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The Great Trials Podcast offers a series of laid-back, casual conversations with leading trial lawyers, taking listeners "behind the scenes" of America’s greatest trials. Hosted by acclaimed trial lawyers Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey, each podcast episode focuses on one important trial and includes in-depth, insightful interviews with the attorneys who successfully argued the case in front of a judge and jury.
Episodes
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview John Uusta of Kelley | Uustal (https://kelleyuustal.com/).
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Episode Details:
John Uustal, a founding partner of Kelley | Uustal in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, discusses how he refused to accept the findings of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, engineering experts, firefighters and police officers and instead pursued justice for a 3-year-old girl who was badly burned by a defective pressure cooker. On September 14, 2015, toddler Samantha Gonzalez was being bathed by her grandmother in the kitchen sink when a Vasconia Aluminum 8 Quart Pressure Cooker on the nearby stove began to malfunction and opened under pressure, spraying scalding liquid onto the child. Sixty percent of Samantha's body was covered in second and third-degree burns, resulting in the loss of a leg, hand and all her fingers. The manufacturer, Lifetime Brands, denied any defect and instead blamed Samantha's grandmother for the tragic incident. John and his legal team discovered a major corporate cover-up when older models, unlike the newer models that had been used for testing, were found to have a defective lid-locking system that made them unsafe for use on stoves with higher temperatures higher than 2,000 watts. Despite knowledge of the design flaw, Lifetime Brands never issued a recall or a warning to consumers and instead quietly made design adjustments in newer models. On November 6, 2018, a Broward County, Florida Circuit Court Judge approved a $27 million settlement in favor of the plaintiff, resulting in one of the largest recoveries ever obtained in the U.S. for a consumer product design defect.
Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
Guest Bios:
John Uustal:
John Uustal is a founding partner of the Kelley | Uustal law firm in Fort Lauderdale. Uustal leads a team of fourteen elite trial lawyers, who have won some of the largest verdicts in the country. He limits his own practice to a small number of “cases that can’t be won for families that can’t afford to lose.” He has taken on some of the most complex and difficult legal cases of our time. His successes have resulted in safer fuel tanks, safer seat belts, safer medical care, and safer equipment for firefighters. That success has earned him some powerful enemies. A car company promised to bankrupt him, he was attacked and maligned by Big Tobacco, and he was threatened in Argentina after antagonizing government officials who had been complicit in Argentina’s dirty war. He has won every case he has tried against tobacco companies. He has won every one of his cases involving keyless ignition defects. He has been named Product Liability Lawyer of the Year by America’s Best Lawyers, awarded the Most Effective Lawyer for Product Liability by the Daily Business Review, and has been interviewed and chronicled by national newspapers and television news programs.
The day after John Uustal started law school, Hurricane Andrew tore through the University of Miami, destroyed parts of the city, and shut down the school. Once the campus and surrounding areas reopened, his first-year class was forced to complete a full year of law school in much less time. For months they studied law at a ridiculous pace under tremendous pressure while living without electricity or phone service and at the same time struggling to help those still in need. At the end of that school year – with all its impossible demands and incredible responsibility - Mr. Uustal ranked first in the entire student body and had earned the Book Award for the highest grade in the class in every single class that year.
He turned his attention to trial skills and was prosecuting criminals in Miami courtrooms even before he graduated. He earned what was reportedly the highest score in the entire state on the Florida Bar Examination. In his first few years of practice he obtained a $51 million verdict trying a car crash case himself, helped make national news when he discovered a massive corporate scheme to cover-up the real reason that people were burning alive in General Motors vehicles, and tried cases across the country.
Mr. Uustal now handles incredibly complex and difficult cases against the best defense attorneys in the world. His successes have resulted in safer fuel tanks, safer seat belts, safer medical care, and safer equipment for firefighters and paramedics.
His most prominent recent cases have been against companies that knowingly sell dangerously defective products. He represented a young girl who was severely burned when a pressure cooker malfunctioned and won one of the largest recoveries ever in the entire country; and this was on a case that other lawyers rejected. He handled cases involving keyless ignition defects that killed people in their homes and won every case. He was so infuriated by the refusal of automobile companies to fix their vehicles in the ways their own engineers specified that he worked with the
New York Times on a comprehensive story of the defect, which led to hearings in the U.S. Senate. He has won every case he has tried against tobacco manufacturers, who have been selling dangerous products for decades. He has been named Product Liability Lawyer of the Year by America’s Best Lawyers, Awarded the Most Effective Lawyer for Product Liability by the Daily Business Review, and has been interviewed and chronicled by national newspapers and television news programs.
