John Dwyer, a partner in the Los Angeles office, obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a crane manufacturing company following a jury trial in a wrongful death action venued in the Commonwealth Court in Philadelphia. The action arose out of the electrocution death of a 42 year old crane operator, whose family sought $2.76 million in past and future lost income. Plaintiffs' lowest settlement demand was $5.5 million. After the plaintiff rejected the defendant's one time structured settlement offer, the matter went to trial.

With only 30 minutes of deliberations, the jury returned a 12-0 defense verdict in a very challenging jurisdiction for defendants. Dwyer convinced the jury the hazard at issue was a 13KV power line, not the design of the crane, and presented persuasive evidence to substantiate that claim. Despite not having a regional office in Philadelphia, Gordon & Rees successfully defended its client with excellent trial coordination using the firm's integrated high technology platforms and legal expertise from its various offices.