Jury awards $5,500,000 to parent and estranged husband in wrongful death of 28-year-old woman
murdered by a temporary employee.
Robert W. Johnson & Associates was retained to prepare a LIFE ACTIVITY CALENDAR based on actual testimony that would be used in closing arguments. The LIFE ACTIVITY CALENDAR powerfully illustrated the family relationship that she shared with both her mother and her estranged husband. No expert was required for the LIFE ACTIVITY CALENDAR.
Location: Santa Rosa, California
Case: Holway, et al v. Snelling & Snelling, Inc., et al.
Court: Santa Rosa, California, Superior Court No. 186184
Plaintiff’s Attorneys: W. Barton Weitzenberg, and Jeffrey E. Steinberg, Santa Rosa, California.
Case Synopsis: Christina Appleton, a 28-year-old clerical worker, was on her way to work at Iron Horse Vineyards. At the entrance to the premises, she was stabbed 27 times in the torso and neck by Arvie Carroll. Mr. Carroll was a temporary employee hired by Snelling Temporaries and sent to work for the winery. He had been fired two weeks prior to her murder.
At the time of her death, Christina was living with her mother and was in the process of reconciling with her husband, from whom she had been separated. Christina was sharing expenses with both her mother and her husband. There was no claim for lost economic support.
Trial Presentation: Through the use of the LIFE ACTIVITY CALENDAR checklist, the mother and husband were able to catalog separately those activities they did with Christina. At trial, the shared activities generated by the LAC checklist was an integral part of both the mother's and husband's testimony. During closing arguments, the LIFE ACTIVITY CALENDAR was presented to powerfully and graphically illustrate the total loss suffered by Christina's family.
Attorney Comments: The events shared by the mother and husband with Christina made a visual impact upon the jury. The LIFE ACTIVITY CALENDAR clearly displayed the fullness of life and activities before the wrongful death and dramatically illustrated the loss of these shared activities due to the wrongful death. The defense could not conceive of a way to rebut the LIFE ACTIVITY CALENDAR.
Results: The defense offered, pre-trial $200,000 and asked the jury for defense verdict. The jury returned a verdict of $5,500.000. |
