Baca and Aravena obtain defense verdict for defendant driver

Jaime Baca and Claudia Aravena obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a defendant driver in an automobile negligence case in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The team was assisted at trial by co-counsel Anita Figueroa.

This case arose from an accident that occurred after the firm’s client, who was operating a commercial vehicle, rear-ended the plaintiff, pushing her into another vehicle. The plaintiff was a world-renowned martial artist with no prior records of neck or back injuries or treatment. She claimed wage loss and ongoing pain and underwent an ACDF neck surgery.

The Court initially allowed punitive damages against the firm’s client, but Fort Lauderdale Partner Alyssa Reiter assisted in getting that count dismissed via Summary Judgment.

Wicker Smith admitted liability and tried the case on damages, arguing the injury was minor and the plaintiff’s symptoms did not correlate with an acute herniation since her MRI imaging showed pre-existing degeneration, consistent with 40 years of martial arts.

After a five-day trial, the plaintiff asked the jury for $3.1 million. The jury found that the accident was not the legal cause of the injury and returned a defense verdict.