Verdicts & Settlements

Based in West Los Angeles, the Law Offices of Ronald M. Papell represents clients throughout Southern California in personal injury cases, including claims involving auto, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents. Ron resolves cases through mediation, arbitration, and trial, depending on his clients’ best interests. Below are some examples of his numerous successful verdicts and settlements.

Representative Cases:

Million Dollar Verdicts & Settlements

  • The clients’ vehicle hydroplaned and flipped on a wet roadway, rendering one of the clients an incomplete quadriplegic. Ron brought suit against the State of California, the vehicle manufacturer, and the contractor who worked on the freeway. The case was settled after extensive litigation for over $6.5 million.
  • Due to excessive pressure exerted by a doctor during delivery, the client’s child sustained injury to the nerves in the neck and chest, commonly known as Erb’s palsy. Ron took the case to trial and the jury returned a verdict of over $3.9 million. A few years later, in a second Erb’s palsy case, Ron obtained another jury verdict of over $4.4 million.
  • The client sustained head injuries as well as other severe injuries after being ejected from a vehicle. Although the client made a miraculous recovery, he was still left with significant injuries. After accounting for all of the liable parties, including both drivers involved in the accident, a valet parking service, a restaurant, and the State of California, the client received a total settlement of $3.7 million.
  • The clients, a 72-year-old grandmother and her four-year-old grandson, were struck by a turning vehicle while crossing the street. Together, they incurred approximately $190,000 in medical expenses. Although the driver had no insurance, Ron contended that the driver was within the scope of his employment at the time of the accident. The driver’s employer denied liability, and the case went to trial. The jury awarded Ron’s clients $2,957,889.07. When the employer’s insurance company appealed, the case entered mediation proceedings and finally settled for $3.2 million.
  • Ron’s client was travelling down Pacific Coast Highway with his two dogs after taking them for a walk along the coast. A vehicle pulled from the curb and collided with the right front of the client’s vehicle. As a result, the client’s car went up on two wheels and came crashing down. The client sustained a neck injury requiring surgery and the placement of metal fixation devices in the client’s neck. Although the client was able to return to his pre-accident activities, he is left with a fused cervical spine. After a ten hour mediation, the case was settled for $3 million in 2010.
  • When a pedestrian, and father of five, was struck by a car and killed instantly, the driver’s insurance company offered the man’s family $100,000. Ron asserted that the driver was acting in the scope of his employment, and thus, the driver’s employer should be responsible for the driver’s acts. After an erroneous ruling at the trial level, Ron appealed the case, and the appellate court concluded that the employer was liable. The deceased’s family received over $2.1 million.
  • In a freeway accident, the client’s hand was crushed when the wheel detached from the defendant’s unsafely rigged truck and struck the client’s car. After eight surgeries, the client’s hand remains deformed, and after incurring approximately $100,000 in medical expenses, it is projected that he will incur approximately $40,000 in future medical expenses. Also, the client’s estimated future lost earnings total over $660,000 should he never work again. In binding arbitration, the client was awarded over $1.5 million.
  • Representing a client involved in an auto-truck accident, Ron uncovered that the truck driver had a history of drug use and that the driver’s employer was aware of it. Even though his client only suffered an ankle fracture, Ron attained a $1.4 million settlement.
  • The client’s husband died after his medical providers failed to diagnose and treat cryptococcal meningitis. The neurologist, physician, and hospital settled with the surviving family members for a total amount of over $1 million.

NOTE: THESE ARE SOME OF THE NUMEROUS MILLION DOLLAR AND MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CASES RESOLVED BY MR. PAPELL THROUGH TRIAL AND SETTLEMENT.

