Just Verdicts

When David Kwass represented the estate of a golf pro who was killed during a fierce storm that swept through the Philmont Country Club, he faced at least three significant hurdles. Was Justin Riegel’s infant, born out of wedlock to Justin’s girlfriend, really his heir? Who was Justin’s employer? And was an “act of God” responsible for the storm? But the biggest question David faced was how could...

Despite challenges including an absent plaintiff, an expert witness’ last-minute withdrawal, and a death certificate identifying Covid as the cause of death, Reza Davani secured a $1.5 million verdict for pain and suffering. In this conversation with host Brendan Lupetin , Reza shares how he exposed the nursing home’s negligence that led to the death of a patient – not from Covid, but rather from...

Almost 6,000 pounds of copper wire falls on a railroad electrician, causing debilitating personal injuries. Defendant Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority admits liability. The catch? The injuries aren’t clearly visible, and the defense leans into this. How does the plaintiff’s lawyer convey the catastrophic extent of the injuries to the jury and go on to win a $15 million verdict? I...

“Come and get me! Come and get me!” That’s what the 34-year-old man suffering from a mental health breakdown told state troopers responding to his family’s call for help. At least that’s what one of the troopers testified during cross-examination in federal court. Attorney Noah Geary brought civil rights claims against the trooper, arguing that he used excessive force when he fatally shot Anthony...

Gasoline is refined from crude oil that contains benzene, a known carcinogen, but oil companies have long considered removing benzene from the gasoline manufacturing process a “dollars-and-cents” decision. Jurors considering whether ExxonMobil’s gasoline caused a Pennsylvania man’s leukemia made this decision: $725.5 million for the plaintiff. Andrew DuPont , partner at Locks Law Firm , won that v...

An inexperienced physician’s assistant misdiagnosed Richard Godshall and Christine Clarke ’s client. But when they tried the case, they took it in an opposite direction than many would expect: not from the incident up, but from the top down. In the end, the Clarion County jury awarded their client $7 million. In this conversation with host Brendan Lupetin , Richard, owner and managing partner of O...

People go to hospitals to have their injuries treated. Unfortunately, however, sometimes patients are injured through the hospital’s negligence. On this episode of Just Verdicts , host Brendan Lupetin is joined by Pittsburgh med-mal attorney Sandra Neuman of Sandra Neuman Law to discuss a $1.4 million verdict she recently secured for an injured client. Listen as Sandy breaks down the case, describ...

“There's no glory in trying to make something out of nothing. Cases are won and lost on the facts. If you don't have a good case, you're not going to win that case 99.9 percent of the time.” In this episode of Just Verdicts, host Brendan Lupetin is joined by Kila Baldwin , shareholder at Anapol Weiss . Kila has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, including as lead counsel in trials th...

Slip-and-fall cases benefit from being “off code”–dialing down aggression and slowing things down. Especially when there’s no clear evidence of a premises violation, building credibility (yours and your client’s) is the best way to proceed.  In this episode of Just Verdicts, host Brendan Lupetin is joined by slip-and-fall attorney Scott Perlmuter of Tittle & Perlmuter to break down how Sc...

“Another one for the books.” How do you get a $2.5M verdict on two shoulder surgeries? It comes down to telling a compelling story to motivate the jury.  In this episode of Just Verdicts, host Brendan Lupetin is joined by the show’s first returning guest, trial attorney Clancy Boylan of Morgan & Morgan .  Tune is as Brendan and Clancy break down Clancy’s recent trucking case includin...

A product intended to ensure safety should not be the source of an injury. In 2023, veteran trial attorney Wesley Ball of Farrar & Ball LLP helped secure a verdict against a car manufacturer that put defective seat belts in their cars.  In this episode of Just Verdicts, Wes tells host Brendan Lupetin how he prevailed on behalf of a client whose devastating injuries caused by a defective s...

Fighting for what is right can be difficult. But that fight is worth it when justice is done. In this episode of Just Verdicts, host Brendan Lupetin is joined by Philadelphia injury attorney Tom Bosworth to discuss the case of Diane Melendez, whose undiagnosed condition caused her to experience extreme pain and lose her job. Tom recalls impeaching Ms. Melendez’s primary care physician, attacking t...

