Verdicts, Settlements & Awards
Our law firm has a long history of winning verdicts or being awarded settlements for our clients who have been wronged. We have filed lawsuits against businesses and giant insurance companies, and we have been victorious for our clients.
In our law firm's 50 year history, we have recovered approximately a half a billion dollars of verdicts, settlements & awards for our clients.
The law firm of Perenich Caulfield Avril Noyes has earned the Highest Rating awarded by Martindale Hubbell, the largest independent rating service for attorneys, and we have several attorneys on staff that have earned Board Certification in their fields.
Below is a sample of verdicts, settlements & awards by our law firm:
Wrongful Death
As reported in the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Bay's BayNews9, Tampa Tribune, and Channel 8 News, the law firm of Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes, P.A. (link) obtained a verdict in excess of $2,000,000 for the surviving parents of a 17-year-old Tampa high school baseball player after his tragic death. Board Certified Civil Trial Attorneys Bryan Caulfield and Lorrie Robinson , with assistance from Attorney Matthew Noyes, were successful in obtaining this verdict in a case involved the wrongful death of 17-year-old Matthew Miulli who died during conditioning for the Alonzo High School baseball team in January 2005. The lawsuit alleged that the Hillsborough County School Board failed to use reasonable care in allowing Matt Miulli to participate in the conditioning activities without first obtaining a pre-participation physical examination. In the consolidated medical malpractice case, the jury heard argument that Matt Miullis pediatrician, who was comanaging Matts cardiac condition with the cardiologist breached the prevailing standard of care by clearing Matt for baseball without first confirming that there was clearance from Matts cardiologist.
Following Matts death, many positive thing occurred through the efforts of his parents, Kathy and Jim Miulli. Through their efforts in Hillsborough County and in Tallahassee, two additional ambulances were funded for and youth sports received funding for defibrillators. Although Matts death was tragic, many lives have been saved.
Wrongful Death
A 36 year old St. Petersburg woman was tragically killed when she found herself trapped inside her apartment building. She was on the phone with her mother when she told her she had to hang up because she smelled smoke. Sadly, this would be her mother’s last communication with her daughter. As she left her second floor apartment and tried to make her way down the interior stairway, she succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. After the firm investigated the circumstances of her death, it was discovered that the apartment building was in violation of numerous provisions of the fire safety codes. The fire was started by a mentally challenged resident of the apartments who was supposed to be under the supervision of a state agency but had been allowed to slip through the cracks. The apartment owners tried to deflect responsibility by arguing that the fire was started by an arson that was out of their control and that even if they had made the upgrades required by the fire code, the death could not have been avoided. The firm was able to make a strong case on behalf of the Estate that ultimately resulted in a substantial settlement.
Medical Malpractice
A 40 year old mother of three is admitted to the hospital for routine urological surgery. Post surgery she is given an epidural for pain. During the night her blood pressure drops causing her to become hypovolemic. An order for a blood transfusion is given. There is a substantial delay by the nurses in transfusing the blood. The next morning when the 7:00 AM nurse takes over the patient's care, her neurological examination reveals that the patient is paralyzed from her chest down. With permanent total disability to a woman barely in her forties, the case settled for more than $4,000,000!
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Legal Malpractice
This particular legal malpractice case was originally a medical malpractice case. The attorney originally hired to bring about the medical malpractice failed to file suit within the appropriate time period allotted for medical malpractice claims. As a result, the client's statute of limitations had run out, and she was unable to receive any compensation for her suffering and losses from those directly responsible. Mr. Avril had to prove, not only the negligence of the lawyer and law firm, but he also had to prove that the doctors and hospital had ultimately caused his client's injuries. Having to prove the medical malpractice first, and the fact that the injury in question occurred some 9 years before the case was set for trial and since many hospital employees had since left their jobs and moved to different parts of the country, made this a particularly complex and logistically difficult task. Medical experts, legal experts and damage experts were used to strengthen the foundation of the case, resulting in a settlement of more than $2,000,000.
