Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Gwinnett County jury verdicts are often lower than other counties:
Gwinnett County has a reputation for being a conservative venue for personal injury lawsuits. Attorney Richard Griffin of The Griffin Law Firm explains that this means that the jury verdicts awarded in Gwinnett County are often lower than the jury verdicts awarded in other counties such as Dekalb County, Fulton County, and Clayton County even when the facts and damages are similar. The venue or the location where the personal injury lawsuit must be filed is normally the county where the defendant lives. Attorney Richard Griffin often uses jury verdict research to negotiate higher personal injury settles and to educate his clients about the likely value of their personal injury claims.


Surprisingly there was a defense Verdict in a Gwinnett County personal injury case that involved a DUI defendant: Recently a personal injury case involving a defendant who was driving under the influence (DUI) was tried in Gwinnett County. The name of the case was Steven J. Kanaknui, et al v. Leslie Brannon - Case Number 10CC-05613-4). This case was tried by personal injury lawyers that are not a part of my firm and resulted in a defense verdict. A defense verdict would normally mean that the plaintiff was not awarded any money for their car accident personal injury case. However, in this case there was a high/low agreement of $250,000/$30,000 in place. A high/low agreement is commonly agreed to to protect the plaintiff from an unexpectedly low verdict and to protect the defense and the insurance company from an unexpectedly high verdict. In this case even if the jury had awarded more than $250,000 the defense would not have to pay more than $250,000. This also means that a defense verdict resulted would result in a $30,000 recovery rather than zero. Since jury verdicts are sometimes unpredictable, a high/low agreement can sometimes be a useful tool in personal injury litigation.

What are punitive damages and when are they available?
A jury verdict involving a defendant driver who was driving under the influence (DUI) would normally be high jury verdict. This is because DUI, hit and run, and other actions that show a reckless disregard for human life which creates punitive damage exposure. Punitive damage is money awarded to punish and to deter the defendant from this type of reprehensible conduct.

What factors are important in determining whether to litigate or settle a personal injury claim?
(1) What venue (county where the lawsuit must be filed)?;
(2) How much did the medical treatment cost?
(3) How much do the lost wages total?
(4) How serious and permanent are the injuries?
(5) How evasive or extensive was the required treatment?
(6) Is there punitive damage exposure?

Every personal injury, worker's compensation, wrongful death, or social security case is different so it is important to seek a free consultation about your case as soon as possible.