VERDICTS, JUDGMENTS AND SETTLEMENTS

The following cases represent some of the successful outcomes we have obtained for clients. Contact us at 918-743-6201 for a free consultation to discuss your case.

BANK FRAUD AND CONSPIRACY: $65,400,000.00 JURY VERDICT

In Choctaw County, Oklahoma, our client sued a multi-billion dollar bank and three individuals alleging in suit papers that they conspired to and did commit fraud against our client, an Oklahoma businessman. At trial, we presented evidence to the jury that the underlying fraudulent scheme was a vehicle ‘kiting’ scheme involving an automobile dealership and the bank. We also presented evidence that the bank concealed the fraudulent scheme from our client and that the bank destroyed thousands of documents to conceal the fraud from bank examiners. When our client discovered the fraud, he immediately reported it to the FBI. We also presented evidence at trial that the bank tried to crush and discredit our client because he was a ‘whistle blower’ about the fraudulent scheme. We presented evidence that the defendants even tried to have our client indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in retaliation for blowing the whistle on defendants’ fraud.  After an eight day trial in Antlers, Oklahoma; the jury unanimously found that the bank and two of the individual defendants acted intentionally and with malice to defraud our client. The jury awarded our client $65,400,000.00. The verdict included $21,800,000.00 in actual damages for our client and $43,600,000.00 in punitive damages against the bank.  OUTCOME:  The case settled while on appeal for a confidential sum of money.

MALICIOUS PROSECUTION AND INTENTIONAL BUSINESS INTERFERENCE : $10,894,214.00 JURY VERDICT

In Tulsa County, Oklahoma case no. CJ-2018-3884, our client sued Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and others, alleging Intentional Interference with Prospective Business Relations and Malicious Prosecution. At trial, we presented evidence that our client, a successful insurance broker, left Defendants’ employ and nearly $700,000.00 in business followed. So, Defendants threatened to sue our client for violating an employment contract that contained a forged signature. When this threat failed, Defendants reported to police that our client embezzled, so our client was arrested and removed from her office in handcuffs. Evidently, Defendants lay in wait and captured this arrest-scene on film. But the Tulsa County District Attorney soon dismissed the charges against our client and a District Court Judge expunged the file. Then, Defendants evidently coordinated with the insurance department to go after our client’s insurance license. We also presented evidence at trial that Defendants had concealed important forensic evidence from our client, from the police detective, and from the insurance commission as Defendants pursued our client. After a week-long trial, the jury unanimously found in favor of our client and found that Defendants had acted with malice toward our client. The jury awarded $10,894,214.00 to our client, which includes $4,000,000.00 in punitive damages against Defendants.

FRAUD:  INSURANCE COMPANY DEFRAUDING AGENT AND PUBLIC

In Creek County, Oklahoma, our client sued a large health insurance company for fraud it allegedly committed against our client, a local insurance agent, and the citizens of Oklahoma. We discovered evidence that defendant fraudulently marketed its individual health insurance policies as “group policies.” We also discovered evidence that defendant refused to issue group health insurance quotes to small businesses in violation of Oklahoma law. In order to perpetrate the fraudulent scheme, defendant exploited its political clout and loopholes in Oklahoma laws. When our client discovered this fraud, he threatened to “blow the whistle” on defendant if it refused to follow Oklahoma law. Consequently, defendants terminated our client’s Agency Agreement in bad faith. We filed suit for fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, breach of contract and wrongful termination. Three weeks before trial was scheduled to begin, we made a settlement demand of $2,500,000.00.  The complete details of this case are set forth in Plaintiff’s Trial Brief we filed with the Creek County Court Clerk’s Office [Bristow Division] in case number CJ-2004-127. OUTCOME:  Defendant settled the case with our client for a confidential sum of money.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE:  MINOR CHILD RENDERED PARAPLEGIC DURING SCOLIOSIS SPINAL SURGERY

We represented a child who, while undergoing a thirteen-level spine surgery to correct moderate scoliosis, was catastrophically injured when the surgeons corrected her spine but ignored warning signs identified by the neurological monitor.  We discovered that the surgeons recklessly started the surgery without a neurologist involved and despite a malfunction of the system that was supposed to record our client’s somatosensory evoked potentials.  However, our client’s motor evoked potentials clearly showed evidence of a catastrophic injury half-way through the surgery, but the surgeons ignored the warning.  When our client awakened and was obviously paralyzed from her chest down, the surgeons and the hospital conspired to alter her medical chart, and then together with the neurological monitoring team concealed the cause of our client’s catastrophic injury from her mother.    We filed suit against the surgeons, the hospital, the neurologist and the neuromonitoring company.  Following extensive discovery, the Defendants settled the case for a confidential sum of money.  OUTCOME:  Confidential settlement before trial.

