$571,000 for Auto Injuries
A Burlington County jury awarded $571,000 on April 19 to a motorist for back and neck injuries.
Kenneth Grimes of Medford Lakes was stopped at a red light in Evesham in Aug 2002 when his car was hit from behind. He suffered 7 herniated disks and aggravation of pain herniations. Grimes still holds his primary job as a sales manager but neck pain and back pain caused him to quit his second job as a laborer.
Grimes sued the other driver, Lois Prince of Medford. Prince rejected a court-ordered arbitration award of $185,000 that Grimes demanded Prince's $250,000 policy limit but that her carrier, State Farm, offered only $25,000.
Superior Court Judge Marc Baldwin presided at trial and the jury awarded $508,500 for Grimes' noneconomic damages plus $62,500 on his wife's per quod claim. The Plaintiff's attorney says State Farm should be liable for the full verdict under the Rova Farms doctrine based on a bad-faith refusal to settle.
(This information was obtained from the New Jersey Law Journal)
