Sparta firm recognized for large verdicts

Sparta — Laddey, Clark and Ryan, LLP was honored last month by The New Jersey Law Journal and ALM Publications Personal Injury Hall of Fame Awards for having two of the largest awarded jury verdicts in New Jersey for the 2014 court calendar year.

Andrew Fraser, Esq., Partner and Chair of the Personal Injury Department at Laddey, Clark and Ryan and Timothy Dinan, Esq., accepted the award for securing the highest awarded verdict in Product Liability, Tufaro v. Schindler Elevator Corp. and the second highest awarded verdict in Automobile Injury, Visaggio v. Dorthe.

“We have a great responsibility when people from our community are injured and come to us for help,” Fraser said. “It is our honor to fight these battles on behalf of our injured clients.”

In Feb. 2014 a Morris County jury returned an $8 million verdict to Richard Tufaro, a carpenter injured when an elevator malfunctioned and dropped several floors before crashing to a stop. The Schindler Elevator Corporation appealed the first verdict of $4 million following a trial in 2012. The second trial resulted in a verdict for double the amount awarded in the first trial. Schindler has filed an appeal, according to a news release from Laddey, Clark and Ryan, LLP.

In May 2014, a Sussex County jury returned a $19.3 million verdict to Steven Visaggio who suffered permanent spinal damage when a defendant ran into the rear of his motorcycle. This was the second largest automobile injury verdict in New Jersey for the 2013-14 court calendar year.

“Verdicts like these send an important message to the insurance companies and corporations that refuse to resolve cases with our injured clients,“ Dinan said. “Our juries recognize the seriousness of permanent spinal injuries and realize the importance of helping these victims.”

For more information visit www.lcrlaw.com.