In Pennsylvania, plaintiff lawyers call Fayette County “Fayette-Nam.” They say jurors are anti-establishment. They say it’s one of the toughest counties in the Commonwealth. They say job one is to get their case out of Fayette County.  James Tallman and Tom Crenney tried their med mal case in Fayette County. They won.  In this episode of Just Verdicts, James and Tom tell host Brendan Lup...

Mark Schultz has regularly utilized focus groups for over 35 years and has become a firm believer in their necessity as part of the discovery and trial preparation process. On this episode of Just Verdicts, host and med mal litigator Brendan Lupetin , is joined by Attorney Mark Schultz , founder of Keystone Focus Trial Consulting . After four decades of law practice, Mark began a trial consulting...

We’ve heard for a while now that the “piss-off factor”–getting the jury angry, is probably the single biggest factor in driving verdicts in most cases. But what is the biggest driver of the “piss-off factor”? Defendant’s refusal to accept responsibility when there’s clear liability.  On this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), host and med mal litigator Brendan Lupe...

How do you go from a $130k settlement offer to a $3M verdict on a case that was originally a garden variety slip-and-fall-hip-fracture-in-a-nursing-home case?  On this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), host and med mal litigator Brendan Lupetin , is joined by personal injury attorneys Kelly Ciravolo and Jamie Anzalone of Anzalone & Doyle Trial Lawyers . Kelly...

The best trial lawyers are the ones who can spot the big picture and then figure out a strategy to use that to tip the case to their side. On this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), Brendan Lupetin interviews Ben Gideon , a med mal trial attorney from Maine who is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates and co-host of Elawvate , a podcast for trial lawyers.  Tune...

While there are certain venues you’d like to avoid, if possible, you just can't control where your client was injured.  Our clients deserve justice no matter where malpractice happened. On this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), Brendan Lupetin interviews Victor Pribanic , a trial lawyer at Pribanic & Pribanic in Western Pennsylvania.  Victor shares how he...

There's nothing “alternative" about the mediation process anymore. Trials are the alternative because settlements and mediations far outweigh the cases that are being tried. In this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), med mal litigator Brendan Lupetin talks with John Noble , a prolific and highly sought-after mediator in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. John has done at...

Being prepared for trial conveys the message that your case is important. So when you have a limited window of time to present your case to the jury, you better not wing it.  On this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), med mal litigator Brendan Lupetin interviews Ryan McKeen , the Co-founder and CEO of Connecticut Trial Firm, LLC. A first-generation lawyer, Ryan is...

“Being good at what you do is enough to make you successful.” If only. If you want to build a thriving law practice in the modern legal marketplace, business and marketing chops are a must. Tune in as John Fisher provides a masterclass for young lawyers hungry to make (and keep) more money, develop a referral-based practice, and cultivate a valuable referral network. John is the owner and founder...

Having the facts on your side doesn’t always keep a case from going to trial. There are always arguments on the defense side, and even the strongest facts have to be presented effectively to get a good case result.   In this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), med mal litigators Brendan Lupetin and Greg Unatin welcome Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based trial lawyer...

A good trial lawyer, like a good storyteller, knows how to use narratives to connect with their audience. Often, the simplest stories are the most powerful. The challenge can be cutting out the extraneous details and focusing on what is strongest in a case.  In this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), med mal litigators Brendan Lupetin and Maggie Cooney share their...

Whether you’ve tried dozens of cases or are preparing to try your very first case, establishing an effective trial preparation process is key to a successful outcome for you and your client.  In this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medical Error), med mal litigators Brendan Lupetin and Greg Unatin discuss the process they go through every time they try a case. Beginning with es...

While it’s okay to look for positive feedback, don’t try to win the focus group. That’s a mistake. Instead you want that first presentation to be really tough so that you find all the problems, all the ways that the jury hates your case, hates you, hates your client, whatever it is. And then you can iterate, fix, repair, and patch.  In this episode of Just Verdicts (formerly Trial & Medic...