Verdicts

Mr. Mazie's Recent Settlements and New Jersey Jury Verdicts.

• $4.8 million legal malpractice settlement. Fortunato vs. Kranitz Comparet & Sarrow. This was a legal malpractice action filed against a law firm relating to its issuance of erroneous legal opinion letters to a surety bond company. As a result of the erroneous opinion letters, Mr. Mazie’s client issued surety bonds for real estate limited partnerships. The claims ultimately settled for $4.8 million in cash payments and withdrawn claims against Mr. Mazie’s client’s liquidating estate.



• $2.7 million settlement of a high profile case involving police brutality. Faison vs. Orange. This was a wrongful death case in which our client was beaten by the police an ultimately died while in their custody. The case was extensively covered by the New Jersey Star Ledger, the Bergen Record and in various local newspapers and television reports.



• $2 million construction site accident settlement. Irwin vs. Six Flags Great Adventure. This was a construction site accident case in which Mr. Mazie’s client was severely injured after part of an unsecured amusement ride fell and injured him. The case settled for the sum of $2 million.



• $1.9 million product liability jury verdict. Fillebrown vs. Steelcase. This was a product liability lawsuit involving a defective chair which broke while the plaintiff was sitting on it. The case involved sophisticated issues of metallurgy and economics concerning our client’s ability to work in the future.



• $1.8 million products liability settlement. Aspras vs. Deerpath. This was a case involving a defective clamp on scaffolding used by the plaintiff, a union painter. The theory of the case was that the clamp was metallurgically defective, which resulted in the plaintiff falling and becoming injured. The painter ultimately had three surgeries on his back. Mr. Mazie was able to obtain summary judgment as to liability as against all defendants. This resulted in a settlement of $1.8 million.



• $1.8 million commercial litigation settlement. Integrity vs. Pollack. This was a lawsuit relating to breach of the defendant’s guarantee relating to the construction of a Hilton Hotel in Las Crucis, New Mexico. Settlement was achieved after Mr. Mazie obtained a judgment against the defendant, and docketed that judgment in Michigan. The settlement included $300,000 to compensate Mr. Mazie’s client for legal fees and expenses.



• $1.75 million settlement of a medical malpractice action. Van Wyk vs. Zamecki. This was a medical malpractice case in which Mr. Mazie’s client, a 71 year old woman, became a paraplegic shortly after a hip replacement operation. Mr. Mazie argued that the defendant anesthesiologist allowed the plaintiff’s blood pressure to fall too low during the operative procedure, thus resulting in permanent damage to the nerves in her spine. The case ultimately settled for the sum of $1.75 million after the presentation of all proofs and prior to closing arguments at trial.



• $1.4 million legal malpractice settlement. Wiggins vs. Flanzblau Dratch. This was a legal malpractice settlement against a law firm relating to its failure to timely and properly file a lawsuit against another law firm for legal malpractice. The case involved a number of cutting edge theories relating to the law of legal malpractice, and was described by the Judge on the record, "as intriguing a case as I can recall". The case settled for $1.4 million.



• $1.3 million legal malpractice jury verdict. Integrity vs. Herzfeld & Rubin. This case involved claims of legal malpractice against Herzfeld & Rubin, a well known Park Avenue law firm, Herzfeld & Rubin. The claims related to Herzfeld & Rubin's negligence in issuing an opinion letter which was relied on by that Mr. Mazie's client relied upon in entering into a limited partnership real estate transaction. After a six week jury trial, Mr. Mazie obtained a $1.3 million verdict on behalf of his client.



• $1.3 million negligent misrepresentation jury verdict. Reynolds vs. Guard Dogs Unlimited. Mr. Mazie obtained a $1.3 million award for his client, a victim of a vicious dog attack. This personal injury case involved claims of negligence and fraud against Lancaster County Prison relating to their transfer of a vicious rottweiler to the plaintiff. Lancaster County Prison had failed to advise the plaintiff that the dog had "irreversible medical problems" and had attacked on numerous previous occasions. Shortly after taking possession of the dog, Mr. Mazie's client was viciously attacked and sustained injuries to his arm and leg. After a three week trial, the jury returned a verdict of $1.3 million in plaintiffs' favor



• $1 million commercial litigation settlement. This was a derivative action claim against a public corporation relating to the corporate president’s mismanagement and misdeeds. The claim ultimately settled in exchange for a cash payment of $1 million. The identities of the parties were made confidential by virtue of a confidentiality agreement.



• $950,000 settlement in a construction site accident case. This was a construction site accident case in which Mr. Mazie obtained a $950,000 settlement on behalf of his client who was severely injured while assisting in the unloading of concrete sewerage pipes off of a tractor trailer. As part of the case, Mr. Mazie sued the general contractor of the project for violations of job site safety, as well as the trucking company which loaded and transported the pipes. The case ultimately settled for $950,000. The identities of the defendants were withheld as part of a confidentiality agreement.