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Auto Accidents

  • After being rear-ended, the elderly client incurred over $145,000 in present and future medical expenses. Also, his wife suffered emotional distress due to the accident and the harm it caused to both her and her husband. Ron settled the claim before trial for $550,000.
  • In a case in which the client did not realize the severity of her injuries until after she received compensation for vehicle damage, Ron helped her recover the maximum amount of $500,000 under the at-fault driver’s insurance policy.
  • After an accident, the client suffered a bowel injury that required extensive exploratory procedures to discover the source of his injury. His wife also suffered emotional distress as a result of the accident. The case was settled in the client’s favor for a total sum of $365,000.
  • After being partially ejected from a vehicle, the teenage client incurred approximately $66,000 in medical expenses, and also suffered from emotional distress. The at-fault driver’s insurance company only paid the policy limit of $25,000 on the client’s claim. Ron filed an underinsured motorist claim against the client’s own insurance company for additional benefits. In arbitration, the client was awarded $310,929.
  • In a rear-end collision, the client suffered significant shoulder injuries that required surgery. The case was settled in the client’s favor for $100,000.
  • After being broad-sided by a negligent driver, the husband and wife clients suffered significant injuries and damages. Ron brought a motion to add punitive damages to the clients’ claims. Because the judge planned to grant the motion, the defendant insurance company offered the maximum policy amount of $100,000 to Ron’s clients.

NOTE: THESE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE HUNDREDS OF AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT CASES HANDLED BY MR. PAPELL DURING THE PAST 35 YEARS

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Motorcycle Accidents

  • The client, a yoga instructor, was travelling on Pacific Coast Highway on her motorcycle when a driver travelling in the opposite direction made a left directly in front of her. As a result of the collision, the motorcyclist was thrown through the air landing on the hood of defendant’s car and then onto the roadway. She suffered neck and back injuries and settled with the defendant’s insurance company for its policy limits of $15,000. Ron then made a claim under the client’s underinsured motorist coverage in the amount of $100,000. When the client’s insurance company refused to offer more than $30,000, the case was taken to binding arbitration and Ron obtained an award of the full policy limit of $100,000 in 2010. As a result of the insurance company’s failure to negotiate in good faith, Ron is pursuing a bad faith claim against the insurer, which is currently pending.
  • A 40 year old motorcycle designer was test driving a custom motorcycle when he entered an intersection in Burbank and was struck by a left turning SUV. The vehicle was being driven by an employee of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles within the course and scope of her employment. The client sustained a compound fracture of his lower right leg as well as a left knee injury that eventually required surgery and lower back complaints. Although the client incurred $85,000.00 in medical expenses he did not make a loss of earnings claim as his business could not establish that he had earned any income in the years before the accident. Mr. Papell sued the owner and driver of the SUV as well as the employer of the driver and the City of Burbank and State of California on the theory that the intersection was a dangerous condition. During jury selection the case was settled for $637,500.00 in October of 2011.

NOTE: THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE MANY MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT CASES THAT MR PAPELL HAS SUCCESSFULLY HANDLED.

Truck Accidents

  • In an accident involving two commercial trucks, the client incurred $16,000 in medical expenses, and he could not work for a long period of time. When the at-fault driver’s insurance company failed to make a reasonable settlement offer, Ron prepared to take the case to trial. In lieu of trial, the insurance company increased its settlement offer, and the client received $180,000.

NOTE: THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY TRUCK ACCIDENTS THAT RON HAS HANDLED.

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Pedestrian Accidents

  • After being struck in a marked crosswalk, the client incurred $60,000 in medical expenses. When the defendant refused to settle the case for $150,000, Ron took the case to trial and obtained a total jury verdict of $310,000.
  • The client suffered a fractured skull and a traumatic brain injury after being struck by an oncoming vehicle while crossing the street. Not withstanding the client’s intoxication and her crossing against a red traffic signal, the matter settled for $275,000 in pre-trial mediation.
  • A college student was crossing Pacific Avenue in Venice when she stepped out from behind a parked truck into the roadway where she was struck by defendant’s automobile. The client sustained multiple facial injuries requiring surgery to her face and nose. Although the investigating officer found the client at fault, Ron filed suit against the driver who he felt was speeding and inattentive. The case was settled in 2010 for the defendant’s policy limit of $100,000.
  • A young woman was crossing Fairfax Avenue on her way to work when she was struck by a left turning driver who failed to yield the right of way. The plaintiff sustained injuries to her pelvis and shoulder. Although the client has returned to work with minimal physical disability, she continues to suffer from emotional distress related to the accident. The case was settled in 2010 for defendant’s policy limit of $100,000.

