The Great Trials Podcast
The Great Trials Podcast

The Great Trials Podcast

The Great Trials Podcast

Overview
Episodes

Details

The Great Trials Podcast offers a series of laid-back, casual conversations with leading trial lawyers, taking listeners "behind the scenes" of America’s greatest trials. Hosted by acclaimed trial lawyers Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey, each podcast episode focuses on one important trial and includes in-depth, insightful interviews with the attorneys who successfully argued the case in front of a judge and jury.

Recent Episodes

Maxey Scherr | Ruben Ivan Mendoza v. Titan Transportation | $16.8 Million
FEB 4, 2025
Maxey Scherr | Ruben Ivan Mendoza v. Titan Transportation | $16.8 Million
GTP host Steve Lowery is leading the conservation today with special guest Maxey Scherr, the founder of Scherr Law Firm in El Paso, Texas. They explore the complexities of an extraordinary case, Mendoza vs. Titan Transportation, where Maxey secured a verdict of over $16 million for her client, Ruben Ivan Mendoza.   Remember to rate and review GTP on Apple Podcasts: Click Here to Rate and Review   Case Details: The case revolved around a severe truck crash in Dallas County, Texas, where Ruben Mendoza, the driver of a pickup truck leased by Titan Transportation, was rear-ended by a truck owned by DSX Transportation. Despite the defense's attempts to frame Mendoza as an independent contractor, Maxey successfully proved that he was an employee in the course and scope of his employment, showcasing Titan's negligence in his lack of training and safety protocols. Scherr Law Firm secures an $11,005,000 settlement with three of four defendants named in a lawsuit and obtains a $16,857,276 verdict against the fourth remaining defendant in their second trial. (Source)   Guest Bio: Maxey Scherr Maxey Scherr founded Scherr Law Firm in 2022. She has litigated over 40 jury trials resulting in multi-figure verdicts across the board. Her areas of expertise include trucking accidents, wrongful death claims, traumatic brain injuries, and catastrophic injuries. Ms. Scherr is a member of various boards and organizations and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Women's Caucus and Board of Regents member with the ATAA, is on the Texas State Bar Committee on the Administration of the Rules of Evidence, is a member of the American Association for Justice and sits on the Women's Rights Commission for the City of El Paso. Through the years, Ms. Scherr's efforts have garnered many accolades. Most notably, Ms. Scherr is a "Super Lawyer," a "Top Ten Attorney," receives numerous "Litigator Awards" and has various National Law Journal Top 100 Verdicts. Ms. Scherr is licensed in Texas, New Mexico and Illinois and graduated from Texas Tech School of Law. She received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Boston with magna cum laude honors and undertook postgraduate work in Neuroscience at Harvard University. Read Full Bio   Links: Scherr Law Firm on Facebook: Scherr Law Firm Scherr Law Firm on LinkedIn: Scherr Law Firm Contact Scherr Law Firm: Scherr Law Firm Check out previous episodes and meet the GTP Team: Great Trials Podcast   Show Sponsors: Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com   Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
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78 MIN
Mel Orchard | Donald Clark v. State of Iowa | $12 Million
JAN 21, 2025
Mel Orchard | Donald Clark v. State of Iowa | $12 Million
GTP hosts Steve Lowery and Yvonne Godfrey delve into the riveting case of Donald Clark vs. the State of Iowa with guest Mel Orchard from the Spence Law Firm. They explore the wrongful conviction of Donald Clark, a school counselor accused of sexual assault in 2009, and the subsequent legal malpractice case against his public defender for inadequate representation. The discussion highlights the significant emotional and physical toll on Clark during his six and a half years in prison, the courtroom strategies employed, and the eventual $12 million verdict for emotional distress.   Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review   Case Details: The case revolves around a legal malpractice action against a state public defender, who represented a client convicted of sexual abuse. The client, Donald Lyle Clark, was convicted and sentenced to prison. The conviction was affirmed on appeal. However, in postconviction proceedings, the court determined that Clark's defense counsel had provided ineffective assistance and ordered a new trial. The state declined to prosecute, and Clark filed a civil action for legal malpractice against the state as the lawyer’s employer. The district court granted partial summary judgment, holding that the finding of ineffective assistance in the postconviction proceedings established counsel’s negligence as a matter of law. The jury found the lawyer negligent and awarded Clark $12 million in emotional distress damages.The Supreme Court of Iowa reversed the judgment for emotional distress damages. The court clarified that to recover emotional distress damages for legal malpractice, the plaintiff must prove more than negligence. The court held that the plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of clear, convincing, and satisfactory evidence that the criminal defense attorney acted with willful and wanton disregard for the client’s rights or safety. The court concluded that the district court erred by instructing the jury that negligence was sufficient. The case was remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. (Source)   Guest Bio: Mel Orchard Mel Orchard is a trial lawyer, trying cases in the courtrooms across America, for the past 27 years. Mel has litigated and/or tried hundreds of cases in his career and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in settlement and verdicts for his clients. During his