Kesler & Rust

Proven Verdicts

Salt Lake City, UT7 attorneys1 proven verdict1 office

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About Kesler & Rust

Kesler & Rust is a Salt Lake City litigation firm formed in 1980 by V.L. Kesler and Joseph C. Rust, originally focused on domestic and international commercial transactions and litigation. The firm now handles commercial litigation, construction law, real estate, securities, contract disputes, family law, and personal injury plaintiff and defense work, and argues regularly in Utah state and federal appellate courts. In April 2025 shareholders Ryan B. Hancey and Scott S. Bridge won a federal jury verdict of $15,007,508.45 for the estate of Madison Jensen, a 21 year old who died of dehydration during opiate withdrawal in the Duchesne County Jail, reported as the largest civil rights jury verdict in Utah history.

Proven verdicts and settlements won by Kesler & Rust

$15,007,508.45 (verdict; on appeal in the Tenth Circuit)Verdict

Madison Jensen, 21, was booked into the Duchesne County Jail in 2016 after her father contacted authorities for help with her heroin addiction and suicidal thoughts. Over four days of withdrawal she could not keep food or water down. She died of severe dehydration. The jury found the county had failed to train its staff or set any protocol for inmate medical problems.

U.S. District Court, District of Utah · 2025Civil RightsRead the full story →

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Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.

Proven verdicts and settlements from other Salt Lake City firms

Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers

$52.2 million · $52.2 Million Wrongful Death Verdict for the Family of Slain Polygamist Leader Rulon Allred

Proven verdicts (4) →Wrongful Death

Christensen & Jensen, P.C.

$4 million (as modified on appeal; $5 million gross jury award) · Her Children Agreed to Withdraw Life Support Because the Doctors Told Them She Was Terminal. She Was Not, and She Would Probably Have Recovered.

Proven verdicts (3) →Medical Malpractice

Cutt Kendell & Olson

$3 million · His Mother Called 911 for Help Getting Him to a Hospital. An Officer Fired Eleven Shots at the Unarmed 13-Year-Old, and Salt Lake City Paid $3 Million.

Proven verdicts (3) →Civil Rights

Dewsnup King Olsen Worel Havas

$16,000,000 default judgment ($4,000,000 compensatory plus $12,000,000 punitive) · She Was 14 When Warren Jeffs Married Her to Her 19-Year-Old Cousin Over Her Objections. Twelve Years After She Sued, a Utah Judge Entered $16 Million Against Him and His Church.

Proven verdicts (1) →Sexual Abuse

Mortensen & Milne

$25 million · A Tilt Wand Would Have Cost the Manufacturer Nothing Instead of the Cord. A 3-Year-Old Got Tangled in It, and a Salt Lake Jury Awarded $25 Million.

Proven verdicts (1) →Product Liability

Attorneys at Kesler & Rust

7 total

Ryan HanceyProven Verdicts