MORELLI LAW FIRM SECURES LARGEST PAIN AND SUFFERING AWARD IN NEW YORK STATE HISTORY
THE VERDICT CREATES A NEW BENCHMARK FOR CATASTROPHIC PERSONAL INJURY CASES, BRINGING THE COURT INTO THE MODERN ERA
In 2013, Mark Perez was constructing a booth at Live Nation’s Jones Beach Theater in Long Island when a forklift suddenly crashed into the bottom of the structure. Mark was violently thrown from the booth, suffering a traumatic brain injury and multiple skull fractures in the process. He has undergone several surgeries and he will require medical care for the rest of his life.
Despite Live Nation’s clear culpability, the company refused to take responsibility, seeking a summary judgement to dismiss the case.
After several years of litigation, the Morelli Law team successfully held Live Nation accountable. The court found the company 100% liable for Perez’s injuries. During the jury phase to determine damages, Morelli and his team secured a landmark $102M verdict for Perez.
In April of 2021, the Appellate Division, First
Department Court of New York upheld $20 million in pain and suffering damages from the original jury verdict, which is the largest pain and suffering award in New York State history. The court also affirmed $13.5 million for medical care and lost wages.
This was a massive victory for the firm and it will create a new benchmark for damages in catastrophic personal injury cases.
The firm also took on several high-profile cases in 2020. In August of 2020, Morelli Law filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of the widower of Erica Tishman, a noted New York architect who was tragically killed after a piece of building façade fell and struck her in the head. In a similar case, Morelli Law Firm is representing Annabel Sen, a young woman who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and underwent multiple brain surgeries after a piece of furniture flew off a Manhattan penthouse terrace and struck her in the head. The firm is suing multiple parties, including the owner of the apartment, Michael Rubin, who is a co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball franchise, and the tenants of the apartment, who are the coowners of the multi-billion dollar startup Brex.
The firm is also litigating several major truck accident cases against companies including FedEx, Frito-Lay, George’s Foods, and Langer Transport. Trucking cases have become a focal point for the firm since it successfully represented Tracy Morgan after the comedian’s limousine was struck by a Walmart truck.
With jury trials largely on hold in 2020, Mr. Morelli and his team have refused to accept low settlement offers from defendants and insurance companies hoping to take advantage of the situation.
“We never accept a settlement offer that we don’t feel is just for our clients, said Morelli. “Our team is prepared to go to trial on several cases this year as the courts open up again.”
Over its history, Morelli Law Firm has racked up a number of impressive and precedent-setting results:
• Helped secure a $265M settlement for victims of the 2015 Amtrak derailment outside Philadelphia;
• Jury verdict and subsequent settlement for Genie Bouchard after the tennis star endured a concussion at the 2015 U.S. Open;
• A settlement for the family of Zynae Green, a young girl who was electrocuted after touching a handrail at the MGM Resort at National Harbor.
Morelli Law is also representing more than a thousand women in litigation against Johnson & Johnson, stemming from allegations that the company’s use of talcum powder caused them ovarian cancer.
“It is one of the proudest achievements of my career,” said Benedict P. Morelli, Founding Partner of Morelli Law. “The court recognized the severity of Mark’s injuries and the importance of evaluating his damages in the context of what is fair today, not twenty years ago.”