$1.7
Million
Client was riding in a car operated by her friend which car was merging onto Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada, when it was struck by the rear trailer of a double belly dump truck and forced off the road into a tree. The Defendant truck driver claimed that it was entitled to the “sudden emergency” defense. Specifically, that it had to change lanes into the client’s lane because a car in an adjacent lane to Defendant’s right suddenly moved into the Defendant’s lane in front of the double belly dump truck which required him to move into our client’s lane. We immediately filed a complaint and through numerous depositions established that the double belly dump truck trailer had defective brakes. We amended the complaint to recover for “punitive damages” to punish the Defendant for operating its double belly dump truck with defective brakes. The case settled shortly thereafter for in excess of three times the insurance company’s offer at the Mediation Hearing.