Insights / US litigation

Top 25 US Nuclear Verdicts of 2023

US litigation11 February 2024 4 min read

$2.3 billion – April 25, 2023 - A California woman awarded after childhood sexual assaults and silencing
$1.5 billion- November 17, 2023 - Class action in Missouri, alleging that roundup a Monsanto product caused cancer.
$980 million - A Pennsylvania man and his family were recently awarded compensation after a seatbelt defect led to the man's paralysis. The plaintiffs claimed that there was too much slack in the seatbelt, which allowed the man's head to hit the roof during an accident. However, the case was complicated by bad jurisdiction and an inexperienced judge in the Philadelphia County Court, who had never handled a product liability case before. The judge made several rulings that are now being appealed.
$860 million – April 27, 2023 - A Texas family of a woman killed by a falling crane.
$857 million – December 18, 2023 – Washington parents and students after PCB exposure
$787.2 million – October 18, 2023 – New Jersey plaintiff sued after developing cancer from asbestos in talc product, later the amount was reduced to $223.8 million.
$787 million – August 15, 2023 (product liability case) – An award was given to the estate of a child who died while stuck in a bunk bed. In this particular case, a Vietnamese manufacturer of a bunk bed system did not comply with the US standards. Despite being informed of this and a recall being requested, the manufacturer continued to sell the product online. The jury was able to hear all of this, which understandably angered them and influenced the final decision. This shows that consumer safety should always be a top priority.
$745 million – September 8, 2023 - Missouri family, who sued after their daughter was killed by a driver who had abused nitrous oxide - In this case, teenagers discovered that by inhaling the nitrous oxide from the canisters, they could experience a slight buzz. Nitrous oxide was used in whipped cream canisters to preserve it and as a gas to help get the cream out of the canisters. WHIP IT began selling a large amount of their product to smoke shops in the US, and this jury found them liable to some degree for the consequences. When the jury was presented with the statistic that 70% of their product is being sold to smoke shops in the USA, it was reasonable for them to assume that WHIP IT may be aware that their products are being used for the purpose of getting high. The jury was not pleased with this and as a result, WHIP IT was ordered to pay $745 million.
$409 million – March 17, 2023 – Car accident Louisiana family sued after a car crash killed their 4yrs old girl.
$332 million – October 31, 2023 - California man sued alleging roundup caused his cancer.
$200 million – October 3, 2023 – Massachusetts family sued after a woman died of cancer, having started smoking in 1964. Tobacco cases tend to produce large awards because juries hear the full history of the industry telling the public, from the 1950s up to around 1990, that smoking was neither addictive nor a cause of cancer. Massachusetts jurors are generally well educated and react strongly to that history.
$182.7 million – (Medical Malpractice case) Pennsylvania child – hospital did not perform C section in time, which led to cerebral palsy and other neurological issues.
$165 million – November 30, 2023 – Washington employees after PCB exposure led to health problems
$161 million – May 5, 2023 (Suzuki case, allegation was break defect) – California man injured in motorcycle crash
$120 million – (Medical malpractice claim) November 30, 2023 – New York man with a blood clot who suffered permanent and severe brain damage
$107.3 million – July 11, 2023 – Family of California janitor exposed to asbestos after mesothelioma death
$96 million – New Jersey mother awarded after her family was killed driving to a funeral by a driver who had Parkinson’s
$86 million – February 24, 2023 - Oklahoma women sued after her mother dies in jail.
$85 million – (Auto-Product liability case) June 16, 2023 – In this case, an Alabama woman lost an eye after a car crash. The claim was that the airbag was overpowered. The collision was relatively low speed, but it was on the border of whether the airbags should deploy or not. The jurors believed that the airbag shouldn't have deployed and awarded $85 million to the young woman. The reconstruction showed that she had long fingernails, and when the airbag deployed, it knocked her hand into her face, injuring her eye. The jury again was convinced that the airbag shouldn't have deployed, and the $85 million award was unexpected.
$82.6 million – January 28, 2023 – Florida rapper Flo Rida sued after energy drink’s contract breach
$80 million – August 3. 2023 – USA women paralyzed in a car -moped crash
$75.3 million – March 6, 2023 – Missouri family sued after pregnant mother was struck by a UPS truck, causing baby brain damage.
$72 million – July 14, 2023 – Washington plaintiffs after PCB exposure
$70 million – February 18, 2023 – Texas employees sued and claiming racial discrimination and hostile work environment.
$63 million – June 9, 2023 – California man with multiple myeloma after unknowingly building his home on a chemical pit.