What is A Verdict?
A verdict is a formal decision about the outcome of a case made by a judge or jury. A verdict signifies the conclusion of the fact-finding process, determining the outcome of the case, whether it be a conviction or acquittal in a criminal trial, or a finding for the plaintiff or defendant in a civil trial.
According to Black’s Law Dictionary, a verdict is defined as “the formal decision or finding made by a jury, impaneled and sworn for the trial of a cause, and reported to the court, upon the matters or questions duly submitted to them upon the trial.” As such, it is easy to see that a verdict is the jury’s official and final decision after deliberation, which is then reported to the court.
A verdict definitive resolution to legal disputes, upholding the rule of law, and delivering justice by ensuring that the guilty are held accountable and the innocent are exonerated upon which the entirely. Understanding the concept and implications of a verdict is essential for both legal practitioners and individuals involved in the judicial process to appreciate the finality and significance of this crucial aspect of trials.
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Family Wins $2.85 Million in Auto Wrongful Death Lawsuit
A Dauphin County jury has awarded $2.85 million to the family of a Hummelstown man killed in a 2006 wreck.
Fifty-seven-year-old William H. Smith was killed when a backhoe fell off a hauling trailer on I-83 and struck the vehicle he was driving. The backhoe had been negligently placed on the trailer.
In Pennsylvania, the family of someone killed in an automobile accident caused by the negligence of another person or company can file a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible parties.
Here is a report in The Patriot-News about the Dauphin County verdict:
Smith, a father of two, died on Jan. 3, 2006 when a backhoe was jolted from a tractor trailer on Interstate 83 and its bucket slammed into his sport utility vehicle.
Smith’s wife, Linda, […]
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Teen Sentenced to Prison in Distracted Driving Accident
Just this month one judge ruled in a first-of-its-kind case that someone sending a text message cannot be held liable for a distracted driving accident. Now, in the first ruling in Massachusetts history where someone has been convicted for causing a fatal accident while texting behind the wheel, a judge found a teen guilty of killing someone when distracted by his cellphone while driving.
In February 2011, the then 17-year-old killed a 55-year-old man and seriously injured the man’s 50-year-old girlfriend when he crossed the center line and crashed into the oncoming vehicle. After just four hours of deliberation the jury returned a verdict of guilty in the fatal accident, according to CBS News. The teen was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail, with a year to serve and the remainder suspended. In addition, the teen lost his driver’s license for 15 years and owes an unspecified amount of restitution. […]
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FL Nursing Home Hit with $200M Neglect Verdict
According to an article in the Tampa Bay Pines, Trans Health Management has been ordered to pay the largest nursing home neglect verdict in Florida history. The $200 million verdict was awarded to the family of a 92-year-old woman who was found dead at the bottom of a stairwell at Pinellas Park Care and Rehabilitation Center in Pinellas County, Florida in 2004.
The staff at the Center did not notice the woman was missing for over an hour. They then found her still strapped in her wheelchair at the bottom of 10 steps at the open emergency exit stairwell. She died shortly before the paramedics arrived.
Trans Health Management Inc., which oversaw the nursing home at the time of the accident, did not present a defense in the case. During the trial, former employees at the home testified that the door to the stairwell was supposed to be locked, […]
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PA Jury Awards Over $11 Million to Plane Crash Victims
A Philadelphia, PA jury awarded two victims of a 2009 plane crash, who suffered significant, permanent injuries, over $11 million in damages. The pilot and her passenger both sustained third-degree burns over 35 percent of their bodies.
The lawsuit alleged the Cessna 337 Skymaster twin-engine aircraft in which they were flying crashed shortly after takeoff due to “ineffective inspections and maintenance.” The plane crashed into a water treatment plant in Georgia after losing power in one of its engines. The second engine could not handle the extra load due to problems to it as well.
The pilot’s injuries have prevented her from returning to work as an airline pilot. She was awarded $6.458 million, which was reduced by 20 percent because of her attributable negligence, according to the court docket.
The passenger, who was a doctor, has been able to return to his work performing cancer dermatological surgeries. […]
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NY Woman Awarded over $40 Million in Personal Injury Case Against Cybex International
A woman who previously worked as a physical therapist was allowed to keep nearly $45 million of the original $66 million awarded her in a case against Cybex International. The woman was using a piece of fitness equipment at work that was not properly bolted down when it fell on top of her leaving her a quadriplegic.
According to Buffalo News.com, although a NY state appellate court reduced the award, the “appeals judges backed all of the rulings made in the case by State Supreme Court Justice.” The article reports that the final award amount is believed to be the largest personal injury verdict in Western New York history.
Cybex appealed the initial award saying the company “was not negligent and is in no way responsible for the accident that is the basis of the suit.” However, the jury found Cybex 75 percent responsible, […]
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