Gruber Wins $4.8 Million Jury Verdict in Wisconsin
By Gruber Law Offices, February 2018
The Jury Verdict
Gruber Law Offices is proud to announce a $4,865,750 million jury verdict it recently obtained in Milwaukee County.
The jury made this award after a several day trial in front of Judge Mary Triggiano. The $4.86 million verdict drastically beat the defendants settlement offers before trial. The defendant’s insurance company made a settlement offer of approximately $150,000 at mediation as compensation for the car accident. The week before trial the insurance company offered $225,000. The case was tried to verdict by Gruber Law Offices Attorney Eric Knobloch and Gruber Law Offices Attorney Tim Knurr.
What Happened
The case involved the wrongful death of a 28 year old gentleman who was a passenger in a pick-up truck stranded on the interstate near Milwaukee, WI. The pick-up truck was disabled around 2am when it was rear-ended by a semi -truck. The decedent left behind 4 young children. One of the insurance companies settled for their policy limits. However, the insurance company for the semi-truck would not make an offer that our team felt was appropriate given the circumstances. The insurance company argued that the driver of the decedent’s truck was at fault. However, Attorney Knobloch and Attorney Knurr successfully argued the truck driver was negligent as he testified that he never saw the truck on the highway, not even for a split second before the impact. The insurance company and their lawyer also argued that the semi- truck was camouflaged, and therefore it was reasonable for their driver to have never seen it. The jury allocated 85 percent fault on the defendant truck driver and 15 percent on the driver of the pick-up truck. With respect to injuries and damages, the jury awarded what they felt was an adequate amount of money for pain and suffering in addition to the other elements of damages.
Attorney Knobloch noted, “We believe that justice was served with this verdict, and on behalf of the family we would like to thank the jurors for their service and for listening to the evidence during this trial.”
Attorney Knurr added, “We are proud and honored to have been in a position to help the family.”
**The loss of society and companionship award by the jury may be limited due to the statutory wrongful death caps in the State of Wisconsin.
