| RECENT SUCCESSES
On November 9, 2007, Bennett Bigelow & Leedom attorneys Bill Leedom and Tim Allen, along with co-counsel Simon Forgette, obtained a jury verdict of over $15.5 million for Maria Federici in King County Superior Court. The lawsuit sought compensation for catastrophic injuries caused to Maria when an entertainment center fell out of an open U-Haul RO model trailer, crashed through Maria's windshield, and smashed into her face. On Maria's behalf, Leedom, Allen and Forgette sued U-Haul International, Inc. and U-Haul Co. of Washington (the manufacturers of the trailer), Capron Holdings, Inc. (the U-Haul dealership from which the trailer was rented), and James Hefley (the driver of the vehicle towing the U-Haul trailer). The case alleged product design defect, failure to provide adequate instructions and warnings with the product at the time of manufacture, failure to provide adequate instructions and warnings post-manufacture, and negligence. After six weeks of testimony, the jury found U-Haul International, Inc., U-Haul Co. of Washington, and James Hefley liable to Maria in the amount of $15,510,000, apportioning 67% of the fault to the two U-Haul entities and 33% to James Hefley. The jury found that Capron Holdings, Inc., was negligent, but that its negligence was not a proximate cause of Maria's injuries. The jury also found that Maria was not at fault in any way in causing her injuries. The verdict represents one of the largest recoveries in a personal injury case in state history.
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