Attorney Jeffrey R. Harris's Legal Cases

Medical malpractice

Simmons v. SouthCoast Medical Group

Mar 07, 2018

OUTCOME: $18 million jury verdict - This is a record setting jury verdict in Chatham County, Georgia.

Joan Simmons, a 58-year-old woman in Okatie, S.C., was admitted to a Savannah, Ga. hospital on July 20, 2014, with complaints of back pain and signs of an infection. An infectious disease doctor at Sou ... thcoast Medical Group failed to diagnose and treat her spinal epidural abscess, a serious complication of the infection. The untreated abscess put pressure on Simmons’ spinal cord, causing paralysis in both legs. As a result of this medical negligence, Simmons was left permanently paraplegic. After hearing the facts presented by the legal team during the seven-day trial, the Chatham County jury returned the largest medical malpractice verdict – and the largest personal injury verdict – in the county’s history. The jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff, finding that Southcoast Medical Group and its physician were liable for failure to diagnose and treat a spinal abscess. The jury apportioned 90 percent of the fault—or $16.2 million—to SouthCoast Medical Group and Dr. Sarah Barbour, an infectious disease specialist. Harris Lowry Manton (HLM) LLP’s trial attorneys clearly demonstrated the catastrophic effect of medical malpractice, explaining that Joan Simmons walked into the hospital and left in a wheelchair, unable to walk. The legal team consisted of HLM partner Jeffrey R. Harris and HLM associate Yvonne S. Godfrey.

Wrongful death

Jones v. CSX

Jul 17, 2017

OUTCOME: $11.2 million jury verdict - This was a highly publicized case involving the wrongful death of Sarah Jones on the set of the film "Midnight Rider."

Sarah Jones, a 27-year-old camera assistant, was fatally struck by a train while working on the film "Midnight Rider" in 2014. In this complicated case, which began with multiple defendants — all o ... f whom either settled out of court with the plaintiffs or were dismissed by Harris Lowry Manton (HLM) LLP — defendant CSX attempted to blame the victim for the tragedy, asserting the film crew should not have been on the tracks in the first place. The company also claimed the train operator could not see people on the tracks, and once he was upon the crew, could not slow down or stop as it would cause the train to derail. After hearing the facts presented by HLM’s Jeffrey R. Harris, the jury sided with the plaintiffs, speaking clearly through their unanimous verdict of $11.2 million, of which CSX is responsible for 35%.

Child abuse

Doe v. Zion Baptist Church of Braselton Inc, et al.

Apr 13, 2015

OUTCOME: $8 million in favor of Doe - The verdict is believed to be the largest verdict ever awarded in Jackson County.

The case against the church centered around its failures to screen the volunteer. Tragically, numerous red flags should have alerted the church that their volunteer had no business interacting with the ... church’s youth. After the conclusion of a fall festival at the church, the volunteer escorted two minors off church property and molested one of the boys. The molester eventually plead guilty in criminal proceedings and is presently incarcerated. The lawyer hired by the insurance company on behalf of the church argued that the church bore no responsibility for the minor’s molestation. Fortunately, the Jackson County jury disagreed and found in favor of the minor. The trial team consisted of Jeff Harris, Jed Manton, Yvonne Godfrey and Molly McNeeley.

Defective and dangerous products

Chhetri v. Michelin

Nov 07, 2013

OUTCOME: $16.52 million jury verdict - This is one of the largest defective tire verdicts in Georgia's history.

On March 22, 2011, 50 year-old Mr. Kharka Chhetri, beloved husband and father, died after the 15-passenger van he was traveling in experienced a tire blowout, due to a defective tire. The tread complet ... ely separated from the tire, causing the van to go out of control, hit a guardrail, and roll over. Mr. Chhetri, his wife, Ganga, and his three children, refugees from Bhutan, immigrated to the United States in 2009 through a United Nations resettlement program. Mr. Chhetri was traveling on I-75 south near Forsyth, Georgia, along with 14 other passengers, all of whom were on their way to work in Perry, Georgia, when the tire caused the van to crash. Mr. Chhetri’s case was the first to go to trial of the 14 cases that Harris Lowry Manton (HLM) LLP has filed on behalf of the van passengers. On behalf of Mr. Chhetri’s widow, Ganga, HLM demonstrated to the jury that Defendant Michelin North America, Inc. negligently designed and manufactured the defective tire that failed, a LT245/75R16 120Q Uniroyal Laredo Tire. HLM also demonstrated that Michelin knew, or should have known, that the tire was defective and dangerous, but it failed to warn the public of this danger, showing a conscious indifference to the consequences and warranting punitive damages. Michelin argued that its tire was not defectively designed or manufactured, but the jury rejected this inaccurate defense. The jury also elected to award punitive damages in the amount of $11,500,000 against Michelin, in addition to the $5,020,000 awarded for the value of Mr. Chhetri’s life, his conscious pain and suffering, and funeral expenses. HLM’s Jeff Harris served as lead counsel.