His work has also earned him some powerful enemies. A car company promised to bankrupt him, he was attacked and maligned by Big Tobacco, and he was threatened in Argentina after antagonizing government officials who had been complicit in Argentina’s dirty war. His firm is organized specifically so that it can withstand such intimidation. The words of Clarence Darrow, painted on the walls, create clarity in every decision that requires sacrifice: “I have lived my life, and I have fought my battles, against power. I have asked no odds from them, and I never will.”
Mr. Uustal limits his practice to representing families who have suffered catastrophic injuries or wrongful death, even when other attorneys say the case can’t be won. With truly devastating injuries, the difference between a good recovery and a great recovery may be all the difference in the world. To make that kind of difference he can only handle a few cases at a time. There is no other way.
Clients have called him “the real deal”; “an old-school fighter” who “cared about us as people first.”
Mr. Uustal grew up in Fort Lauderdale. His mother was a teacher, his father was a coach, and he saw the real impact they each had on so many young lives. He coaches competitive soccer for Fort Lauderdale Select, and he finds opportunities to coach in the law as well. He believes that it is important to freely give his time advising, assisting and teaching other attorneys who ask for help. He gives lectures across the country and teaches trial skills.
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Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
This week, in light of the tragedy that recently occurred during filming of the movie Rust, we’re replaying a classic episode where your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Jeff Harris of Harris, Lowry, and Manton (www.hlmlawfirm.com) and Rebecca Franklin Harris of Franklin Law (franklinlawllc.com).
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Episode Details:
Two-time Georgia Super Lawyers Top 100 honoree Jeff Harris of Harris Lowry Manton LLP and award-winning trial lawyer Rebecca Franklin Harris discuss the landmark wrongful death case that occurred on the set of the Gregg Allman biopic “Midnight Rider.” Unbeknownst to camera assistant Sarah Jones and the rest of the crew, they were filming on active railroad tracks owned by CSX Transportation. Sarah was struck and killed by a train and quickly became the face of Hollywood’s film safety movement. Thanks to a strong case presented by Jeff Harris and Rebecca Franklin Harris, a Chatham County, Georgia jury returned an $11.2 million verdict.
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Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
Guest Bios:
Rebecca Franklin Harris:
As founder of Franklin Law, LLC, Rebecca Franklin Harris works with clients both locally in Savannah and across the country in cases involving consumer rights and product safety. In addition to dangerous consumer products, her practice includes cases arising out of trucking accidents, medical malpractice, aviation disasters and premises liability incidents.
Rebecca has been repeatedly recognized for her legal achievements, being inducted into the “Verdicts Hall of Fame” and named as part of “Georgia’s Top 40 Under 40” by Georgia’s leading legal publication, The Fulton County Daily Report. She was a recipient of the “Courageous Pursuit of Justice Award” given by The Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and has consistently been recognized as part of the “Rising Stars” selection in the annual Georgia Super Lawyers publication. She has also been selected Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Association.
Jeff Harris:
One of the nation’s top trial attorneys, Jeff Harris is an award-winning litigator who handles high-profile, complex cases across a wide variety of practice areas. He excels at securing justice for clients who have been seriously injured or killed, holding responsible parties accountable for their actions as well as their negligence.
Over the course of his career, Jeff has secured hundreds of millions in jury verdicts and settlements for his clients and has helped make a variety of products, vehicles and industries safer for everyone. His cases have been featured in The New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, 20/20, CBS Evening News and many other national media outlets.
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Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Part two of our discussion with Edward Larson, Ph.D., J.D., author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion (Ed Larson).