Wrongful Death
A 9 year old boy was playing at a friend's house when the friend found his father's .357 magnum gun. The two boys were playing with the gun when the friend accidentally shot the young boy in the head. Sadly, the 9 year old died shortly thereafter at the hospital. Settlement was in excess of one million dollars.
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Medical Malpractice / Wrongful Death
A 40 year old man went to the emergency room of a local hospital for chest pains and heart problems. An x-ray was taken but never read. The father of two was left unattended for the next 5-7 hours and went into cardiac arrest. After being transported to another local hospital, he died. Extensive investigation revealed that one of the doctors on call had left his pager in his desk and hence delayed the administering of proper medical treatment for the patient. Meanwhile, hospital workers had misplaced the patient for about an hour, also contributing to a critical delay in treatment. It was successfully argued that the lack of medical care and negligent procedures on the part of the hospital ultimately lead to the patient's wrongful death. Settlement was in excess of one million dollars.
Personal Injury
Plaintiff sustained injuries after being struck by a sanitation truck. Expert testimony by the Highway Patrol established the driver of the truck had a blood-alcohol level more that three times the legal limit when he struck the victim. The firm proved that the owners of the sanitation company had hired a driver with a history of drunken driving and a suspended driver's license, and that the driver had been arrested for drunk driving while under the employment of the company.
Attorneys Give Control of Medical Care Back to Injured Worker
Following a work injury, clients of Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes are forced to treat with only those doctors that the insurance company allows them to see. The attorneys of Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes have fought and succeeded in negotiating workers' compensation settlements that give the injured workers the moneys to obtain medical treatment with their own doctors without the hassles of the workers' compensation companies.
Client Obtains Social Security Disability Benefits with Help of Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes
Despite two prior denials by the Social Security Administration, the attorneys of Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes, P.A. were successful in securing Social Security Disability benefits for a client suffering from a bad back that prevents him from returning to work. Perenich, Caulfield, Avril's attorneys argued the case in front of the Administrative Law Judge who awarded both back and future social security disability benefits for the client.
Poor Lighting on Restaurant Stairs Causes Serious Back Injury
In an intentionally dimly lit restaurant foyer, a woman missed the last step when the door was opened widely and let in a blast of bright sunlight. She fell and badly injured her back. The restaurant laughed off the liability claim until depositions were taken of the owner and other employees. It seems that over the prior several years eight to ten other patrons had fallen at exactly the same place while descending the stairs. An expert was able to demonstrate with his light meter and knowledge of safety standards that the foyer stairs were dangerous. A fair settlement was negotiated just before the identities of the previous falling patrons were to be revealed under court order.
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Motorcycle Injury Results in $1 Million Recovery For Client
A Vero Beach man riding his vintage Harley Davidson bike was driving through and intersection when a truck turned into him as if he wasn’t even there. Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes attorneys pursued the case in Indian River County, and were successful in a recovery of $1 Million for the client. The firm has handled cases like this throughout Florida since its start in 1955.
Attorneys Fight for Little Girl
After their 2-year old client broke her arm because the supervisors of the daycare center failed to supervise, the attorneys at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes obtained a settlement in favor of the little girl. During our investigation, it was discovered that the supervisors failed to watch the little girl and allowed her to play on equipment not suitable for her age.
Attorneys Recover Policy Limits Following Severe Automobile Collision
A teenager's reckless joyride resulted in a lifetime of pain and limitation to one of Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes. The teenager was showing off for friends when he lost control of his vehicle causing a head-on collision with the firm's client's vehicle. The collision resulted in a fractured wrist requiring surgery, numerous stitches, and a damaged knee requiring surgery. As a result, the attorneys at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril were successful in securing policy limits for their client.
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Two Injured on Casino Boat Secure Settlement
Two women were injured after the speeding shuttle boat carrying the women from the ship was unable to stop and ran into the another boat. Both were injured as a result of the boat captain's negligence. Following settlement discussions, each case was resolved without the necessity of a jury trial.
