HOME EXPLOSION--LIVINGSTON COUNTY--$3.2 million:  A 23 year old Livingston County woman was killed when her Green Oak Twp. home expoded due to a gas leak.   The leak was determined to be the result of a crack in an underground gas main that caused natural gas to migrate into the basement of the house.  After intensive litigation the family of the deceased woman received a $3.2 million settlement from the gas company and a contractor that had damaged the gas main years previously while installing a sewer line.

PREMISES LIABILITY--LANDLORD NEGLIGENCE--OAKLAND COUNTY--$2.1 Million:  settlement of an apartment complex tenant in a claim against an apartment complex and management company, after being struck on the head by bricks that fell from a balcony at the apartment complex where he resided, thereby suffering a closed head injury (resulting in cortical blindness) and a neck injury requiring surgery. 

NEGLIGENCE/WRONGFUL DEATH--WAYNE COUNTY--$1.7 Million: settlement against building owner and tenant after a woman accidentally falls to her death from an apartment window which allegedly had safety screws removed and/or loosened 

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE/WRONGFUL DEATH--WAYNE COUNTY--$1.5 million:  trial verdict in Medical Malpractice claim involving an Emergency Room physician?s failure to timely diagnose and treat an aneurysm which later ruptured, resulting in fatality.   

LIFE INSURANCE DENIAL--FEDERAL COURT--$1.1 million:  Following the cancer-related death of a Spring Lake man , a Wisconsin life insurance carrier refused to pay $1 million in life insurance proceeds to the benficiaries of two life insurance policies.  H&F won summary judgment and the case settled shortly thereafter for $1 million plus an additional $100,000 in interest. 

NEGLIGENCE--WAYNE COUNTY--$700,000: settlement by deliveryman against delivery dock for back injury caused by negligent forklift operation and substandard dock supervision

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE--WAYNE COUNTY--$592,500: settlement for male patient based on a failure to timely diagnose and treat infection resulting in disability and dysfunction of lower extremity .

CONSTRUCTION SITE ACCIDENT--LIVINGSTON COUNTY--$519,000: trial verdict for subcontractor injured on job site, due to failure of general contractor to install temporary guardrails around the open-sided flooring of home under construction.

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT--WAYNE COUNTY--$500,000: A 48 year old female client sustained severe leg fractures and permanent scarring when she struck the rear of a van that suddenly pulled out in front of her in Livonia.  The case settled prior to trial for $500,000, which was the full amount of the negligent driver's insurance policy limits.

PREMISES LIABILITY--WAYNE COUNTY--$400,000: trial verdict against Gross Pointe War Memorial for deliveryman who slipped and fell on a staircase injuring his shoulder/rotator cuff.

PRODUCT LIABILITY--MACOMB COUNTY/FEDERAL COURT--$390,000:  A 22 year old male client from Warren lost  his eye when the stretch cord he purchased from from Home Quarters failed, causing the sharp tip of  one of the cord's hooks to strike him in the eye.  The eye sustained massive trauma and had to be surgically removed.  The defective cord was manufactured in Taiwan and packaged/distributed in the U.S. by a New Jersey Company.  

AUTO NO FAULT BENEFITS DISPUTE--OAKLAND COUNTY--$360,000: trial verdict in First-Party No-Fault claim against Allstate Insurance Company for underpayment of attendant care benefits made to a paraplegic regarding family provided attendant care.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE--WAYNE COUNTY--$337,500: settlement against hospital for failure of an internist and physician?s assistant to timely diagnose tongue cancer.

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE--MIDLAND COUNTY--$300,000: A 64 year old Beaverton man was misdagnosed with advanced lung cancer at a hospital in mid-Michigan.  He and his family were told he only had six months to live.  After having most of the affected lung removed, final lab work showed that the mass on his lung was actually a common infection, not cancer.  The settlement amount was very near the maximum allowable recovery under Michigan law at the time.

AUTO ACCIDENT--WAYNE COUNTY--$300,000: settlement for woman who suffered mild traumatic brain injury in a rear-end auto accident.

NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE/WRONGFUL DEATH--WASHTENAW COUNTY--$225,000: settlement against nursing home for negligence and wrongful death after patient/resident chokes on food.

PREMISES LIABILITY--OAKLAND COUNTY--$220,000: settlement for female real estate agent who fractured her ankle on a slip and fall on ice-covered stairs.

NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE--OAKLAND COUNTY--$145,000: settlement for woman who suffered a broken hip after falling out of her bed.

FATAL DOG MAULING--LIVINGSTON COUNTY--CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT:  settlement obtained on behalf of the family of an elderly Fowlerville man who was mauled to death by several dogs that had escaped from a nearby farm.  The case garnered national media attention and resulted in the criminal conviction and imprisonment of the dog owner.  The terms of the settlement are confidential per the wishes of the deceased man's family. 

AUTO ACCIDENT--LIMOUSINE ROLLOVER--GENESEE COUNTY--CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT:  Three male clients from West Michigan were injured when the limousine van they were riding in lost a wheel and rolled over at 70 miles per hour on I-69 near Flint.   The top of the custom van was ripped open, causing the men to be thrown out of the van and on to the highway surface and shoulder.  Two of the men sustained severe injuries, including closed head injuries. During litigation it was determined by expert testimony that the lug nuts on the wheel that had come off had been improperly tightened when the vehicle's  tires had last been serviced.  The defendant, a large, national tire retailer, paid a substantial settlement to the three men, the terms of which are confidential.   

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT--WAYNE COUNTY--CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT:  A 29 year old male client sustained a below-the-knee leg amputation as a result of a collision with a car that negligently turned left in front of  him.  The case was successfully resolved for a confidential sum prior to the filing of a lawsuit for the full amount of the all available insurance limits.

FOODBORNE ILLNESS/PRODUCT LIABILITY--MACOMB COUNTY--PENDING:  A Macomb County woman and her daughter contracted e-coli from tainted ground beef that was the subject of a large national recall in June-July 2008.  The woman was hospitalized for over a month and had acute kidney failure and other severe complications as a result of the e-coli exposure.  This case is pending.

RAILROAD/FELA--WAYNE COUNTY--PENDING:  A Taylor man was injured as a result of slipping on icy steps on the locomotive he was operating.  He sustained severe injuries to his knee and back, and required multiple surgeries as a result.  The case is pending in Wayne County Circuit Court.

RAILROAD/FELA--WAYNE COUNTY--PENDING:  A Taylor locomotive engineer was injured as a result of slipping on an icy parking lot in the yard office of the railroad he works for.  He sustained a severe back injury as a result.  This case is pending in Wayne County. 

AUTO ACCIDENT/WRONGFUL DEATH--LENAWEE COUNTY--PENDING:  A Lenawee County man was killed when a vehicle ran a stop sign and struck his vehicle.  This case is pending in Lenawee County Circuit Court.