Confidential
Settlement – $100,000Court
L.A. Superior Santa Monica
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Michael R. Rhames
(Law Offices of Michael R. Rhames PC)
Defendant
Chan B. Reader
(Hartsuyker, Stratman & Williams-Abrego)
Experts
Plaintiff
Harold L. Segal
(medical)
Defendant
Jerome Covin
(medical)
Facts
On Dec. 24, 1992, the plaintiff, a 36-year-old female, was driving her vehicle on a studio lot. As the plaintiff drove down an aisle/road on the lot, the defendant driver, operating a vehicle owned by another defendant, suddenly backed out of a parking stall and collided with the right rear of the plaintiff's vehicle. The plaintiff contended that the rear of her vehicle was pushed five feet in a clockwise direction from the impact. The defendants contended that the impact was very minor and caused no movement of the plaintiff's vehicle. The plaintiff brought this action against the defendants based on negligence theories of recovery.
Settlement Discussions
The defendant driver and defendant vehicle owner made a joint C.C.P. º998 offer of compromise for $100,000.
Specials in Evidence
$19,862.64 $30,480 $129,600 $146,000
Damages
The plaintiff claimed $1,369 in property damage to her vehicle. The defendants disputed the property damage estimate.
Injuries
The plaintiff claimed that her neck hyper-extended thereby causing, or severely aggravating, a three-level herniated disc and osteophyte complex which would require surgical intervention to resolve.
Other Information
The settlement was reached approximately two years and six months after the case was filed. An arbitration was held before Judge Raymond Choate, retired, resulting in an award of $15,000 against the defendant studio.
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