IMPORTANT - There is no guarantee of recovery in any legal case. Each of the results presented here was based on the specific factual and legal circumstances of that case. The amount actually received by the clients in each case was reduced by deducting attorney fees and litigation expenses.
Fredrick Anthony “Tony” Thomas was killed in a motor vehicle collision as he was returning from a job site in Indiana to his home in Owensboro. His vehicle was struck by a truck driven by Ralph Brescher, who entered the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid a turning vehicle. Mr. Brescher was working for his business when the accident occurred. Tony is survived by his wife, Samantha, and their two minor children. Their daughter Chelsea was two years old when her father was killed; their second child, Tannon, was born a few weeks after the accident. Tony’s family settled their claims for $1,700,000.
Tammy Lamar was seriously injured in a motor vehicle collision as she was returning home from a shopping trip. The car Tammy was riding in was struck head-on by a drunk driver, Daniel King, who was travelling south in the northbound lanes of US 41A near Hopkinsville. Mr. King had spent the previous three hours drinking in a Hopkinsville bar. Tammy brought claims against the bar for her injuries and for her four children’s loss of their mother’s care and companionship. Tammy and her children settled their claims against the owner of the bar that continued to serve alcoholic beverages to Mr. King after he became too drunk to drive for $1,554,217.
Two handicapped women were sexually assaulted in separate incidents by the driver of a van hired to transport them to and from their homes in rural Livingston County and their jobs at a special needs workshop in Paducah. The driver of the van, Karl Kraus, had a history of sex offense felonies dating back to 1974 and was listed on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry. Kraus’ employer, Security Taxicab of Paducah, denied that it was aware of Kraus’ criminal history but admitted that it did not conduct a background check on him. The women settled their claims for $750,000 each.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville paid $25.7 million to settle 240 childhood sexual abuse lawsuits naming 34 priests and other church workers. At the time the settlement was the second largest payout in abuse cases by the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It ended a 14 month legal struggle that made Louisville one of the most embattled dioceses in the nation since the Catholic clergy sexual abuse crisis began in January 2002. The settlement was divided among the victims by a court-appointed commissioner, who assessed a number of factors specific to each victim's abuse.
The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth paid $1.5 million to settle 45 childhood sexual abuse lawsuits by men and women who were sexually abused as children while residing in orphanages staffed by the Sisters of Charity, an order of Roman Catholic nuns. The orphanages were owned by the Archdiocese of Louisville and managed by Father Herman Lammers.
The Sisters of Charity defended the cases by arguing, among other things, that the claims were barred by the statute of limitations. They claimed that the plaintiffs should have known to bring their claims sooner, because of the intense media attention to the earlier cases against the Archdiocese. Father Lammers had been identified as a pedophile in several of those cases. The plaintiffs equally divided the $1,500,000 settlement.
A physically handicapped man was killed in a house fire caused by a defective product. His family settled the claims of his estate for $1,400,000.
The parties to this settlement agreed to keep their identities confidential.
A young woman suffered a closed head injury in a motor vehicle accident. She brought claims against the at fault driver and her underinsured motorist (UIM) insurance carrier. She received $675,000, including $550,000 for her insurer’s bad faith in failing to properly evaluate her claim for underinsured motorist benefits.
The parties to this settlement agreed to keep their identities confidential.
The plaintiff, a young child, was injured by the negligence of his pediatric surgeon. His claims were settled for $265,000.
The parties to this settlement agreed to keep their identities confidential.
The plaintiff, a young child, was injured by the negligence of her pediatric surgeon. Her claims were settled for $265,000.
The parties to this settlement agreed to keep their identities confidential.
Brian Moss suffered a serious on-the-job injury and retained attorney Mark Beal to secure his workers compensation benefits. Attorney Beal failed to file Brian?s workers compensation claim within the time allowed by law and the claim was rejected. Brian filed a legal malpractice lawsuit against his former attorney seeking damages caused by the attorney's negligence.
After a trial on the issue of damages the court awarded Brian $205,960, including $125,000 for past and future emotional distress for resulting from the attorney's negligence.
Faye Thacker injured her right shoulder and went to Dr. Douglas Taylor in Paducah. Dr. Taylor diagnosed a torn rotator cuff, but wrote "left shoulder" in his office notes. His mistake was never detected and he operated on Faye's left shoulder. Prior to trial Dr. Taylor refused to make any offer of settlement. During trial he made his first offer, and it was increased after closing arguments. Faye rejected those offers. She believed that because Dr. Taylor had denied wrongdoing it was important for the jury to determine whether he had been negligent so that his mistake would permanently be a part of his record. The jury returned a verdict of $158,620, including $110,000 for pain and suffering, and found Dr. Taylor 70% responsible for Faye's damages.
The plaintiff brought claims for her attorney’s failure to exercise the degree of care and skill expected of a reasonably competent divorce lawyer. Her claims were settled for $110,000.
The parties to this settlement agreed to keep their identities confidential.
The plaintiff brought claims for her attorney’s failure to exercise the degree of care and skill expected of a reasonably competent appellate lawyer. Her claims were settled for $100,000.
The parties to this settlement agreed to keep their identities confidential.