Recent Cases
Murray & Murray has been noted for its successes in jury trials on behalf of the physically and financially injured. These have included many jury trials representing individuals and in class actions in the areas of:
Toxic Torts and Environmental Pollution
In Kentucky, a jury returned a verdict of $218,000,000 for the intentional pollution of the property of class plaintiffs adjacent to a river.
We just completed an environmental litigation case on behalf of a class which started in 1983. After the commencement of two trials, one on liability and damages, and the other on insurance company liability, this matter was finally resolved with a total recovery of more than $30,000,000.
Wrongful Death
We recently recovered jury verdicts against the railroad companies in the amount of $25,000,000; $10,000,000; $3,000,000; $4,900,000; $2,800,000; $1,875,000 and $2,000,000. A jury returned a punitive damage award in one of our railroad cases for $15,000,000.
We recovered over $6,900,000 in a wrongful death case for a laborer.
At the date scheduled for a jury trial in Federal District Court, we settled a wrongful death action last year for the entire policy limits, together with all net equity in a trucking company for $1,750,000.
Serious Personal Injury
We recovered in Oklahoma City on a jury verdict in the Federal District Court on behalf of an injured party in the sum of $17,750,000.
We recovered $7,850,000 in a personal injury, traffic accident case based upon a jury award.
We recently recovered $3,750,000 on behalf of an employee who was injured by the intentional misconduct of his employer.
We recovered on a jury verdict against the manufacturer of an amusement ride in the sum of $2,600,000.
Commercial
In a contract action, we recovered in excess of $20,000,000 for a shareholder.
We successfully maintained ERISA litigation against a medical insurer on behalf of the class of individuals and recovered in 1999, more than $13,000,000 as a result of wrongful discounting practices.
We participated in the recovery of over $20,000,000 on behalf of borrowers using automobiles for collateral from a major automobile manufacturing company.
We recently recovered over $4,000,000 for a class of a group of executives who contended that the company met the target for certain incentive compensation. The case turned on the resolution of a series of complex accounting issues.
A jury recently returned a $5,000,000 punitive damage award against a major automobile manufacturer for abusing the borrower's rights.
In cases against banks, we recently recovered over $25,000,000 for borrowers in one case, and we recovered in excess of $2,500,000 from a bond indenture trustee for failure to monitor a construction project jeopardizing the value of the bonds.
Recently we recovered against a polluter and its insurance company for a temporary fouling of a beach, in the approximate sum of $2,000,000.
Securities- Stocks, Bonds, etc.
We have successfully recovered in many security class action cases on behalf of a class of plaintiffs, including going private transactions of approximately $6,000,000 and of $3,350,000; for penny security violations in the amount of $1,400,000; for proxy fraud in the amount of $5,700,000.
We participated in a recovery of more than $600,000,000 on behalf of shareholders in a security buyout case.
Bad Faith Insurance
After twenty years of arduous litigation, we just completed an interesting action. We had offered to settle a case for $2,000,000 at the time of a successful Ohio jury trial on the issue of liability and damages. A jury returned a $10,000,000 verdict. After an assignment of the causes of action, the subsequent bad faith insurance litigation resulted in a jury verdict of more than $15,000,000. With interest and attorney fees, more than $34,000,000 was finally recovered.
Food Borne Illness
We successfully worked with nationally recognized counsel in a botulism case on behalf of a Ohio client who was sickened by canned food. The manufacturer recalled the product several weeks after our client fell ill, so it was too late to administer an anti-toxin otherwise available from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). As a result of the delay in the recall, this individual continues to suffer from the effects of the poison. We were able to identify the specific neuromuscular test that identified the long-term effects of the poison, which was not detected by physical examination.
Medical Negligence
Our client underwent surgery for what was considered a routine and elective procedure. But an error by the pharmacy at the hospital led to the wrong product being used. As a result of the malpractice by the pharmacy technician, the patient suffered permanent injury. We were able to prove that a software system and a programming error caused the technician to incorrectly believe the product she chose was a generically equivalent. The hospital agreed to compensate our client for the significant loss.
Murray & Murray has litigated cases in federal and state courts throughout the State of Ohio and in federal courts in other areas of the country. Murray & Murray has a very active appellate practice, including a total of over 45 cases before the Ohio Supreme Court. These cases frequently include issues of great social and public importance. Murray & Murray attorneys appear regularly not only in the Supreme Court of Ohio, but also in all appellate districts in the State of Ohio and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals of the United States of America, as well as in state courts throughout the United States.
