$35.3 Million Verdict for 81-Year-Old Backseat Passenger Rear-Ended by Tractor-Trailer on the 10 Freeway

On March 8, 2018, Abbas Kamran Souresrafil was a backseat passenger in a Chevrolet Suburban traveling on the 10 freeway in Los Angeles when a tractor-trailer driven by defendant Dennis Alonso struck the rear of the vehicle. The collision caused what appeared to be minor to moderate property damage, a detail the defense would later use to argue the injuries were exaggerated.

Souresrafil, who was 81 years old at the time, sustained serious injuries to his lower back and shoulder. His treatment included a one-level lumbar spine fusion surgery, followed by implantation of a spinal cord stimulator, and a separate shoulder arthroscopy. The procedures left him with permanent physical limitations.

Wilshire Law Firm partner Jon Teller, joined by attorney Clayton T. Lee, tried the case over two weeks at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach. The defense made much of the modest visible damage to the Suburban, contending that the force of the impact was insufficient to cause the injuries claimed. Teller countered with medical evidence linking the collision mechanics to the spinal injury and the extensive surgical history that followed.

The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before returning a verdict of $35,285,942.27. The award broke down as follows: $919,942 in past medical expenses, $4,000,000 in future medical expenses, $9,366,000 in past non-economic damages, and $21,000,000 in future non-economic damages. A CCP 998 offer of $999,999 had been rejected years earlier; post-judgment interest is expected to push the total recovery past $45 million.

TopVerdict.com ranked the result #18 on its Top 20 Verdicts in California for 2022. The Daily Journal also reported the verdict in its verdicts and settlements database (case no. 18STCV06853).