Las Vegas Jury Awards $8 Million to Woman Rear-Ended by FedEx Ground Truck on I-95
After trial: FedEx said it was reviewing its options after the verdict. We could not find a post-trial order or appellate decision, so we cannot confirm whether the judgment was appealed, adjusted or paid.
A Clark County jury awarded $8 million to Naddia Dhalai, who was rear-ended by a FedEx Ground truck on I-95 in Las Vegas in 2014. FedEx admitted fault but argued that a later, unrelated crash caused her ongoing neck and back problems. About $5 million of the verdict was for future medical care. The verdict was returned on August 26, 2022.
What happened
In 2014, Naddia Dhalai was driving on the I-95 freeway in Las Vegas when traffic slowed to a stop-and-go crawl. A FedEx Ground delivery truck failed to brake in time and struck the back of her car, which crumpled in the collision. On August 26, 2022, a Clark County jury returned an $8 million verdict against FedEx Ground Package System, Inc.
Dhalai suffered injuries to her neck and back and needed extensive treatment over the years that followed. She filed suit in the Eighth Judicial District Court in 2016, and the case was assigned to Judge Veronica Barisich. By the time of trial, FedEx had admitted it caused the crash. The only question left for the jury was how badly Dhalai was hurt and what her care would cost.
FedEx drew its line on causation. Its lawyers argued that the injuries from the FedEx collision had mostly healed, and that Dhalai's ongoing pain traced to a second, unrelated car crash that happened months later. They also challenged the size of her medical claim, arguing that far less treatment was attributable to the FedEx truck.
Benjamin P. Cloward, then with the Richard Harris Personal Injury Law Firm, tried the case for Dhalai; Courtroom View Network's trial preview and case listing name him with that firm. Michael Nunez of Murchison & Cumming represented FedEx. The trial ran from August 19 to August 26, 2022, and CVN streamed it. The plaintiff's side called a spine and orthopedic surgeon, a neurologist, a pain management physician, a radiologist, a physical and occupational therapist and a vocational rehabilitation specialist. Courtroom View Network reported that the future medical award rested largely on the testimony of her treating physicians.
The jury awarded $8 million. About $5 million of that was for future medical care, and the remaining roughly $3 million covered past damages, including pain and suffering. The case had been through three mediations over three years without settling.
After the verdict, a FedEx spokesperson said the company was reviewing its options. Cloward told reporters that, because he had served an offer of judgment under Nevada's Rule 68 before trial, attorney's fees, costs and interest could be added to the judgment if the verdict held up on appeal. We could not locate a post-trial order or appellate decision confirming any such additions.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.
- 1.Courtroom View Network, 'Jury Awards $8M For FedEx Truck Crash, Beating $1.8M Settlement Offer', Aug. 2022·Archived copy
- 2.Courtroom View Network, 'FedEx Faces $5M+ Damages Trial Over Semi-Truck Crash', Aug. 2022·Archived copy
- 3.Courtroom View Network, Naddia Dhalai v. FedEx trial recording, Aug. 19-26, 2022·Archived copy
- 4.Bus & Motorcoach News, '$8M judgment shows why going to court doesn't always pay', Sept. 18, 2022·Archived copy
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