Jury Awards $210,000 for Admitted Liability Accident with Two Claimed Surgeries

On May 27, 2026, Scott Macdonald and Steven Hingst secured a favorable trial verdict in Orange County.  The matter involved a significant rear-end impact.  We admitted liability, but contested causation for the claimed injuries.  Plaintiff underwent a left shoulder surgery for a torn labrum and rotator cuff.  Plaintiff also underwent a minimally invasive lumbar discectomy for alleged disc herniations at L4-5 and L5-S1.  Plaintiff waived all past medical specials except for the lumbar procedure for which she sought $160,000.  She sought future care, including a cervical fusion surgery, and requested $350,000.  She asked the jury to award a total of $4,000,000.

We were able to demonstrate for the jury that the medical treatment received was lacking in a continuity of care given her being transferred from lien doctor to lien doctor.  We introduced evidence of a subsequent accident which preceded the lumbar surgery.  Plaintiff claimed she was uninjured in the subsequent loss.  The jury awarded $100,000 in past medical bills, $75,000 in future medical bills, $25,000 in past pain and suffering and $10,000 in future pain and suffering.  We will seek costs given that we had offered $500,000 by way of C.C.P. 998.