Wrongful death

Green v. Moon

Nov 17, 2011

OUTCOME: $9.85 million jury verdict

During the four-day civil trial, over which Judge John Doran presided, plaintiffs’ attorney Jeffrey R. Harris of Harris Lowry Manton LLP, along with R. Alan Cleveland of Kenny, Solomon & Medina, detail ... ed the tragic events that led up to the death of Abiola Bankolemoh. Abiola was the almost two-year-old son of Kemi Green and Gbolohan Bankolemoh. Co-defendants Tanya and Shawn Moon were running an unlicensed, unregulated and illegal daycare facility out of the Buford property owned by the third defendant, Terry Moon, Shawn Moon’s father. Believing a home-based daycare environment would be better for her two young sons, Green, a pediatric nurse, interviewed Tanya and Shawn Moon who claimed their operation was state-approved and regulated. In fact, it was not. On March 19, 2009, while under Tanya’s care, Abiola was left unattended for a period of time. He exited the back of the house, fell into the unsecured pool on the property and drowned. Tanya Moon is also facing criminal charges.

Business

Corey v. City of Atlanta, Clear Channel and Barbara Fouch

Jul 26, 2010

OUTCOME: $17.5 million jury verdict - This was the fifth largest verdict and largest constitutional law judgment in the state of Georgia in 2010.

The case, which was filed in 2004, concerned how the City of Atlanta procures contracts for advertising at the world’s busiest airport. The jury found that the City of Atlanta, Clear Channel and Barbar ... a Fouch, Clear Channel’s minority partner, conspired to deprive Corey Airport Services of its equal protection rights while bidding for the advertising contract at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2002. Harris Lowry Manton (HLM) LLP brought the complicated, lengthy business litigation to a successful finish, securing a $17.5 million judgment against the defendants, with all aspects of the decision recently reaffirmed by Federal District Judge Charles Pannell. HLM's Jeffrey R. Harris was brought on as lead counsel shortly before trial.

Medical malpractice

Allen v. Consolidated Ob-Gyn, Dekalb Surgical Associates

Jan 25, 2010

OUTCOME: $4.3 million - This jury verdict was the largest medical malpractice judgment in the state of Georgia in 2010.

Kathleen Allen’s daughter, Tanyka Brydson, was admitted to DeKalb Medical Center to give birth to her twins via cesarean section. Tanyka’s incision area became infected and required immediate, aggressi ... ve treatment as well as timely surgical intervention. Instead, it was delayed. Ultimately, Tanyka underwent multiple surgical debridements as her condition continued to worsen during her hospitalization at DeKalb Medical Center. Her mother had her transferred to another hospital where she ultimately died due to multi-system organ failure secondary to necrotizing fasciitis. DeKalb Medical Center failed to properly diagnose, treat and care for Tanyka. Consolidated Ob-Gyn and Dekalb Surgical Associates were deemed liable for a total of $4,317,495, including $2.3 million for the value of Brydson’s life, $200,000 for pain and suffering and $1,817,495 for medical and funeral expenses. Jeff Harris and Steve Lowry served as lead trial counsel, along with Jed Manton, in what defense counsel called the most complex medical malpractice case they had ever been involved in.

Defective and dangerous products

Mundy v. Ford Motor Company

May 06, 2009

OUTCOME: $40 million - This was the largest jury verdict in Georgia and one of the top 50 largest verdicts nationwide in 2009. At the time, this was also among the largest personal injury decisions in Georgia history.

