Federal Court Trials

At Brock Person Guerra Reyna, we have tried hundreds of cases over the years, too many to include in this website. We have, however, chosen to include each of those cases governed by a jury verdict where the amount sought was in excess of $500,000. It is important to note that we have included every case tried under this broad category, not just select verdicts.

Cortez v. Valmont Industries and D&F Farms (Western District of Texas) Plaintiff, age 17, was working in the fields as a laborer when she tripped and fell adjacent to an irrigation system. Her clothing was caught by an unguarded drive line and she was pulled into the machine, causing multiple compound fractures of her arm along with a degloving of the skin from the muscle (nearly severing her arm in the process). The Plaintiff sued on a product liability theory alleging the irrigation system was defective because the safety guards fell off and because it did not have a safety switch that shut the system off if the guards were not on the drive lines. The owner of the farm testified that the safety guards did not last and came off the system soon after it was purchased. The Plaintiff was left with permanent injuries to her arm and had very little use of it after the accident. She was not able to return to work after the accident. Her medical specials were $50,000 and her lost wage earning capacity was $1,000,000. The Plaintiff asked the jury to award $4,000,000. The pre-trial demand was $1,750,000. The pre-trial offer was $50,000. The jury returned a verdict of $1,563,916 in favor of the Plaintiff against D&F Farms. The jury returned a zero verdict in favor of Valmont Industries (Brock Person Guerra Reyna client).

Sowders v. TIC United (Western District of Texas) Plaintiff was rear ended on an interstate highway by a fully loaded 18 wheel tractor-trailer being driven by an employee of Defendant. Plaintiff claimed that Defendant was inattentive and following too closely. The investigating officer cited the Defendant as contributing to the accident. Defendant’s driver claimed that Plaintiff cut in front of the tractor-trailer during heavy traffic and that an emergency was created. The past specials were $325,000. The Plaintiff sued on a negligence theory and asked the jury to award $1,300,000. The pre-trial demand was $475,000. The pre-trial offer was $325,000. The jury returned a zero verdict in favor of the Defendant (assessing 100% negligence on the Plaintiff).

Stokes v. R&R Brokerage (Western District of Texas) Plaintiffs sued Defendant claiming that they were discriminated against because of their race. They claimed that they were paid less than similarly situated non-minorities. They further claimed retaliation because they were terminated less than ten days after filing their charge of discrimination with the EEOC. Defendant denied all charges. The Plaintiffs asked the jury to award $500,000. The pre-trial demand was $100,000. The pre-trial offer was $10,000. The jury returned a zero verdict in favor of the Defendant.