Top Individual Personal Injury Verdicts and Settlements of 2026

$1.1 Billion Verdict for Child Left Brain-Damaged by Oil-Fortune Heir

A Dallas jury awarded $1.1 billion against a trust fund heir who beat a 2-year-old into a permanent vegetative state in 2021, a verdict the firm calls the largest child-assault award in U.S. history.

After trial: As of mid-2026 the trial court had not yet entered final judgment on the March 2026 verdict, and Brooks's own attorneys expected an appeal along with post-trial motions to reduce the award. Plaintiff's counsel said Brooks has the financial capacity to pay but predicted the family will likely settle for less before any appeal concludes.

Oakland County Jury Returns Record $896.5 Million Verdict for Boy Struck at Continental Test Track

An Oakland County jury awarded $896.5 million to a young boy who was struck by a prototype test car during a student field trip at a Continental test track, reported as the largest verdict in Michigan history. The award is pre-appeal: post-trial motions are pending, Continental never made a settlement offer, and the amount could still be reduced.

After trial: The verdict is pre-appeal: post-trial motions were pending as of September 2026 and Continental is expected to seek a reduction. Nothing has been paid.

$812 Million Verdict for Family of Worker Killed in Pecos Chemical Plant Explosion, Part of $1.6 Billion

A Starr County jury unanimously awarded more than $1.6 billion combined to the families of two workers killed in a 2023 explosion at the Pecos Liquids Handling Facility, with $812 million going to the Garcia Peña family and roughly $809 million to the Alaffa family, finding owner Upton Assets, LLC grossly negligent, though the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy about two weeks before the verdict and collection remains uncertain.

After trial: Upton Assets filed Chapter 11 on April 6, 2026, two weeks before the verdict. Recovery runs through the bankruptcy claims process and Texas punitive damages caps.

Orange County Jury Awards $644.75 Million to Man Left Partially Paralyzed by Winter Park Bar Staircase Fall

A jury found the owners of the Park Social bar liable for a 2017 staircase fall that left a 57-year-old patron a partial quadriplegic, returning a $644,751,855 premises-liability verdict that the defendants have appealed to Florida's Sixth District Court of Appeal.

After trial: On appeal at Florida's Sixth District Court of Appeal (6D2026-1557) as of August 2026; judgment not yet collected.

Detroit Federal Jury Awards $307.6 Million Over a Denied $919 Surgery

A Detroit federal jury awarded former Michigan inmate Kohchise Jackson $307.6 million after the state's for-profit prison health contractor refused to pay for the $919 surgery that would have reversed his colostomy.

After trial: Post-trial motions and an appeal are pending, and collection is seriously at risk: Corizon reorganized into Tehum Care Services, which filed for bankruptcy, leaving corporate-veil and bankruptcy-stay questions unresolved.

Madison County Jury Awards $241 Million to Family of Courier Killed by Dry Ice Fumes in Car

Eric Johnson, a 64-year-old Missouri courier, lost consciousness and later died after carbon dioxide from dry ice-packed strawberries filled his subcompact car in 2016. His widow sued Prairie Farms Dairy for failing to warn or train him. A Madison County jury awarded $49.5 million in compensatory and $191.5 million in punitive damages in February 2026. Prairie Farms later settled with the family after the verdict.

After trial: After the verdict, Prairie Farms entered a settlement with the Johnson family and assigned its rights against insurer Travelers to the widow, who sued Travelers in federal court in March 2026. The settlement terms are not public, and we could not confirm what amount was ultimately paid or whether any appeal was filed.

$198.2 Million Verdict for Sexual Assault Survivor Kristene Chapa Against Attacker and Family Pharmacy

A San Patricio County jury awarded $198.2 million to Kristene Chapa, who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and shot in the head at a public park in 2012, with the verdict holding her convicted attacker, his father, and their family pharmacy jointly liable.

