2020 Top 10 Verdicts Include Big Names, Serious Injuries, Human Tragedy

C8 – a hazardous chemical used to create Teflon – was dumped into the Ohio River.

Big pharma, tobacco giants, automakers and pesticide companies have often appeared on the list of top 10 personal injury verdicts in the past. And this year is no exception, with Johnson & Johnson back "on top" for the fourth year in a row, as well as big verdicts recorded against DuPont, Hyundai,  R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris. Other verdicts involved less-well-known defendants but resulted in equally tragic outcomes, including a chilling wrongful death case; several auto, truck and pedestrian accidents; and a defective hip implant.

This year's top 10 list was commissioned from VerdictSearch, a leading provider of verdict and settlement research.

2020 Case Summaries

1. $787 million punitive damages to group of plaintiffs affected by asbestos-tainted talc products: Four people filed a suit against Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the company’s talc-based products contained asbestos and caused mesothelioma. After winning $37.3 million in actual damages earlier, the plaintiffs were awarded $787 million in a second trial. State caps later reduced the award to $186.5 million. – The details.
    
2. $98 million to estate of deceased boys: The state of Washington was found liable for the death of two young boys after their father brutally attacked them during a court-ordered visitation. – The details.
    
3. $40 million to man with testicular cancer: Travis Abbott contracted cancer from drinking water allegedly tainted with toxic waste dumped in the Ohio River by DuPont.
   – The details.
    
4. $32 million to man paralyzed in auto accident: Edward Vanderventer suffered a paralyzing spinal injury when he was rear-ended. He sued carmaker Hyundai, arguing that his seat was defective. – The details.
   
   
   A jury once again found tobacco companies liable for lung cancer.
5. $26 million to family of man who died at 42: Tobacco giants R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris were ordered to pay damages following the 1992 lung cancer death of Douglas Duignan. – The details.
    
6. $25 million to teen pedestrian struck by car: A 16-year-old was struck by a car while using a crosswalk. Both the city and the driver were found responsible for his serious injuries. – The details.
    
7. $21.5 million to young father with quadriplegia: Jose Maclovio was the backseat passenger in a van stopped at train tracks when another driver going 55 mph rear-ended the vehicle. He was paralyzed from the neck down.
   – The details.
    
8. $21 million to family of pedestrian killed by tractor-trailer: When a truck driver passed out behind the wheel of his vehicle, the trailer he was pulling disconnected and killed 50-year-old Kip Holland. – The details.
    
9. $21 million to woman with a defective hip implant: A metal-on-metal hip implant led to multiple dislocations, surgeries and difficulty walking. – The details.
    
10. $18 million to woman intentionally hit by truck:  Susan Cox was run over by a pickup truck driven by her husband following an argument at a bar. She suffered injuries to her leg, ankle, lower back, liver and ribs.