On November 1, 2005, Jessica Mundy pulled her Ford Explorer into a parking space in front of the post office located in McDonough, Georgia. She intended to drop off a package in an outside drop box whe ... n she put her vehicle in park and conversed with a friend on her cell phone for several minutes. She then opened the driver’s side door, exited the vehicle and walked toward the drop box. As she approached the sidewalk, the vehicle suddenly, and without warning, shifted into reverse from the park position and began to roll backward. Jessica immediately returned to the vehicle and attempted to reach the shifter lever to place the vehicle back in park. As she tried to get back in the vehicle she was struck by the driver’s side door on the moving vehicle and knocked down. The vehicle ran over her, causing a fracture of her spine. As a result she was rendered a paraplegic. Harris Lowry Manton LLP's trial team, consisting of Jeff Harris, Steve Lowry and Jed Manton, was able to show that Ford Motor Company had known for decades that their transmissions suffered from a defect known as false park. In addition to obtaining the verdict on behalf of Jessica and her husband, Butts County Sheriff Ken Mundy, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation to examine the transmissions defects.

Medical malpractice

Wyckstandt v. Gwinnett Hospital System

May 26, 2008

OUTCOME: $5 million - Since the verdict, there have been several other large verdicts in Gwinnett County involving poor medical care.

On November 21, 2000, Richard and Wendy Wyckstandt had their second son, Austin, at Gwinnett Medical Center. Unrelated to this case, Austin was born with a congenital heart defect and later died. Wendy ... was released from the hospital two days after giving birth, but was readmitted on November 25. She was diagnosed with toxemia/preeclampsia. When her mother came to visit Wendy on the morning of November 28, she found her daughter drowned in the shower. Wendy was revived, transferred to ICU, but died about 24 hours later. Evidence at trial showed that the hospital failed to follow its own policies and should have assisted Wendy whenever she was out of bed. Jeff Harris served as lead counsel for the Wyckstandt family with the assistance of Jed Manton, then an associate at Harris Lowry Manton LLP.

Defective and dangerous products

Hamby v. Chrysler

Mar 03, 2006

OUTCOME: $4.5 million jury verdict - This was the first case to hold Chrysler responsible for failing to use brake shift interlock technology in their vehicles.

On July 27, 2002, Plaintiff Lori Hamby was hanging clothes on a clothesline in the yard of her grandmother’s house in Forsyth County. Her boyfriend was cleaning the family van parked nearby and watchin ... g their two-year-old daughter, Madison. All of the doors to the van were open to allow access for vacuuming the van’s interior. Madison was standing in the van assisting with the cleaning. Her dad turned and walked a short distance away to get a bottle of cleaner when he heard the van begin to move behind him. He turned and saw the vehicle roll down the driveway with Madison still inside. He chased after the van and fell down trying to stop it from rolling. Lori Hamby heard him scream for help and also began to chase the van. Both were unable to stop it from rolling down the driveway where it struck a small tree. Madison fell out and was pinned under the right front tire. The toddler was pronounced dead at the scene due to the injuries she sustained when the van rolled over and crushed her. The van rolled down the driveway because it was not equipped with a brake shift interlock device, allowing Madison to shift the vehicle out of park and into gear. Experts on the issue of brake shift interlock, Harris Lowry Manton (HLM) LLP partners successfully sued Chrysler for wrongful death and negligence, securing a $4.5 million verdict for Lori Hamby. The Hamby verdict was the first case to hold Chrysler responsible for failing to use this basic technology. Since this verdict, HLM has obtained numerous settlements against automobile manufacturers for their failure to implement brake shift interlock technology in their vehicles in a timely manner. HLM's Jeffrey R. Harris served as lead counsel.

Jeffrey R. Harris's Legal Cases (13)

Simmons v. SouthCoast Medical Group

Jones v. CSX

Doe v. Zion Baptist Church of Braselton Inc, et al.

Chhetri v. Michelin

Green v. Moon

Corey v. City of Atlanta, Clear Channel and Barbara Fouch

Allen v. Consolidated Ob-Gyn, Dekalb Surgical Associates

Mundy v. Ford Motor Company

Wyckstandt v. Gwinnett Hospital System

Hamby v. Chrysler