Pauze, et al. v. Cumberland Farms
Jan 01, 2018OUTCOME: $650,000 for the Plaintiffs with interest (reduced on remittitur to $511,000 with interest)
This case was tried to jury verdict in Hampshire Superior Court. I represented the plaintiff (and his wife for loss of consortium) who fell after stepping into a depression in the edge of a concrete i ... sland at a gas station and sustained a concussion, broke his dentures and severely injured his face. Mr. Pauze was hospitalized for one night initially (mouth laceration and facial fractures with no surgery) with an additional week for complications from an uncontrollable mouth bleed a few weeks later. The attorney from Boston defending the case offered $10,000 a few months before trial. He offered $20,000 without calling the client after he observed how receptive the jury was to our closing argument. The Defendant asked for my cell phone during the lunch break and frantically offered $45,000 after the jury asked a question indicating that they were likely to issue a substantial verdict for the plaintiff(s). All offers were rejected. The jury awarded $450,000 and $200,000 to the husband and wife respectively, largely for the detailed testimony that was solicited concerning the interpersonal affect this fall had on their marriage and lifestyle.