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Episode Details:
Edward Larson, Ph.D., J.D., author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion and the Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law and University Professor of History at Pepperdine University, explains the historical significance and societal impact of the landmark "Scopes Monkey Trial." In March 1925, the state of Tennessee passed the Butler Bill, which prohibited the teaching of evolution or anything but Divine Creation in schools. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sought a test case and found one in Dayton, Tennessee science teacher John Scopes. During the eight-day trial, John Scopes pleaded not guilty to charges of violating the Butler Bill. He was represented by the ACLU and legendary trial attorney Clarence Darrow, who argued that the Butler Bill was unconstitutional and impeded basic freedom of religion rights. The special counsel for the prosecution was iconic American orator William Jennings Bryan, a political titan, former Secretary of State, celebrated speech maker and acclaimed U.S. Congressman who served as a major force behind the creation of the Butler Bill. The legal battle between Darrow and Bryan was truly an epic showdown, pitting two of the nation’s best orators against one another in a court of law. On July 21, 1925, the jury returned a guilty verdict after nine minutes of deliberation, and Judge John Raulston ruled that John Scopes was ordered to pay a $100 fine for violating the Butler Bill. The verdict was overturned on a technicality at the Tennessee Supreme Court on January 15, 1927. In today's episode, learn why the Scopes trial is considered one of the most important cases in 20th century America and how it became the first trial to be broadcast live on the radio. Hear Edward Larson's analysis about the case, the precedents it set for Constitutional law in America and why the topic of evolution vs. creationism in schools is still being debated nearly 100 years later.
Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
Guest Bio:
Edward Larson
Ed Larson holds the Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law and is University Professor of History at Pepperdine University. Originally from Ohio with a PhD in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and law degree from Harvard, Larson has lectured on all seven continents and taught at Stanford Law School, University of Melbourne, Leiden University, and the University of Georgia, where he chaired the History Department. Prior to becoming a professor, Larson practiced law in Seattle and served as counsel for the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC. He received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Ohio State University but still roots for the University of Wisconsin in football.
Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in History and numerous other awards for writing and teaching, Larson is the author or co-author of fourteen books and over one hundred published articles. His 2015 book, The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789, was a New York Times Bestseller and resulted in Larson being invited to deliver the 2016 Supreme Court Historical Society lecture in Washington, give the annual Gaines Lecture at Mount Vernon, and serve as a featured presenter for the Library of Congress's Madison Council event. His other books, which have been translated into over twenty languages, include An Empire of Ice: Scott Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science; A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign; and the Pulitzer Prize winning Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion. Larson's articles have appeared in such varied publications as Nature, Atlantic Monthly, Science, Scientific American, Time, Wall Street Journal, American History, The Guardian, and dozens of law reviews. His latest book, On Earth and Science, was published by Yale University Press in 2017.
A popular lecturer, Larson has taught short courses at universities in China, Europe, and South America; and given addresses at over 80 American universities. He was a resident scholar at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Study Center; held the Fulbright Program's John Adams Chair in American Studies; participated in the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Writers and Artists Program; and served as an inaugural Fellow at the Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon. A panelist on the National Institutes of Health's Study Section for Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues of the Human Genome Project, Larson is interviewed frequently for broadcast, print, cable, and internet media, including The Daily Show, The Today Show, and multiple appearances on PSB, BBC, the History Channel, C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News, MNBC, and NPR.
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Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Edward Larson, Ph.D., J.D., author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion (Ed Larson).
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Episode Details:
Edward Larson, Ph.D., J.D., author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion and the Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law and University Professor of History at Pepperdine University, explains the historical significance and societal impact of the landmark "Scopes Monkey Trial." In March 1925, the state of Tennessee passed the Butler Bill, which prohibited the teaching of evolution or anything but Divine Creation in schools. In response, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sought a test case and found one in Dayton, Tennessee science teacher John Scopes. During the eight-day trial, John Scopes pleaded not guilty to charges of violating the Butler Bill. He was represented by the ACLU and legendary trial attorney Clarence Darrow, who argued that the Butler Bill was unconstitutional and impeded basic freedom of religion rights. The special counsel for the prosecution was iconic American orator William Jennings Bryan, a political titan, former Secretary of State, celebrated speechmaker, and acclaimed U.S. Congressman who served as a major force behind the creation of the Butler Bill. The legal battle between Darrow and Bryan was truly an epic showdown, pitting two of the nation’s best orators against one another in a court of law. On July 21, 1925, the jury returned a guilty verdict after nine minutes of deliberation, and Judge John Raulston ruled that John Scopes was ordered to pay a $100 fine for violating the Butler Bill. The verdict was overturned on a technicality at the Tennessee Supreme Court on January 15, 1927. In today's episode, learn why the Scopes trial is considered one of the most important cases in 20th century America and how it became the first trial to be broadcast live on the radio. Hear Edward Larson's analysis about the case, the precedents it set for Constitutional law in America, and why the topic of evolution vs. creationism in schools is still being debated nearly 100 years later.
Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
ABOUT EDWARD LARSON'S BOOK:
Guest Bio:
Edward Larson
Ed Larson holds the Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law and is University Professor of History at Pepperdine University. Originally from Ohio with a Ph.D. in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and law degree from Harvard, Larson has lectured on all seven continents and taught at Stanford Law School, University of Melbourne, Leiden University, and the University of Georgia, where he chaired the History Department. Prior to becoming a professor, Larson practiced law in Seattle and served as counsel for the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC. He received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Ohio State University but still roots for the University of Wisconsin in football.
Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in History and numerous other awards for writing and teaching, Larson is the author or co-author of fourteen books and over one hundred published articles. His 2015 book, The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789, was a New York Times Bestseller and resulted in Larson being invited to deliver the 2016 Supreme Court Historical Society lecture in Washington, give the annual Gaines Lecture at Mount Vernon, and serve as a featured presenter for the Library of Congress's Madison Council event. His other books, which have been translated into over twenty languages, include An Empire of Ice: Scott Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science; A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign; and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion. Larson's articles have appeared in such varied publications as Nature, Atlantic Monthly, Science, Scientific American, Time, Wall Street Journal, American History, The Guardian, and dozens of law reviews. His latest book, On Earth and Science, was published by Yale University Press in 2017.
A popular lecturer, Larson has taught short courses at universities in China, Europe, and South America; and given addresses at over 80 American universities. He was a resident scholar at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Study Center; held the Fulbright Program's John Adams Chair in American Studies; participated in the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Writers and Artists Program; and served as an inaugural Fellow at the Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon. A panelist on the National Institutes of Health's Study Section for Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues of the Human Genome Project, Larson is interviewed frequently for broadcast, print, cable, and internet media, including The Daily Show, The Today Show, and multiple appearances on PSB, BBC, the History Channel, C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News, MNBC, and NPR.
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Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
Tuesday Oct 19, 2021
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Derrick Alexander Pope, Managing Director of the Arc of Justice Institute and host of the Hidden Legal Figures Podcast (https://onthearc.net/).
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Episode Details:
Derrick A. Pope, Managing Director of the Arc of Justice Institute and host of the Hidden Legal Figures Podcast, returns to discuss the landmark Civil Rights decisions in Buchanan v. Warley (1917) and Shelley v. Kraemer (1948). On today's episode, learn about the significance of each case and how the two decisions are intimately related. Preparing to celebrate its 104th anniversary in November 2021, the unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision in Buchanan v. Warley ruled that Louisville, Kentucky's residential segregation laws were unconstitutional and violated the personal and property rights afforded to all U.S. citizens by the 14th Amendment. Chief Justice Edward Douglass White upheld the rights of whites and Blacks to sell property to one another and initiated a turning point in the Court's attitude toward the rights of African Americans. Years later, private covenants -- not laws -- were being used to segregate neighborhoods. In 1948, Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson ruled in Shelley v. Kraemer that private covenant agreements do not violate 14th Amendment rights and that the state's enforcement of discriminatory private covenants does violate the 14th Amendment. This ruling made racial discrimination in housing no longer judicially enforceable and established a legal precedent for future efforts to enforce the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
Guest Bio:
Derrick Alexander Pope
Derrick Alexander Pope, who describes himself as a composer and conductor of ideas, is President and founding Director of The Arc of Justice Institute. In this role, he has responsibility for all aspects of its standing initiatives and programs and host of its podcast, Hidden Legal Figures.
Before The Arc, Mr. Pope enjoyed a distinguished career in the public, private, and academic sectors. He has provided counsel to the legislative and executive branches of government at the federal, state, and county level, having most recently served as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. He is a former Assistant Legislative Counsel to the Georgia General Assembly and former Legislative and General Counsel to the Medical Association of Georgia. During the Obama administration, Mr. Pope was a member of the White House Data Driven Justice Initiative and the My Brother's Keeper Taskforce in 2015 and 2016. In private practice, he has helped protect the inheritance rights of more than 500 families throughout Georgia. Mr. Pope is a former adjunct professor of law at the Georgia State University College of Law where he taught Probate Practice and Procedure.
Mr. Pope has several published works to his credit. He is the author of By the Content of Our Character: A Declaration of Independence for Colored Folks, Negroes, Black People, and African Americans and Thy Will Be Done: An African American Guide to Estate Planning and the Howard Law Journal article A Constitutional Window to Interpretive Reason: Or in Other Words...The Ninth Amendment. In 2012 teaming with this daughter he released a spoken word CD - The Race Track.
