Chuck Clay | Lee et al. v. Berkel & Co. Contractors Inc. et al. | $43.9 million verdict

This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Chuck Clay of Pratt Clay LLC (https://www.prattclay.com/). 

 

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Episode Details:

Georgia Super Lawyer Chuck Clay of Pratt Clay LLC shares his experience -- from a record-breaking verdict to an overturn on appeal -- representing construction crane operator Tyler Lee after his left leg was crushed on the job, resulting in an above-the-knee amputation. In September 2013, an effort to free a stuck auger on a Houston, Texas construction site caused a lattice-boom crane to collapse. A piece of the collapsing crane struck Tyler and crushed his leg. Trial lawyer Chuck Clay and his team asserted that Berkel & Co. Contractors Inc. violated standard safety practices in an attempt to save time and money and neglected to ensure that the 21-year-old crane operator was qualified. In 2015, a Brazoria County, Texas jury found Berkel & Co. Contractors Inc. as well as the business that owned the crane, Maxim Crane Works L.P., negligent and awarded plaintiff Tyler Lee and his family a record $43,943,006 million verdict, including $8.5 million in punitive damages against Berkel & Co. Contractors Inc. In 2017, the verdict -- the largest single leg amputee verdict in history -- was overturned on appeal due to the Texas Workers Compensation Act. Listen as Chuck Clay shares what this case taught him about hedging his bets, choosing when to settle and much more. 

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Guest Bio:

Chuck Clay

Chuck Clay represents survivors of catastrophic injuries and the families of victims of fatal disasters and violent crimes.
He’s built a reputation for taking on cases with a narrow path to victory, overcoming complicated legal challenges, and boxing defendants into optimal settlement resolutions.

Always ready for a trial, Chuck has had jury trials across the country.  The combination of personality, worth ethic, and fiercely competitive spirit is loved by clients and respected by nearly all.  Chuck had record-setting jury awards in Georgia and Texas. As a zealous yet charismatic litigator, he has a knack for connecting with juries and communicating complex issues in plain language that produces extraordinary results.

Over the last several years, Chuck has accumulated an impressive string of multi-million dollar recoveries for victims and their spouses. 
Chuck and his partner Bradley Pratt, enjoy a successful track record for handling complex product liability resolving complicated cases requiring highly specialized knowledge including product defect.  

Before establishing a plaintiff’s firm in 2013, Chuck practiced corporate defense law for 14 years where he defended and mitigated hundreds of disputes on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, product manufacturers, insurers, and countless small firms and individuals.

Chuck has litigated cases in more than states, and he’s tried numerous multi-million dollar cases. Outside of his practice, Chuck is a frequent lecturer and author on topics such as distracted driving claims, handling catastrophic injury claims, dram shop liability, children’s products liability in Georgia and Nevada, jury trial strategy, deposition tactics and strategies, and premises liability claims. 

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Free Resources:

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2