Case Studies
A young man suffered hand injuries after a visibly drunk teenager purchased shotgun slugs from a Kmart clerk and shot him. A jury awarded $1,500,000 against the retailer.
A passenger in a boat suffered severe leg injuries when his intoxicated captain ran aground. The insurance company offered $800,000. Judgment of $1,600,000 was entered after trial.
A neurosurgeon negligently placed a screw in the plaintiff's disc during a cervical plating procedure. The jury specifically found that the doctor concealed his negligence from the patient. The jury awarded $931,250 after an offer of $150,000 was rejected. The verdict included $430,000 in exemplary damages for mental distress related to the concealment.
A young woman was shot in the neck by her boyfriend who purchased the gun and ammunition from an untrained 16 year clerk. The boyfriend was visibly intoxicated at the time of purchase. The retailer offered $300,000. A West Palm Beach jury returned a verdict of $11,500,000. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the jury's decision.
In a St. Clair County Circuit Court case, the deceased was invited on a boat trip with two of his business associates. As the weather turned stormy, the owner of the boat asked the deceased to attach a side curtain requiring him to leave the safety of the cockpit. Fifteen minutes later, the captain and his mate realized that the man was no longer on the vessel. His body was never found. The insurance company for the owner of the boat offered the Estate $200,000. The jury returned a verdict of $12,200,000.
In recent years, Mr. Garvey was involved in three cases involving significant injuries to newborns in a hospital setting. Two of these cases were birth trauma cases. The third was a failure to diagnose infection case. Each of these three cases settled for nearly $6,000,000. One of the cases settled pre-suit.
Several years ago, Mr. Garvey represented a widow who had been caring for her brain-damaged son for many years. She had been drastically underpaid for this care under Michigan’s No-Fault Act. Her auto insurance carrier informed her that “it was her moral obligation” to care for her son and denied payment. Facing the threat of a jury trial; the insurance company paid the mother $7,875,000.
Recently, Mr. Garvey represented a middle-aged father who had purchased a used vehicle for his 16 year old daughter. He took it into his local Jeep dealership, instructing them to go over the vehicle “with a fine toothed comb” as he wanted to present it to his daughter for her birthday. Several days later, while driving the vehicle in snowy conditions, the car stalled. He pulled the vehicle over on the shoulder of the freeway when he was struck by a drunk driver. His gas gauge read 1/4 tank. An inspection of the vehicle after the crash revealed that the dealership had installed the wrong sending unit in the gas tank causing the fuel gage to read 1/4 tank when in reality there was no gas in the tank. Arbitration award of $7,500,000 was rendered.
A construction worker fell from a scaffold after the building owner refused to allow the construction workers to "tie in" to the side of their building. A gust of wind caused the scaffolding to topple, resulting in severe injuries. A $1,500,000 pre-trial offer was rejected.
The jury returned a verdict of $7,400,000.
When a local hospital misread two PAP smears in a row and the young plaintiff developed cervical cancer which was totally curable if caught earlier, the hospital settled for $2,200,000. As part of the settlement, the hospital revised its diagnostic unit so this tragedy would not happen to another young woman.
When a nurse at a local hospital suffered a severely fractured ankle when rear-ended by an intoxicated driver, her case settled for $1,400,000.
Mr. Garvey has been involved in a number of other significant settlements and jury verdicts. Nearly 100% of the clients he represents come to him by way of referral from attorneys, judges and former satisfied clients.