An Atlanta native, Mr. Pope is a graduate of Morris Brown College and the Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana, earning top honors in the Loyola Law Clinic. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia where serves on three standing committees (Vice-Chair, Communications/Cornerstones of Freedom Program; Advisory Committee on Legislation, and the Editorial Board of the Georgia Bar Journal, and Past Co-Chair of the Committee on Inclusion in the Profession), the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, the United States Supreme Court Historical Society, and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
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Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
This week we're replaying a classic episode where your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Zoe Littlepage of Littlepage, Booth, Leckman ( http://www.littlepagebooth.com/ ).
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Case Details:
Three Nevada women who developed breast cancer as a result of their use of Wyeth’s hormone replacement drugs, Prempro and Premarin. The jury found that Prempro and Premarin helped cause their cancers and that Wyeth misled the public about the drugs’ health risks. The court ultimately awarded $22.8 million in compensatory damages and $35 million in punitive damages.
Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
Guest Bio:
Zoe Littlepage’s practice focuses on complex cases including mass torts, defective medical product or drug cases as well as human rights issues. She typically spends months each year in trial, all across the country. Ms. Littlepage’s jury awards made the list of the Top 10 Largest Verdicts in the country for 2007, 2009 and 2010.
In 2011, Zoe Littlepage was induced into The Inner Circle of Advocates. Founded in 1972, The Inner Circle of Advocates is an invitation only group of 100 of the best trial lawyers in America who are selected for their character, experience and success in the courtroom. The Inner Circle of Advocates was described by The Washington Post as, "A select group of 100 of the nation's most celebrated trial lawyers" and is recognized as one of the most exclusive groups of attorneys in the nation. Inner Circle members often work collectively to share experience, skills and knowledge in pursuit of justice.
American Lawyer magazine as well as Fortune magazine named Ms. Littlepage as one of America’s “Premiere Lawyers.” She has also been nominated as a “Super Lawyer” as well as “Top Lawyer” in the country multiple years running. In 2008, she received the Clarence Darrow award for Best Mass Tort Lawyer. Texas Lawyer praises Ms. Littlepage’s tenacity stating “all bets should be on Littlepage.” Chambers USA, a legal publisher, recognizes Zoe Littlepage as a leading lawyer in nationwide product liability litigation and notes that “Zoe Littlepage of Littlepage Booth does ‘a bang-up job for plaintiffs.’” According to lawyers interviewed by Chambers USA, “[w]hen you see her, you know you have a fight on your hands.”
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Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
Tuesday Oct 05, 2021
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Sarah Stempky-Kime of Christensen Law (https://www.davidchristensenlaw.com/).
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Episode Details:
Sarah Stempky-Kime, an experienced trial lawyer and managing attorney at Christensen Law in Michigan, discusses how she secured justice for Vaylma Dorado, a woman who suffered a TBI and sustained other serious injuries after she was rear-ended by a cement truck. On September 17, 2010, Vaylma sat in her Volkswagen Jetta waiting to make a turn when she saw a cement truck in her rearview mirror that showed no signs of stopping. The 66,000-lb cement truck –– driven by a distracted company employee –– crashed into the back-end of Vaylma's car and propelled her vehicle into a utility pole. As a result, Vaylma endured three spinal fusion back surgeries, hip fusion surgery and shoulder surgery, making her unable to live independently or remain employed. On today's episode, hear how Sarah Stempky-Kime focused on McCoig Concrete Company and the driver's admitted liability at trial and kept the jury's attention on the extent of Vaylma’s injuries, while countering defendants' attempts to minimize those injuries. On June 11, 2014, a Wayne County, Michigan jury awarded Vaylma $17,800,000 in damages, marking the second-largest verdict or settlement in a Michigan courtroom in 2014.
Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
Guest Bio:
Sarah Stempky-Kime
Sarah is the managing attorney at Christensen Law, where she recently celebrated her 12th anniversary. Integral to the successful operations of the firm, Sarah has been working alongside founder David Christensen since 2009, partnering on major trials protecting the rights of accident victims.
Sarah is responsive and compassionate when it comes to her clients, and a strong litigator with a history of successful verdicts won in challenging court situations. Sarah has far more trial experience than her years in practice would suggest, making her stand out as one of the state’s best young trial attorneys. “I’ve learned that everyone deserves the same attention. People who have been hurt are going through the extreme stress of trying to heal while dealing with the added stress of being in a lawsuit. They’ve been wronged, and they need someone to represent their interests. That’s where I come in.”
