Ms. Doe taught her students about the Mayan ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula but had never seen them firsthand. Aboard a Caribbean cruise she signed up for a shore excursion flight to Chichen Itza. The return flight from the ruins lifted off and reached 600 feet when one of the twin turbo engines failed, and the plane rapidly plummeted to a field below. All on board, including Ms. Doe, died in the crash. Mexican authorities found pilot negligence in failing to properly respond to engine failure. Our legal team also charged the tour company for its negligence in choosing an unsafe airline, and the cruise line for negligence in assessing the tour company’s operation. The cruise line, tour company and charter airline all contributed to the settlement.

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Insurance Bad Faith

Tillett v. Allstate

$203,200 settlement

Plaintiff’s counsel: Brad J. Moore

Our legal team helped Mr. Tillett recover medical expenses and lost wages covered through his auto insurance policy. Mr. Tillett’s injuries occurred when an uninsured, drunk driver collided with his car.

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Premises Liability

Kanning and Evans v. Thompson

$1.85 million total settlement

Plaintiff’s counsel: Paul L. Stritmatter, Keith L. Kessler, Brad J. Moore

A worker inspecting a manhole on his employer’s property collapsed at the bottom of the manhole from a lack of oxygen. When his co-worker went for help another worker went into the manhole to help. He, too, was overcome in the oxygen-deficient space. Both men died within three days. Our legal team helped the men’s widows by handling the complexities of a worker bringing a suit against an employer.

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Harp v. Bradshaw Asia, Ltd., et. al

$700,000 settlement

The metal hook of a tie-down cord ripped into the plaintiff’s eye, resulting in permanent loss of vision. The cord had been used to secure camping equipment in the back of a pickup. The metal hook slowly bent straight, whipping across the bed of the pickup and slashing into the plaintiff’s eye. For less than a penny, the manufacturer could have used a stronger hook more resistant to straightening - and this horrific event would have never occurred.

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Burial Site Recovery and Protection

The Lummi Nation v. Engineering Firm

$4.25 million settlement

Plaintiff's co-counsel: Michael E. Withey, Paul L. Stritmatter, Brad J. Moore

After an engineering company uncovered 28 intact ancestral remains and took them out of state without notifying the Lummi tribe, the tribe asked our firm to bring an action. They wanted to recover the significant costs they had expended to recover and rebury those remains as well as others that had been excavated off the site to a landfill. Our legal team, headed by Mike Withey, Paul Stritmatter and Brad Moore, won a signifcant legal ruling that the engineering firm had violated the Indian Graves and Records Act. The decision paved the way for a $4,250,000 settlement for the tribe and more than 1,230 tribal members.

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