Kenneth Amos, William Gula, and Ariana Seiler (St. Petersburg, FL) (Automobile Liability) obtained a Defense Verdict in Pasco County Circuit Court. This was this office’s third trial and third defense verdict since August 2021, and second consecutive defense verdict against the same national personal injury firm.
The Plaintiff was involved in an automobile accident in Port Richey, FL. Plaintiff, Mr. Coachman, was traveling on US 19 when Defendant Gartlan entered his lane of travel. The front left of Plaintiff’s vehicle came in contact with the rear right of Defendant’s vehicle. Liability was admitted prior to trial. Plaintiff alleged injuries to both shoulders, neck pain, back pain, and a traumatic brain injury. Plaintiff is a member of the well-known Coachman family that has been a prominent family throughout Pinellas County’s history. Plaintiff was represented by the nation’s largest personal injury law firm.
The Defense elicited testimony that showed that Plaintiff had a history of intense physical labor including working on orange groves, working in a packing plant, renovating houses, and maintaining vast areas of land throughout his lifetime. The Defense argued his need for shoulder surgeries was due to his long history of physical labor. Additionally, the Defense elicited testimony of Plaintiff’s prior concussions from 1988 when Plaintiff was injured in a skiing accident, and in 2006 when he fell sixteen feet from a tree. This testimony was then argued to rebut Plaintiff’s claim of a traumatic brain injury from the airbag deployment during the subject accident. It was further shown that Plaintiff had not followed any recommendations from his expert Life Care Planner since 2019, and thus future medical care was not necessary. The inconsistencies throughout Plaintiff’s testimony and his medical records were shown in detail during closing arguments by Mr. Amos.
The Plaintiff asked the jury for damages of approximately $3,400,000.00. After just over one hour of deliberating, the jury issued a total Defense Verdict. It found that there was no negligence by the tortfeasor that was a legal cause of injury to Mr. Coachman. The last offer by the defense before trial was $300,000. Plaintiff’s last offer was $500,000.