A native of Cheboygan, Michigan, Sarah graduated from Alma College in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Her psychological background makes her an effective communicator and helps her empathize with clients who are recovering after traumatic automobile accidents.
Sarah attended Michigan State University College of Law, graduating in 2010 with a certificate in Trial Practice from the Trial Practice Institute. While in law school, Sarah demonstrated remarkable advocacy skills, and reached the finals in several national Mock Trial Competitions. She also captained the Arbitration Team, which won the regional competition in Omaha in 2009.
Her success in law school has continued in the courtroom. She has won several multiple million-dollar trials and settlements, improving her clients’ lives after auto accidents impacted their ability to work or live independently. In 2014, Michigan Lawyers Weekly named one of Sarah’s victories second-highest on its list of 2014 Million Dollar Verdicts. Her skills as an orator and success at trial have continued to attract statewide recognition and accolades and awards.
She sits on the executive board for the Michigan Association for Justice , a top advocacy organization committed to making Michigan’s justice system fair, effective, and accessible to all the state’s residents, and is a regular presenter for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education.
Sarah and her family reside in Birmingham, where they are active members of the community, participating in annual neighborhood cleanups around Detroit and various charitable outreach programs. She also provides guidance for other parents experiencing the challenges of childhood brain injury and epilepsy, and supports the Brain Recovery Project and Detroit Horsepower.
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Tuesday Sep 28, 2021
Tuesday Sep 28, 2021
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Eric Fong of Fong Law (https://www.ericfonglaw.com/).
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Episode Details:
Eric Fong, an accomplished lawyer who has tried more than 100 civil and criminal jury trials, shares how he successfully represented his client William Tisdale after being brutally attacked by a robber due to a convenience store's lack of employee training and proper security measures. Around 11 p.m. on November 4, 2015, William Tisdale entered an Apro convenience store in Parkland, Washington and was immediately told by the clerk to call 911. Not realizing that there was a robber inside the store who was threatening to kill the clerk and demanding money from the register, William stepped outside to call 911 only to be violently beaten by the baseball bat-wielding thief as he stole William's car. Eric Fong used enhanced animation to show jurors the severity of William's numerous injuries, including multiple skull fractures, traumatic brain injury and retinal damage, as they occurred in real-time via the video footage of the attack. In spite of the defense's attempts to minimize William's injuries and to blame him for not remembering to take his medications due to a TBI, the jury responded to Eric Fong's re-telling of William's story and his appeal for empathy and compassion for his client. In June 2021, a Pierce County, Washington jury — limited by COVID-19 precautions and virtual trial proceedings — found Apro was 90% at fault and William was 10% at fault in this groundbreaking premises liability case. The jury awarded William $91 million in total damages, which is the largest compensatory damages verdict for an individual plaintiff in Washington state.
Click Here to Read/Download the Complete Trial Documents
Guest Bio:
Eric Fong
Imaginative and yearning to explore with measured recklessness, Eric Fong lives for the adrenalin only a courtroom provides. With over 100 civil and criminal jury trials under his belt, he is recognized as an innovator of creative trial work in both fields of law.
Eric protected low-income housing residents of WA State against oppressive crime control measures, creating the constitutional right to intimate association. His $91,000,000 verdict is the largest compensatory damages verdict for one person in Washington State. His representation of iconic funk musician & legend, George Clinton allowed Mr. Clinton to keep his historic body of work. Decided in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, this is the definitive copyright case in the United States.
Eric lives with his beloved fiancé and co-collaborator Courtney, 2 amazing daughters, and his courtroom dog “Happy” on the beautiful Burley Lagoon.
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Tuesday Sep 21, 2021
Tuesday Sep 21, 2021
This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Daniel Kramer and Teresa Johnson of Kramer Trial Law (https://www.kramerlaw.com/).
