$2 million Jury Verdict
June 2007
Caption: |
Guyer v. Hussman Corporation |
Court: |
Circuit Court of Clay County, Missouri |
Case Number/Date: |
06CY-CV05483 |
Special Damages: |
$88,000.00 medical bills for Barbara Guyer, deceased; $6,000.00 funeral expenses for Barbara Guyer; $6,000.00 medical expenses for John Guyer |
Insurance Carrier: |
Zurich American Insurance Company |
Plaintiff’s Attorneys: |
James Montee and James Cannon, The Montee Law Firm, P.C. |
After only five hours of deliberation, a Clay County, Missouri jury awarded the family of Barbara Guyer $2,000,000.00 in damages based on a wrongful death claim brought by family members against Hussman Corporation arising out of an automobile accident. The jury also awarded John Guyer, Barbara’s husband, $17,500.00 as damages for personal injuries he suffered in the same accident.
John and Barbara Guyer had been married for 53 years at the time of the accident and had three adult children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. On March 10, 2006, as the Guyer’s entered the intersection of Antioch and Vivian Road in Gladstone, Missouri, a van, owned and operated by the Hussman Corporation, ran a red light and struck the Guyer’s vehicle at approximately 40 miles per hour.
Barbara suffered multiple injuries and passed away in a local hospital thirteen days after the accident. John suffered a non-displaced fracture to his ankle and an injury to his Achilles tendon.
At trial attorney’s
James Montee and
James Cannon of the
Montee Law Firm, P.C., focused on the pain and suffering that Barbara endured during the last thirteen days of her life. After the verdict Mr. Montee commented that “these are folks that represent all of the values that a jury wants to like.”