A Utah state court jury has delivered a record $81 million verdict for the family and friends of a child struck by a truck in a crosswalk after an initial trial ended in a defense verdict, and the full retrial was recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
The jury returned its verdict on March 13 in a trial that began on March 2. They found that Rusty Cope, a driver for Allied Building Products, is responsible for the 2018 death of Michael Madsen. Madsen’s family accused the Allied of hiring a dangerously inexperienced driver with a checkered safety record who sped into a crosswalk, the defense argued Madsen ran in front of the truck.
Attorney Sean Claggett & Skyes Trial Lawyers, who represented the Madsen family, told CVN after the trial that the verdict far exceeded the defense’s $1 million settlement offer made just prior to closing arguments, and noted that the verdict helped cement an eventual undisclosed settlement that will preclude any appeals.
“While the jury was deliberating, there was a frenzy of negotiations, and we were able to reach an agreement that required the verdict for the deal to be finalized,” Claggett said. “We are very happy with the negotiations that resulted in closure for the family and no more litigation.”
Claggett is one of the most sought-after plaintiff attorneys in the country, so, with his pick of cases, he said that how well the Madsen family’s suit held up under his rigorous trademark pre-trial data analysis ultimately brought him to Utah.
The Utah verdict also carries significance because it took place in a jurisdiction not known for excessive jury awards. Claggett believes large verdicts are possible in any location if the facts of the case are strong enough.
Claggett was backed up by local Utah counsel Blake Johnson of Johnson Livingston Personal Injury LLC.
The case is captioned Madsen v. Beacon, et al., case number 190401592.