trial career, Mel has been a part of record-breaking civil jury verdicts in various jurisdictions (Wyoming, Arizona, and Iowa). He has also devoted significant time to pro bono work through Lawyers and Advocates for Wyoming, and many local and national charities. In addition to preparing for trial or being in trial, Mel was a senior faculty member and board member at the Trial Lawyer's College in Wyoming and was recently selected to join the Board. Mel also lectures and presents to various legal organizations throughout the country including Bar Associations, Leadership Organizations and has taught Judicial Ethics to various groups of judges. He was Chairman for the Wyoming Commission for Judicial Conduct and Ethics where he served as a member for six years after appointment. Read Full Bio   Links: The Spence Law Firm on Facebook: Spence Law Firm Check out previous episodes and meet the GTP Team: Great Trials Podcast   Show Sponsors: Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com   Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
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64 MIN
Jake Plattenberger and Alan Holcomb | Margo Gill v. Abbott Laboratories | $495 Million
JAN 7, 2025
Jake Plattenberger and Alan Holcomb | Margo Gill v. Abbott Laboratories | $495 Million
After a short hiatus, the Great Trials team is back in action! This week, Steve and Yvonne interview Jake Plattenberger and Alan Holcomb of TorHoerman Law about the high-stakes legal battle, Margo Gill vs. Abbott Laboratories. The case revolves around a $495 million verdict awarded to Margo Gill, representing her daughter Robynn Davis, who suffered catastrophic injuries from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after being fed Similac Special Care 24 formula by Abbott Labs.    Remember to rate and review GTP in iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review   Case Details: Margo Gill’s premature infant daughter, Robynn Davis, was born on August 26, 2021, at SSM St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Shortly after birth, doctors transferred Robynn to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, where she was fed Similac cow’s milk-based formula, manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. After consuming these products, Robynn developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening gastrointestinal disease that primarily affects premature infants. As a result of NEC, Robynn required extensive surgery and now faces long-term health complications. The complaint alleged that Abbott Laboratories, along with sales representatives Matthew McClure and Tara Todd, aggressively marketed their cow’s milk-based formula as safe for premature infants, despite being aware that it significantly increased the risk of NEC. It also claims Abbott failed to provide adequate warnings about the risks of NEC. Additionally, Abbott falsely promoted their formula as essential for the growth and development of preterm infants. (Source)   Guest Bios: Jake Plattenberger Since joining TorHoerman Law in 2009, Jacob Plattenberger has taken hundreds of depositions, argued in countless hearings, and tried over thirty-five (35) cases to a jury. His experience in and out of the courtroom has made him a passionate advocate for those injured due to the negligence of others. Jake started his career trying cases at one of the busiest civil courthouses in the country – the Richard J. Daley Center in downtown Chicago. He started out doing insurance defense because he knew that afforded him the best opportunityto get courtroom experience. “When I was working on the defense side, I always knew that I was going to be a plaintiff’s lawyer. I knew that being able and willing to try a case to a jury was a skill that I needed to have if I was going to be able to offer my clients the best legal representation. Insurance companies and corporate defendants need to believe you when you say you will take them to trial – they need to fear that.” This type of real trial experience is exceedingly rare in complex civil litigation and having seen it from the defense side gives Jake an added advantage. Read Full Bio   Alan Holcomb Alan Holcomb brings over a decade of experience handling catastrophic injury cases to the team. Widely recognized for his legal advocacy and broad experience as a trial lawyer, Alan has handled cases in more than 20 states nationwide.  Alan works on cases ranging from products liability, severe burn injuries, wrongful death, chemical exposure, car accidents, lung disease, negligent security, and more. He puts his diverse expertise to work for his clients every day, dedicating his life to representing the people. After earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, Alan received his juris doctorate from Emory University School of Law. Before forming Turnbull, Holcomb & Moak, Alan was an equity partner at one of the top insurance defense firms in the country, where he represented some of the largest companies in the world and acted as national coordinating counsel for a large chemical/flavor manufacturer. This experience taught Alan that he wanted to help equalize the power imbalance between well-funded corporations and consumers, leading him to a career fighting for the people as a plaintiff’s attorney. Licensed in Georgia, California, Mississip
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67 MIN
Chris Hamilton | Thomas v. Charter Communications, Inc. | $7.3 Billion
AUG 27, 2024
Chris Hamilton | Thomas v. Charter Communications, Inc. | $7.3 Billion
