Top Verdicts of 1998

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We have obtained the two highest jury verdicts in U.S. History in helicopter crash trials.

We have obtained the two highest pre-trial settlements in U.S. History, both for a single wrongful death and for a single personal injury.

February 08, 1999

Top Verdicts of 1998

Lawyers Weekly - February 8, 1999

Top Verdicts of 1998
Lawyers Weekly
2/08/1999

In this special section, Lawyers Weekly ranks the 20 largest plaintiffs’ verdicts, the 20 largest defense verdicts (excess of demand over verdict), and the 10 largest settlements in Missouri in 1998.

There were 29 “million-dollar” verdicts during the year. The top five included two premises liability cases, in addition to suits involving a construction dispute, actuarial malpractice and retaliatory discharge.

The largest plantiffs’ verdict — $25 million — came in a premises liability case involving the 1994 death of Jackson County Circuit Court Judge H. Michael Coburn, who fell into an open stairwell shaft while inspecting a building scheduled for demolition. The lawyer for the family was Kansas City’s Gary C. Robb, no stranger to Lawyers Weekly’s Top Verdicts list. Robb’s 1995 verdicts of $350 million and $70 million in products liability cases came in at numbers one and three, respectively.

On the other side of the bar, Stepen M. Strum of St. Louis successfully defended a nursing home that was sued by the daughter of a resident who had Alzheimer’s disease. The resident froze to death after he wandered outside the home unnoticed. The daughter demanded $6 million, but the jury returned a one-dollar verdict. Strum also had the 19th highest plaintiffs’ verdict in a $2.1 million auto accident case.

Louis C. Accurso of Kansas City settled a wrongful death and multiple injury case for $15 million, the highest settlement in 1998. Accurso represented a family whose house exploded due to a propane gas leak, killing the father and maiming the mother and 7-year-old daughter.

Inside you’ll find the 1998 rankings, in addition to in-depth stories on the top five plaintiffs’ verdicts, the top defense verdict, and the top settlement.

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We have secured over $2 billion in verdicts and settlements, becoming aviation’s most influential safety advocate. Our record includes the two highest U.S. helicopter crash jury verdicts—$350 million and $116 million—and we are the only firm to recover $100 million or more for a single aviation death or injury in five separate jurisdictions nationwide.
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Led by two generations of one family – husband and wife Founding Partners Gary C. Robb and Anita Porte Robb, their son and Partner Andrew C. Robb along with his wife, Partner Brittany Sanders Robb, this law firm is nationally recognized as the leader in aviation litigation. Guided by integrity, courage, and accountability, they have become a moral force, driving modern aviation reform and safer skies nationwide.
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With decades of focused aviation litigation experience, this firm brings unparalleled knowledge to the most complex cases. Founding Partner Gary C. Robb authored the authoritative text on helicopter law, and the firms’ attorneys are widely regarded as the foremost experts in the field. No law firm is better equipped to navigate the technical, regulatory, and legal challenges that aviation cases is demand.