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Episode Details:
California trial lawyers Daniel Kramer and Teresa Johnson of Kramer Trial Law share how they secured justice in a major premises liability case that was one of the first in-person civil jury trials to be held in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kramer and Johnson represented Louis Acosta, a 40-year-old electrician who was severely injured on a job site at a strip mall in Riverside, California in 2016. Two years earlier, Athena Management, Inc. — the property management company that MAS Realty, LLC hired to oversee a shopping center they owned in Riverside — was told by roofing inspectors that a rooftop hatch was broken and the access ladder needed to be repaired in order to meet OSHA compliance requirements and to address safety concerns. The rooftop hatch was never repaired, so when Louis attempted to fix malfunctioning exterior lights, he opened the hatch — not realizing it was broken — and the 40-pound hatch door slammed down on his spine. Louis immediately felt his right side go numb. He continues to struggle with chronic pain and has endured numerous surgeries, resulting in hardware being placed in his spine, neck and lower back. Trial lawyers Daniel Kramer and Teresa Johnson countered the defendants' attempts to claim they were not notified in 2014 about the broken hatch and to blame the roofing inspector as well as Louis for his own injuries. In August 2021, a Los Angeles jury found defendants Athena Management, Inc. and MAS Realty, LLC negligent and responsible for Louis's injuries, awarding him $12,622,238.75 in total damages. The jury found that the property management company was 80% at fault and the property owner was 20% at fault, with no comparative fault for the plaintiff.
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Guest Bios:
Daniel Kramer
Daniel Kramer is a trial lawyer who specializes in representing families and individuals involved in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death matters, as well as employment discrimination and retaliation lawsuits. Daniel has obtained numerous jury verdicts as lead counsel, all victories on behalf of his clients. Multiple verdicts have been featured in both The Daily Journal, Verdict Search, The Huffington Post, and Fox 11 News. Five verdicts were ranked as the top 50 verdicts in the state of California for 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 by TopVerdict.com. Early in his career, Daniel tried one of the first cases in Los Angeles County history to embrace a controversial new law regarding the recoverability of health insurance payments in personal injury actions. In his first year with the firm, Daniel obtained a $3 million settlement on behalf of the family of a WWII veteran who was tragically killed when a truck owned by a large grocery store chain ran a red light and crushed their husband and father to death. In 2015, Daniel obtained a $1,237,500 settlement on the eve of trial on behalf of CalTrans worker who was severely injured in a freeway collision. In 2016, Daniel obtained a $1,420,000 settlement just before trial against a shopping center for failing to protect its customers when a vehicle jumped a curb severely injuring a mother and her two daughters. Also in 2016, Daniel obtained a $1,000,000 policy limits settlement on behalf of a family who lost their 87-year-old father and grandfather who fell down a poorly lit stairwell. In late 2016, Daniel obtained a $2,160,000 jury verdict against the City of Los Angeles in a slip and fall case. That verdict was selected as one of California’s Top 100 verdicts in 2016. In 2017, he obtained a $1,830,000 wrongful termination verdict and judgement on behalf of a minimum wage worker who was terminated because of his disability, where the jury awarded punitive damages. In 2018, Daniel received a $2,847,500 verdict against two large construction companies after his client fell in an open trench resulting in 3 broken ribs and permanent nerve damage. Last year, Daniel obtained an $850,000 verdict in a very difficult slip and fall trial where the client suffered a fractured knee cap.
Teresa Johnson
Teresa is a trial lawyer practicing in the areas of plaintiff’s personal injury, wrongful death and employment litigation. Along with Dan Kramer, Teresa has second-chaired several trials, and has secured numerous six and seven figure verdicts and settlements for her clients. Since 2016, four of the verdicts have ranked among the top verdicts in the state of California by TopVerdict.com. As her clients’ legal representative during their most difficult times, Teresa is committed to zealously advocating for her clients from the moment the case is signed up and all the way through trial.
In 2018, Teresa graduated from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) Plaintiff Trial Academy, a rigorous six-week course designed to teach advanced trial skills. Teresa has also authored several articles on subjects such as cross-examination of expert witnesses and how to conduct jury selection in a premise liability case.
Prior to joining the firm, Teresa attended Loyola Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 2015. While at Loyola, Teresa gained experience as a judicial extern to the Honorable R. Gary Klausner in the United States District Court, Central District of California. Teresa was President of the Consumer Law Society, a student-run organization intended to educate other students on the role of the Plaintiff’s bar, and was also on the Editorial Board as the Chief Research Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review. In 2015 after graduating, Teresa completed a Fellowship sponsored by the American Board of Trial Advocates, a prominent organization comprised of trial lawyers throughout the nation.
Teresa is currently licensed to practice in California state courts and federal district courts in the Central District of California, and is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. Teresa was selected as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in 2020.
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