This week on the podcast we interview Chris Hamilton of Hamilton Wingo (https://hamiltonwingo.com/).   Rate and review GTP on iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review.   View/Download Trial Documents   Guest Bio: Chris Hamilton Chris Hamilton is one of the country’s leading high-stakes trial lawyers. He has won record-setting verdicts and settlements in catastrophic personal injury cases, wrongful death lawsuits, and complex business disputes. Chris chooses to work on cases where he knows he can make a game-changing difference by relying on his methodical preparation and truly extraordinary trial skills. He takes great pride when lawyers and clients trust him to handle the most important cases of their careers or lives. In 2022, Chris won a historic $7.37 billion jury verdict in Dallas, Texas, which was the year’s largest verdict nationwide and 4th largest personal injury award in U.S. history against a corporation. His nearly two decades of experience taking on negligence, fraud, and abuse by big businesses includes Chris’ work alongside the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office in a ground-breaking federal False Claims Act case. The $25 million settlement in 2021 directly against a private equity firm and a group of healthcare industry executives is the largest of its kind. Chris has been featured in Courtroom View Network’s (CVN) list of the Most Impressive Trials of 2019, and his multibillion-dollar victory in 2022 topped CVN’s list of the Most Impressive Plaintiffs Verdicts of 2022. The Dallas Business Journal recognized Chris for winning Texas’ largest personal injury verdict in 2014, ranked as the nation’s 17th largest. In addition, he was recognized by Top Verdict in 2016 for Texas’ 9th largest personal injury verdict. Verdict Search noted him in 2011 for one of the state’s Top 10 and Top 100 verdicts in the U.S. Chris has been repeatedly recognized for his expertise in personal injury trials by other attorneys in the annual list of The Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine, The Best Lawyers in America, Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, Texas Super Lawyers, and National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Attorneys, and is a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and the Leader’s Forum for the American Association for Justice. Chris’ cases have been featured in numerous media outlets, including Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, Texas Lawyer, Dallas Business Journal, Law360, The Dallas Morning News, Texas Lawbook, The Houston Chronicle, and The Austin-American Statesman, and numerous local television reports and print news stories nationwide. Chris earned the Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year honor in 2017 from the American Association for Justice for representing hundreds of people unlawfully detained at DFW Airport during the travel ban. Chris, a fluent Spanish speaker, is a current member of the Board of Directors for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Read Full Bio   Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com   Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
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69 MIN
Cody Berne | Jeanyne James, et al. v. PacifiCorp, et al. | $84 million
AUG 13, 2024
Cody Berne | Jeanyne James, et al. v. PacifiCorp, et al. | $84 million
This week Steve and Yvonne interview Cody Berne of Stoll Berne (https://stollberne.com/).   Rate and review GTP on iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review.   View/Download Trial Documents   Guest Bio: Cody Berne Cody Berne is an advocate for his clients in cases large and small. He is prepared to go to trial if that is what the case requires. Cody has been first chair at over 40 trials. He leads Stoll Berne’s team in the class action lawsuit against PacifiCorp for starting fires across Oregon during the Labor Day 2020 storm. He was co-lead trial counsel in an 8-week trial where the jury found PacifiCorp liable to a class of several thousand people for gross negligence, punitive damages, and other claims. The jury awarded on average approximately $5 million to each of the 17-named plaintiffs. He was also co-lead trial counsel in the first and second damages-only jury trials on behalf of 19 more class members. The juries awarded several million dollars per person. The trials and litigation, including the work by Cody and his colleagues at Stoll Berne, have been featured in national and local news, including NPR, the Washington Post, Oregonlive, the New York Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, and the AP. Along with representing wildfire survivors and their families, Cody advises investors who lost money because of fraud and other misconduct and plaintiffs in class actions. His class action experience includes securities, consumer, ERISA, food labeling, and fire cases. Cody’s practice also includes commercial and complex litigation. He is an active member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association. Cody previously worked as a deputy district attorney at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. Before that, Cody represented individuals and businesses in cases involving investment fraud and a wide range of business disputes at a large Northwest firm. He received the Haglund Award in 2016 from the Multnomah Bar Association. He was selected as a Future Star in Benchmark Litigation and also named in The Best Lawyers in America and Oregon Super Lawyers. During law school, Cody interned for U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller and U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Delaney. Elected to Order of the Coif, he received the Clinical Legal Education Association Award and a Witkin Award. Cody also represented clients as a law student at the Civil Rights Clinic and Prison Law Clinic and earned a Public Service Certificate. Before law school, Cody served as a police officer with the Portland Police Bureau and as a wildland firefighter across the West. Read Full Bio     Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com   Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2
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62 MIN