Archives: Verdicts

Conal Doyle obtained a $2.2 million dollar settlement on behalf of an undocumented alien who contracted a brain infection while in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff. The plaintiff was a Sri Lankan national who escaped the civil war in Sri Lanka and sought asylum in the United States. While his asylum petition was pending, he was detained, had a seizure, and was transported to a local hospital where his condition was not timely diagnosed and treated. As a result, he suffered permanent brain damage. The plaintiff sought to hold the County and local hospital responsible for “deliberate indifference” and medical negligence. The case was litigated for four years, in both federal and state court, and more than 25 expert depositions were taken. Case costs were approximately $200,000. The case settled on the eve of trial for a combined $2.2 million from the County, hospital, and emergency room physician.

Conal Doyle and Jody Moore, Law Offices of Jody Moore, obtained a recovery on behalf of a 61 year old woman whose leg was amputated below the knee due to medical negligence and products liability. The plaintiff consented to amputation of her leg because she was erroneously told she had cancer due to an error in the hospital information technology system. Plaintiff brought both medical negligence and products liability claims, and obtained pre-trial rulings that MICRA’s cap on damages did not apply to the hospital defendants. The plaintiff had no claim for future lost wages. Mr. Doyle was retained to act as trial counsel after the case was originally brought and worked up by Ms. Moore.

Conal Doyle obtained a $1,750,000 settlement on behalf of a 42 year old woman who was denied two prosthetic limbs by a national insurance company. The plaintiff, a bilateral amputee, lost both legs when a car ran into her while she was retrieving mail from her mailbox.

During her grueling recovery and rehabilitation, her prosthetist prescribed two new microprocessor prosthetic limbs, and even forwarded video of the plaintiff walking with the aid of prosthetics to the insurance company’s Medical Director.  The insurance company denied the claim, alleging that the legs were not “medically necessary.”

Mr. Doyle was retained, and filed suit immediately.  Within days, the insurance company agreed to pay the claim, and paid the prosthetist over $180,000 to provide the new prosthetics.    Before discovery commenced, Mr. Doyle negotiated an additional $1,750,000 in a damages settlement, for a total recovery of over $1,940,000.

This is the largest reported settlement of an individual prosthetic limb bad faith insurance denial in California history.

Conal Doyle and Santo Riccobono obtained a $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of a woman who had to undergo reconstructive breast surgery after a front end car crash that caused deployment of the airbag system. The Firm was able to obtain a swift pre-suit settlement of this claim in January 2015.

Bob Stoler, Mike Martin, and Conal Doyle obtained an $896,000 jury verdict in a federal lawsuit against a correctional officer who battered their mentally challenged client in County jail. At the time, the verdict was reported to be one of the largest ever against a Polk County, Florida correctional officer. The verdict was affirmed on appeal by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. After the insurance company denied coverage, a declaratory relief action was filed against the insurer to establish coverage. The plaintiff won the action and the insurance company paid the full amount of the judgment. The result of this case was reported in local newspapers and television.