$10.9 Million verdict for Haley Powell, a South Carolina woman who used Topamax from about March 2006 to about May 2011 including during her pregnancy. Powell's son, Brayden Gurley, was born with a cleft lip in 2008. (This verdict is one of the first two of more than 130 cases filed against Janssen Pharmaceuticals in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.)
$4.02 Million verdict for April Czimmer, a Virginia resident, whose son underwent four surgeries after birth to correct his cleft lip. Czimmer was taking Topamax when she became pregnant. (This verdict is one of the first two of more than 130 cases filed against Janssen Pharmaceuticals in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.)
Confidential settlement reached between plaintiff and a major American pharmaceutical company as part of a class action consumer fraud case relating the the company's concealment of material information about the substandard and defective nature of certain over-the-counter medications, including their potentially harmful effects.

NURSING HOME ABUSE

$620,000 settlement with two defendants for a 78-year old woman who was placed in a nursing home after an injury at home that required surgery. While in rehab, caregivers failed to both monitor skin conditions and routinely re-position the patient, which led to the formation of two serious pressure ulcers (bedsores). Infection in the open wounds led to a urinary tract infection, sepsis, and stroke.
Confidential six-figure settlement for the family of an 89-year-old man who died from sepsisthat resulted from an infection in a pressure ulcer (bedsore) he acquired while rehabilitating at a nursing home.
$398,750 settlement in a Camden County, New Jersey nursing home case where a woman suffered multiple falls because the facility failed to perform proper assessments and implement basic fall precautions. One of the falls resulted in a fractured knee that went undiagnosed for several days due to negligent treatment and care. Due to facility’s failure to evaluate the injury and subsequent delay in diagnosis and treatment, the woman’s physical condition declined and she was hospitalized due to poor intake, dehydration and hypotension. When the injury was finally diagnosed at the hospital, she underwent surgery but was too weak to return to baseline and died shortly thereafter. She was only 79 years old at the time of her death.
$350,000 settlement for the family of a 90-year-old woman who fractured her leg after being improperly transferred for a bath by staff at a long term care facility. Despite specific instructions listed in the woman’s care plan requiring her to be transferred with a Hoyer lift, she was transferred manually by an aide and an untrained janitor from the housekeeping department at the facility. The woman ultimately suffered a femur fracture during the transfer which was not promptly diagnosed or treated. The woman’s broken leg caused her tremendous pain and increasing immobility. She died four months later from unrelated causes.
$325,000 recovery after a disabled woman fell and broke her leg while in the care of a facility.
Confidential six-figure settlement on behalf of the Estate of an elderly woman who died in a nursing home. The resident suffered from dementia and part of her plan of care required chopping her food before she was fed. Tragically, the woman choked and died after being fed whole food from a nursing home caregiver.
$300,000 settlement on behalf of a female nursing home patient who was deemed a fall risk and placed on a special care plan to prevent falls. Against the patient's care plan, caregivers left her alone in the bathroom, which resulted in a fall. The patient sustained compression fractures in her spine, fractures in her pelvis, and injuries to the bone and tissue in her left hip.

ALCOHOL RELATED INJURIES

$4 Million Dram Shop Settlement when a restaurant continued serving a visibly intoxicated man.
$1.9 Million settlement settlement for the family of an underage man killed in a motor vehicle accident after he and he friends were served at a bar, and then left intoxicated. The deceased was a passenger in his friend’s car. His friend was also intoxicated and lost control of the car while traveling at a high rate of speed in an attempt to evade police officers who were trying to pull the vehicle over. The car hit a tree resulting in the young passenger's death.
$853,000 settlement settlement for a Buck's County woman who sustained permanent injuries as the result of a car accident involving a drunk driver who was over-served at a Levittown, PA pub and allowed to leave in her own vehicle.
$625,000 settlement in Candem County, NJ, for a man who was struck by a drunk driver who was a patron at a bar where she was visibly intoxicated and continued to be served. The Defendant consumed approximately nine drinks in a three-hour timeframe. Minutes after leaving the bar, the Defendant struck the Plaintiff as he and a friend were standing on the shoulder of the road next to his friend’s disabled vehicle after it had run out of gas. The vehicle was legally parked on the shoulder and had its hazards lights flashing. According to a blood test, the Defendants’ blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. The Plaintiff sustained severe injuries including multiple rib fractures, leg fractures, lung contusions and a concussion.
$561,000 verdict in Gloucester County, NJ for the family of a man who was involved in a motor vehicle accident after being served alcohol at an excessive level while a patron at the Defendant’s bar. At no time was the Plaintiff refused alcohol by any bartenders or other employees of the bar and he was significantly intoxicated and impaired cognitively when he left the bar. The Plaintiff was ultimately involved in an accident that caused severe and fatal injuries to his pelvis, lungs, kidneys and heart, he eventually died three months after the crash, in part due to the crash and also, subsequent malpractice at Crozer Chester Medical Center. A separate malpractice claim is currently being prosecuted against Crozer Chester.

Settlements & Verdicts

SETTLEMENTS & VERDICTS

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

PRODUCTS LIABILITY

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

TRUCK CRASHES

WORK RELATED INJURIES

WRONGFUL DEATH

INJURIES TO CHILDREN

PREMISES LIABILITY

FIRES, BURNS, EXPLOSIONS

PHARMACEUTICAL INJURIES

MASS TORT, CLASS ACTION, & MULTI-DISTRICT LITIGATION

NURSING HOME ABUSE

ALCOHOL RELATED INJURIES

CONSUMER RIGHTS

TOXIC SUBSTANCE INJURY

CRIME VICTIM CASES

WAGE AND HOUR

RAILROAD/F.E.L.A.

DOG-BITE INJURIES