NOTE: THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT CASES WHERE MR. PAPELL HAS REPRESENTED PEDESTRIANS WHO HAVE BEEN INJURED BY VEHICLES OR OTHER DANGEROUS CONDITIONS

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Dangerous Condition of Public Property / Premises Liability / Products Liability

  • The client suffered severe burns because of a defective water heater in her apartment. Her landlord only offered $200,000 to settle the case even though the client’s medical expenses totaled over $190,000. At trial, Ron obtained a verdict of $951,405 on behalf of his client.
  • After the client’s tire blew out, causing an accident that injured the client and her five children, Ron brought a claim against the manufacturer of the defective tire. The matter settled in the client’s favor for the total sum of $825,000.
  • The client, a supermarket employee, fell and suffered a head and shoulder injury at work when a dock leveler malfunctioned and dropped. Ron settled the matter on behalf of his client for the total sum of $456,000.
  • Due to a hidden landing with no warning sign posted, the client fell and suffered severe leg injuries. Ron brought a premises liability action against the landlord, and the case settled for $400,000.
  • After the client, a ten-year-old boy, suffered severe burns in a restaurant, Ron obtained a settlement on behalf of his client for $350,000.
  • The client suffered second and third degree burns while shooting a television commercial outdoors. The production company failed to have medical personnel on set and failed to take other protective measures. After extensive litigation, the case was settled for $308,000.
  • Because of negligent countertop installation, the client fell and suffered a compound fracture of her ankle. Ron filed suit against the apartment house owner for maintaining a dangerous premises, and the case settled in client’s favor for $275,000.

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Medical Malpractice / Medical Negligence / Professional Liability

  • A medical provider negligently administered an injection into the client’s spinal cord resulting in neurological problems. This matter was settled in the client’s favor for the amount of $950,000.
  • The client was injured in an accident and sought care at an emergency medical care center. A doctor discharged him from the center even though the client was not yet able to walk on his own. The nursing staff knew that the client could not walk by himself, but failed to notify the doctor. As a result, the full extent of the client’s injuries remained untreated for some time, resulting in permanent nerve injuries. The case was settled in the client’s favor for $890,000.
  • A pharmacy gave the client the wrong drug when he filled his prescription, causing the client to bleed uncontrollably from multiple parts of his body. While doctors saved his life, he was left substantially weakened. The case settled for $350,000.
  • After an elderly client was left unattended by nurses, she fell twice in her hospital room. Even though the client did not incur any medical expenses or loss of earnings, she received a $250,000 settlement because of the hospital staff’s negligence.

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Wrongful Death

  • The clients’ 79 year old mother died of injuries sustained after being struck by a car while she was crossing the street. The driver’s insurance company refused to offer the family more than $250,000 in compensation. Ron took the case to trial, and the jury returned a verdict of $822,084 in favor of his clients.
  • The decedent’s health care provider failed to provide necessary and appropriate tests and treatment for his symptoms. When he switched providers, he was diagnosed with cancer, but it was too late to prolong his life. His family recovered the amount of $800,000.
  • A husband and father died because his feeding tube became infected with bacteria. Ron brought a medical malpractice/wrongful death suit against the doctors who failed to diagnose the condition. The case was settled in the clients’ favor for $800,000.
  • The client’s mother was killed during a horseback riding lesson. The case was settled with the riding school’s insurance provider for $350,000.

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Business Torts / Insurance Bad Faith

  • After the client was involved in an accident with an underinsured motorist, the client’s insurance company refused to the pay the policy limit on the underinsured motorist insurance coverage that the client had purchased. In arbitration, Ron’s client recovered the full amount of $260,000 based on his insurance coverage. In addition, Ron associated counsel to bring a bad faith action against the client’s insurance company; the claim was settled for $550,000.
  • The client was rear-ended by an uninsured motorist. Threatening suit, Ron accused the client’s insurance company of acting in bad faith because it improperly handled the client’s claim. As a result, the insurance company settled for $440,000.
  • The clients were involved in an accident with an underinsured drunk driver. In arbitration, the judge awarded Ron’s clients $550,000 — almost three times the amount offered by the insurance company. Because the insurance company failed to handle the clients’ claims fairly, Ron threatened suit based on bad faith. Before the suit was filed, the insurance company settled the potential case for $125,000.

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