PRODUCT LIABILITY:  CLIENT RENDERED QUADRIPLEGIC BY A DEFECTIVE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT

In Tulsa County, Oklahoma, we represented a woman who, while undergoing a two level fusion of her C4-5 and C5-6 vertebral bodies, was catastrophically injured when a defective surgical instrument slipped and impacted her spinal cord.  She instantly suffered quadriplegia, which persists today.  We filed suit against Medtronic Sofamore Danek, USA, Inc. in Tulsa County, Oklahoma under case number CJ 2011-2572.  The details of this case are set forth in the Trial Brief we filed with the Tulsa County Court Clerk’s Office under case number CJ 2011-2572.  Following extensive discovery and shortly before trial, we agreed to a pre-trial mediation.  After demanding settlement in the amount of $9,500,000, the Defendants settled the case for a confidential sum of money.  OUTCOME:  Confidential settlement approximately six weeks before trial.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: WRONGFUL DEATH FROM INTESTINAL LEAK FOLLOWING BARIATRIC SURGERY

We represented the surviving children of man who died in the hospital after developing sepsis due to an anastomotic leak following a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. Anastomotic leaks are one of the most dreaded complications following bariatric surgery due to their high rate of morbidity and mortality.  Here, the patient died because the hospital and surgeon were more focused on generating revenue than on patient safety.  By post-op day three, the patient had developed severe abdominal pain, respiratory distress and tachycardia—all signs of sepsis.  However, nurses failed to call the surgeon for twelve hours.  Once notified, the surgeon waited four hours before going to the hospital, and then another twelve hours before performing emergency surgery.  By then, the patient had less than a thirty percent chance of survival.  He died four days later. We filed a wrongful death action against the surgeon and the hospital claiming negligent and reckless medical care.  OUTCOME: The hospital and physician settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money a few days before trial.

WRONGFUL DEATH:  NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE RESULTING IN MULTIPLE FALLS

In Tulsa County, Oklahoma, we represented the surviving spouse of a gentleman who died after falling four times within thirty-six hours of being admitted to a nursing facility for rehabilitation.  His fourth fall occurred when nursing staff left him unattended in a wheelchair.  He suffered a spiral fracture of his right humerus bone, was transferred to the hospital and died thirty days later.  We sued the nursing and rehabilitation center alleging wrongful death. Discovery revealed that defendant’s parent company had streamlined its operations with reduced staffing levels in order to increase corporate profits, thus sacrificing the safety of patients.  We also found evidence that the parent company fraudulently sold the defendant-facility in an apparent effort to avoid liability for patient injuries including our client’s wrongful death. The complete details of this case are set forth in Plaintiff’s Trial Brief we filed with the Tulsa County Court Clerk’s Office in case number CJ-2011-6235. OUTCOME:  Shortly before trial, the defendants settled the case with our client for a confidential sum of money.

DEFAMATION: $6,500,000.00 JURY VERDICT FOR LIBEL, SLANDER AND FALSE LIGHT INVASION OF PRIVACY

A major network television station aired a series of seven false and defamatory investigative reports about our client, a local veterinarian. In the investigative stories, the reporter claimed that our client was suspected to have fraudulently doped a world champion show horse to mask its injuries so it could be sold for a larger sum of money; and that our client was suspected of having doped a champion quarter horse so that it could race at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. Our client sued the television station and its reporter alleging libel, slander and false light invasion of privacy. Following a two week trial in Bristow, Oklahoma, the jury unanimously awarded our client $6,500,000.00. The verdict included $6,000,000.00 in actual damages for our client; $250,000.00 in punitive damages against the television station; and $250,000.00 in punitive damages against the reporter who investigated and reported the story. OUTCOME: Defendants settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money.

DEFAMATION: $3,700,000.00 JURY VERDICT FOR LIBEL, SLANDER AND FALSE LIGHT INVASION OF PRIVACY

A major newspaper and a major network television station teamed up to create a website on which they posted the Department of Corrections sex offender registry. The data in the Sex Offender Registry incorrectly reflected that a registered sex offender lived in our client’s home. When our client learned that defendants’ website incorrectly indicated that his address was the home of a registered sex offender, he filed suit against the newspaper, the television station and the website. In the lawsuit, our client alleged negligence, libel and false light invasion of privacy. Following a trial in Sapulpa, Oklahoma the jury unanimously awarded our client $3,700,000.00. The verdict consisted of $200,000.00 in actual damages for our client; and $3,500,000.00 in punitive damages against the defendants.

