Over the years we have helped hundreds of people from all over the country navigate through some of the most difficult times in their lives and toward a brighter future. Here are a few results that we are particularly proud of, not just because of the amount recovered, but because of the rights that were preserved in the process and that will help protect thousands of people for years to come.
QUICK STATS:
$1.2
MILLION
Average Settlement
(2021)
500+
Lives Changed
(and counting)
21+
Court Admissions
(including pro hac vice admissions)

$22.815 MILLION JURY VERDICT IN KENTUCKY DEFAMATION CASE AGAINST CSX TRANSPORTATION AND ITS CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

A Greenup, Kentucky jury returned a total verdict of $22,815,000 against CSX Transportation and its Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Craig Heligman. Our clients were two local chiropractors who for years had treated CSX employees in the the Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia area. They came to us after CSX and Dr. Heligman accused them of engaging in fraud and refused to accept treatment documentation from the chiropractors on behalf of the CSX employees they treated.

After a tireless investigation, we determined that the allegations against our clients were false, that CSX had no evidence of any wrongdoing and was motivated by a desire to save millions in benefit payments to its employees. 

We brought the case to trial in Greenup Circuit Court and, after just a two-and-a-half day trial, the jury found CSX and Dr. Heligman liable for defamation and also for interference with the chiropractor’s business by refusing to accept treatment documentation from them. The verdict included compensation for lost profits, reputational harm, and more than $20 million in punitive damages. It is believed to be the largest verdict in Greenup County history.

$1.6 MILLION SETTLEMENT FOR INJURED RAILROAD WORKER

After years of denying responsibility and refusing to make any settlement offer, the defendant finally agreed to pay full value to our client, who sustained an on-the-job back injury, after we pushed the case to the brink of a federal trial.

$1 MILLION SETTLEMENT AGAINST LACMTA IN RAILROAD CROSSING COLLISION CASE

This case was referred to us by another attorney after the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority refused to accept responsibility for injuries caused when its train struck our client’s vehicle due to the failure of crossing gates and warning signals to function properly. After filing suit and aggressively prosecuting the case, the defendants finally agreed to fully compensate our client for the musculoskeletal injuries suffered in the collision.

LANDMARK VICTORY PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF RAILROAD WORKERS

Blackorby v. BNSF Ry. Co., 936 F.3d 733 (8th Cir. 2019)
Due to its jurisdiction over the heart of railroad country, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has decided more cases under the Federal Railroad Safety Act than any other federal court of appeals in the U.S. And, until this case, had decided every one of those cases in favor of railroad companies. We successfully argued that the railroad may not get away with retaliating against an employee simply because they “believed” that employee engaged in misconduct surrounding the report of an injury.
As part of a near-decade long litigation in which we have fought to protect the rights of railroaders to report their injuries, the court of appeals held that “an employer can, in fact, be held liable under the FRSA if it disciplines an employee based on its honestly held belief that the employee engaged in misconduct or reported a rules violation.”

We are rare among attorneys because we not only fight for our clients to and through trial, when necessary, we will take up appeals to make sure the stories of our clients are known and their rights are protected.

$375,000 VERDICT FOR RAILROAD CONDUCTOR FIRED AFTER SPRAINING HIS ANKLE ON THE JOB

Our client, a conductor, came to us after his prior lawyers dropped his case and he was facing an imminent dismissal by the court. We found that he had initially been misdiagnosed by his doctor as having a medical condition that was not work-related. As his condition worsened over the course of several weeks, our client was finally and properly diagnosed as having a work-related musculoskeletal injury that he immediately reported to his railroad supervisors.

 

The railroad accused him of dishonesty and fired him. We brought the case to trial in Shreveport, Louisiana where a federal jury returned a unanimous verdict of $375,000 in favor of our client and the judge ordered Union Pacific to return him to work with all rights and seniority restored. This is the first and only case that we are aware of under the Federal Railroad Safety Act in which a worker was successfully reinstated to work after a retaliatory dismissal.

$250,000 SETTLEMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER WHO SUSTAINED A SHOULDER INJURY IN A RAILROAD CROSSING COLLISION

When the driver of a commercial box truck ignored all warnings and stopped on the railroad tracks in front of a passenger train, our client sustained a shoulder injury as he quickly slammed the train into emergency braking in an attempt to avoid the collision. Fortunately the driver of the truck was able to escape the collision without injury but the insurance company refused to accept responsibility. We filed suit, helped our client get the necessary medical care, relentlessly pursued the truth, and obtained a settlement that allowed our client to fulfill his career and life goals.