• $890,000 slip and fall jury verdict. Noble vs. Extra Supermarket. Mr. Mazie obtained this award on behalf of the estate of an 80 year old man who died after slipping on ice in the parking lot of a supermarket.



• $850,000 Broker malpractice settlement. Randall vs. Brunell Kramer Waldor Agency. This was a case involving claims of broker malpractice which resulted in damages to a surety bond company. The claims involved deficient underwriting by the defendant in acting as plaintiff’s managing general agent, in the issuance of various surety bonds for construction projects located throughout New Jersey. The case settled for $850,000 after the close of all evidence and prior to the completion of closing arguments.



• $750,000 class action settlement. Kampf vs. Comcast. This was a class action filed by Mr. Mazie against Comcast for its blackout of several New York Mets games during the 1997 baseball season. The case settled soon after class certification was granted in Mr. Mazie’s clients’ favor. The settlement included vouchers being awarded to the members of the class, with a gross value of approximately $750,000.



• $750,000 product liability settlement. Welle vs. Superior Signal Company. This was a product liability case involving toxic gas emitted from smoke bombs used by firefighters to train firefighting recruits. Mr. Mazie’s client was severely injured after removing his gas mask during one of these training exercises. The case involved numerous issues involving the toxicity of the smoke, as well as whether it had permanently injured plaintiff’s lungs. The case settled for $750,000 after a directed verdict was granted in Mr. Mazie’s client’s favor.



• $750,000 product liability settlement. Rega vs. Terminal Construction. This was a product liability/construction site accident case involving a defective ladder. Mr. Mazie argued that the general contractor was negligent in failing to abide by worksite safety protocols, as well as in building a defective ladder for use by the plaintiff. After a two week trial, the case settled for $750,000.



• $737,000 automobile accident settlement. Goodhart vs. Foss. This was an automobile accident in which the plaintiff sustained severe personal injuries. Although the plaintiff appeared to have made an excellent recovery, the plaintiff alleged to have sustained cognitive impairments due to post traumatic stress disorder. The case ultimately settled with a recovery of $737,000



• $715, 000 settlement of a premises liability action. Blair vs. Grey Manor Motel. This personal injury case involved claims of negligent security against two motels located in Wildwood, New Jersey. Mr. Mazie's client was severely injured after being attacked by a drunken teenager while on the defendants' property. The case settled after jury selection for $715,000



• $700,000 settlement of an automobile accident. This personal injury case settled prior to the filing of a lawsuit.



• $682,000 medical malpractice jury verdict. Marinelli vs. Geffner. This was a medical malpractice case in which Mr. Mazie’s client died after having liposuction performed on her thighs. The case was a very difficult case in that there was no direct evidence as to any negligence on the part of the defendant doctor. However, Mr. Mazie argued that various marks shown on the autopsy pictures demonstrated that there was trauma to the legs during the liposuction procedure. The jury agreed and found that malpractice had been committed by the defendant and thereby entered a jury award in plaintiff’s favor.



• $500,000 award. Gnecco vs. Greyhound. This was an automobile accident in which Mr. Mazie's client suffered orthopedic injuries. The case was tried in Federal Court and ultimately resulted in a $500,000 award.



• $455,000 jury verdict of a medical malpractice action. DaRocha vs. Chirovsky. This case involved claims of medical malpractice against the defendant doctor for failing to advise plaintiff that an additional hernia surgery could likely result in the loss of one of his testicles. The defendant doctor performed the surgery, and one of plaintiff’s testicles was removed. The jury awarded $455,000 to Mr. Mazie’s client to compensate him and his wife for their damages.



• $450,000 automobile negligence settlement. This was a personal injury case involving a severe automobile accident in which our client suffered significant leg injuries. The case settled for the sum of $450,000.



• $400,000 product liability settlement. Meade v. CMF. This was a product liability action filed against an installer of fences. Mr. Mazie's client was seriously injured after a defect in the fence caused serious injuries. The claims against the installer of the fence settled for $400,000.



• $400,000 settlement for auto negligence. This was a personal injury case involving severe injuries resulting from an automobile accident. The case ultimately settled for a cash payment of $400,000.



• $325,000 settlement for car accident. This was a personal injury case arising out of an auto accident in which a pedestrian was injured. This case settled for $325,000.00.



• $280,000 automobile negligence settlement. This was a personal injury case involving an automobile accident in which our client, a pedestrian, was hit by an automobile. The case settled for the sum of $280,000.



• $187,500 for slip and fall. This was a personal injury case involving a slip and fall by our client on grease which was spilled in a cafeteria. The case ultimately settled for $187,500.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.