A FEW OF OUR RECENT SETTLEMENTS AND VERDICTS

On September 22, 2024, Joseph F. Sullivan of Sullivan & Brill, LLP obtained a $450,00 settlement on behalf of a client that was attacked by a neighbor's German Shepard. The client required 100 stitches to the back of his left leg and calf. He required and initial procedure to close the wound. The wound later became necrotic and he had to have skin grafting. The neighbor and his insurance company denied that they had any knowledge that the dog had any propensity to attack anyone, and therefore was not responsible for the incident. It refused to make any settlement offer. Through a thorough investigation, Sullivan & Brill, LLP was able to identity numerous witnesses that were prepared to testify that they had also been attached by the dog prior to Sullivan & Brill's client. The case was quickly moved into litigation and to trial. At a mediation one month before trial, Mr. Sullivan played clips of the video taped deposition he took of the dog's owner denying knowledge of the dog's bad temperament and produced statements from other neighbors attesting to their prior experiences with the dog. After reviewing the material, the insurance company agreed to pay $450,000 out if its $500,000 policy limit.