DEFAMATION: NEGLIGENCE, LIBEL AND FALSE LIGHT INVASION OF PRIVACY

In a companion case to the one described above but involving a different client, the same major newspaper and major network television station teamed up to form a website on which they posted the Department of Corrections sex offender registry. The data in the sex offender registry incorrectly reflected that a registered sex offender lived at the home address of our client. When our client learned from neighbors that he was believed by them to be a sex offender, he was overwhelmed by stress and was hospitalized for what he thought was a heart attack. Our client then filed suit against the newspaper, the television station and the website alleging negligence, libel and false light invasion of privacy. OUTCOME:  Defendants settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money several days before trial.

COMPLEX LITIGATION:  ACCOUNTING FRAUD-BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTY

In Tulsa County, Oklahoma our clients sued their long-time accountants, a public accounting firm, and two alleged co-conspirators claiming in suit papers that defendants conspired to and did in fact commit fraud against our clients and their business.  We alleged that the defendants developed a scheme through which they fraudulently acquired a controlling interest in our client’s business by leveraging their close relationships with and intimate knowledge of our client’s personal and business finances.  We alleged that our clients were damaged in an amount of approximately $8,000,000 by defendants’ fraudulent scheme.  OUTCOME:  Defendants settled the case with our clients for a confidential amount of money several weeks before trial.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: WRONGFUL DEATH WHEN THE E.R. PHYSICIAN FAILED TO RECOGNIZE AND TREAT SEPSIS

We represented the surviving spouse of woman who died in the hospital after the emergency room physicians and nursing staff failed to recognize and treat her sepsis.   Over the course of three days, our client took his wife to the emergency room where she repeatedly showed signs of worsening sepsis.  On the third day, the emergency room physician finally admitted her to the hospital, but then failed to order appropriate treatment or arrange for follow up care by a hospitalist.  Soon thereafter, the patient began showing signs of a worsening infection including hypotension, hypothermia, mental status changes, dizziness, and an increased breathing rate.  Shortly thereafter, the nurses called a Code Blue because the patient could not be aroused. Our client’s wife subsequently died in her hospital room.  We made a wrongful death settlement demand on the physicians and the hospital claiming negligent medical care and negligent credentialing of the emergency room physicians.  OUTCOME: The hospital and physicians settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money.

WRONGFUL TERMINATION AND DEFAMATION (SLANDER)

Our client was a captive insurance agent with Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company for nearly fifteen years when, without notice, the company terminated his agency contract. Our client sued the insurance company alleging that it had wrongfully terminated his agency contract in an effort to deprive him of the fruits of his labor, which were the commissions on the insurance policies he had sold. During discovery in the case, we also learned that the insurance company may have leaked false and defamatory information about our client to other insurance agents. Therefore, we added a claim for defamation (slander). OUTCOME:  Defendants settled the case with our client for a confidential sum of money one week before trial.

WRONGFUL TERMINATION AND DEFAMATION (SLANDER)

In a second case against Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, our client was a captive insurance agent for more than twenty years when, without notice, the company terminated his agency contract. Our client sued the insurance company alleging that it had wrongfully terminated his agency contract in an effort to deprive him of the fruits of his labor, which were the commissions on the insurance policies he had sold. OUTCOME: Defendants settled the case with our client for a confidential sum of money two weeks before trial.

WRONGFUL TERMINATION AND DEFAMATION (SLANDER)

In a third case against Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, our client was a captive insurance agent for nearly ten years when, without notice, the company terminated her agency contract. Our client sued the insurance company alleging that it had wrongfully terminated her agency contract to conceal a fraud it had also committed against her.  During discovery in the case, we also learned that the insurance company made false and defamatory statements about our client and destroyed important documents relating to the case. OUTCOME:  Following presentation of the evidence at trial, the jury found that the insurance company had in fact committed fraud and terminated our client in furtherance of that fraud. The jury awarded our client $250,000.00 in actual damages.  The jury also found that the insurance company had acted intentionally and with malice toward our client.  Minutes before the jury began deliberating on punitive damages against the insurance company, the case settled for a confidential amount of money.

DEFAMATION: LIBEL, SLANDER AND FALSE LIGHT INVASION OF PRIVACY

A major network television station in Seattle, Washington aired a series of three false and defamatory stories about our client. Our client filed suit in Tacoma, Washington against the television station and its reporter. In the lawsuit, we alleged that the stories falsely reported that our client had physically abused and assaulted several children over a period of many years, and that the stories wrongly placed our client in a false light. We also alleged that as the direct result of the reports, our client suffered significant damages to his reputation and his business, and that he suffered severe emotional distress. During discovery, we learned that the television station and its reporter had previously been the subject of several unrelated complaints that were filed with the Washington News Council concerning other false and defamatory reports. OUTCOME: Defendants settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: WRONGFUL DEATH WHEN THE SURGEON FAILED TO RECOGNIZE AND TREAT A CATASTROPHIC BLEED

We represented the surviving spouse of a 54 year old man who died following a negligently performed surgery. Approximately 12 hours after the decedent underwent a splenectomy; he began showing signs of bleeding including hypotension, hypothermia, mental status changes, dizziness, and an increased breathing rate. However, the surgeon never returned to the hospital to evaluate the patient despite repeated telephone calls from a nurse to the surgeon about these signs and symptoms of bleeding. Shortly thereafter, the nurses called a Code Blue because the patient could not be aroused. Our client’s husband died after receiving numerous units of replacement blood. At autopsy, there was a significant amount of free blood in the patient’s abdominal cavity. We sued the physician for wrongful death, and we sued the hospital for wrongful death and for negligently credentialing the surgeon. OUTCOME: Defendants settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money.

