Carpenter v. DL Peterson Trust, Supreme Court, Suffolk County 2019

Thomas Montiglio was successful in obtaining a defense verdict at a damages trial for the clients in the case of John Carpenter v. D.L. Peterson Trust and Steven Rissman in Supreme Court, Suffolk County before Justice Nolan. The case involved a motor vehicle accident where a prior jury had already determined that the defendant was 100% liable for the happening of the accident.
The injuries of the plaintiff included alleged tearing in both knees and shoulders requiring arthroscopic surgeries to both shoulders and both knees in addition to soft tissue injuries to the back and chest. The Plaintiff alleged a complete inability to work as a result of the accident. The settlement demand of plaintiff’s counsel remained $1 million throughout the trial.
The trial lasted one week and included the testimony of the parties, plaintiff’s surgeon, three physicians for the defense and the police officer that responded to the scene of the accident.
At the conclusion of the damages trial, the jury returned a unanimous defense verdict finding that the alleged injuries and resultant surgeries of the plaintiff were not causally related to the accident at issue.