DEFAMATION: LIBEL, SLANDER AND FALSE LIGHT INVASION OF PRIVACY

A major network television station in Seattle, Washington aired a series of false and defamatory stories about our client. The stories portrayed our client, a local school employee, as being abusive toward some of the students at the school where our client worked. The stories were blatantly false. Outraged school administrators and parents quickly rose up in support of our client, and against the television station and its reporter. We made a demand for settlement on behalf of our client in an effort to recover for the injuries these stories caused to our client’s reputation in the community. We were also aware that the television station and its reporter had previously been the subject of several unrelated complaints to the Washington News Council concerning other false and defamatory reports. OUTCOME: The television station settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money.

NEGLIGENCE: SLIP AND FALL IN A MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT FACILITY

Our client sued a medical facility in which he was receiving mental health treatment. While in the facility, our client entered a hallway bathroom and immediately slipped, fell, and struck his head on the bathroom door. Consequently, he suffered an injury to his neck that required a surgical fusion of cervical vertebrae. Evidently, another patient had spilled a soft drink on the bathroom floor and then attempted to clean up the spill. However, this patient failed to mark the area as wet or to warn others about the dangerously slick condition in the bathroom. We alleged that the landlord and treatment facility failed in their duty to maintain the premises in a safe condition, and that they failed to provide appropriate devices to warn guests about hazardous conditions on the floor. OUTCOME: Several weeks before trial, the defendants settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: SURGEON OPERATED ON THE WRONG LEVEL FOR AN ANTERIOR CERVICAL FUSION

Our client underwent a C6-7 anterior cervical neck fusion to resolve severe pain that was caused by a herniated disk. However, the surgeon mistakenly performed a fusion at our client’s C5-6 level—the wrong level. Consequently, our client was required to undergo subsequent surgeries in order to fuse the correct level. Unfortunately, the extra level that was fused caused increased stress on adjacent cervical vertebrae leading to new physical problems. OUTCOME: Several days before trial, the defendant settled the case with our client for a confidential amount of money.

NEGLIGENCE: MAN RIDING A BICYCLE SUFFERED INJURIES AFTER BEING STRUCK BY A VEHICLE

While lawfully riding his bicycle along the right-of-way on a road in Oklahoma, our client was struck by a car attempting to cross the highway. The force of the collision threw our client into the middle of the road and destroyed his bicycle. The driver of the car was cited by police for failing to yield the right-of-way to our client, which caused this vehicle-pedestrian accident. Our client suffered a broken leg, and numerous other contusions and abrasions. OUTCOME: Defendant’s insurance company settled with our client for more than $200,000.00 prior to filing a lawsuit.

42 U.S.C. 1983 CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION: PRISON DOCTOR DIAGNOSED BUT FAILED OR REFUSED TO PROPERLY TREAT ANTERIOR COMPARTMENT SYNDROME

Our client sued the State of Oklahoma Department of Corrections and its physicians for a civil rights violation under 42 U.S.C. 1983. We claimed that state employed physicians acted with deliberate indifference to our client’s health and well-being when they failed or refused to provide appropriate medical treatment to him while in custody. Our client developed anterior compartment syndrome, which was correctly diagnosed but not appropriately treated by the State officials. Consequently, our client suffered a permanent neurological injury to his lower leg, which resulted in a foot drop condition. OUTCOME: The defendant settled with our client for $50,000.00 prior to trial.

VERSATILITY TO HANDLE YOUR CASE

At THE STALL LAW FIRM, we have also won many jury trials for clients who have been sued by others. Over the years, Doug Stall has represented numerous physicians, medical clinics, manufacturers, and other types of businesses and insurance companies who have been named in lawsuits for personal injuries, negligence and business damages. By aggressively representing their interests, we have obtained many verdicts and results in favor of our clients who were defendants, and we have obtained outright dismissals from lawsuit for many other clients. Doug Stall is a versatile lawyer capable of handling your case whether you are the Plaintiff or the Defendant; whether injured or accused. With his vast experience in a wide variety of cases, Doug will provide you with sound advice for your difficult legal problems.