After trial: The verdict against David Strickland, who is serving life without parole for the underlying attack, is largely uncollectable; Kristene Chapa said after the verdict he "doesn't have a pot to piss in" and she likely will never collect from him. No appeal had been reported as of this recent 2026 verdict.

$198.17 Million for the Family of Two Brothers Killed in a Westlake Village Crosswalk

A Los Angeles County jury ordered Rebecca Grossman and former Major League pitcher Scott Erickson to pay $198.17 million for the deaths of two brothers, ages 11 and 8, struck in a marked crosswalk near their home.

After trial: The verdict is against two individuals: Rebecca Grossman, who was driving the SUV that struck the boys, and Scott Erickson, found liable for racing alongside her. Grossman is serving 15 years to life in prison for her 2024 murder conviction in the same crash, and whether the family can collect against her disputed, unverified net worth remains unclear; no appeal outcome had been reported as of this research.

Pierce County Jury Awards $130 Million Over Death of 2-Year-Old the State and Her Daycare Failed to Protect

A Pierce County jury awarded $130 million against the State of Washington and a South Hill daycare over the death of a 2-year-old girl who died of blunt force trauma in March 2022 after the state's child welfare agency returned her to a home where her abuser remained present and daycare staff failed to report visible injuries they had seen. After a five-week trial the jury found the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families 90% at fault and Love and Laughter Learning Centers, Inc. 10% at fault. Of that total, $52 million was awarded individually to the girl's estate, with the remainder split among four other family beneficiaries, and the jury returned a further $10 million against the mother and her boyfriend. News accounts described it as the largest verdict of its kind in Washington state history. Ray Dearie of Dearie Law Group represented the family.

After trial: As of publication, no independent source reports that DCYF or Love and Laughter Learning Centers has appealed. DCYF said after the verdict only that it was evaluating its legal options. See more

$108.6 Million Verdict for Boy Brain-Injured in a 2018 Forceps Delivery at Einstein

A Philadelphia jury awarded $108.6 million to a boy who suffered permanent brain damage during a December 2018 forceps delivery at Einstein Medical Center, in a case tried by Gilman & Bedigian against Jefferson Health. Jefferson has vowed to appeal, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is already reviewing the same liability doctrines in the firm's earlier $183 million Penn Medicine verdict, so the award is far from final.

After trial: Post-trial motions are pending and Jefferson has said it will appeal. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court review granted in July 2026 in Hagans v. See more

Valdez v. Hajoca: A Record $101 Million Verdict for a Hendersonville Wall Collapse

A Henderson County jury awarded $101 million to two masonry workers and one worker's wife after a 12-foot retaining wall, rebuilt under Hajoca's direction without an engineer or a permit, collapsed onto their crew.

After trial: The case settled for a confidential sum while the jury was still deliberating punitive damages, so the $101 million figure reflects the compensatory verdict reached before that settlement, not a final collected judgment.

$96.9M Verdict: Nassau County Ignored 108 Crashes Before Teen Was Catastrophically Injured

A Nassau County jury awarded $96,906,004 to a woman who suffered catastrophic brain injuries at age 15 at an intersection the county had been warned about for years, making it the second-largest verdict in Nassau County history.

After trial: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said on June 5, 2026 that the county would appeal. No appellate ruling has been reported.

$126 Million Verdict for a Teen Hit by an Off-Duty Police Sergeant, $90.1 Million Judgment Stands

On December 14, 2019 Emily Gaines, an 18-year-old Moore High School senior, was driving to take the ACT when Sgt. Kyle Lloyd of the Moore Police Department, off duty and rushing a key to another officer's patrol car for a department event, hit her broadside at 95 to 100 mph in a 50 zone. She died at the scene. On April 1, 2026 a federal jury returned $126,000,000. The court entered $90,000,000 against Lloyd, who is in prison, and cut the $36,000,000 against the City to $125,000 under Oklahoma's Governmental Tort Claims Act.

After trial: Reduced by statute. The $126,000,000 verdict of April 1, 2026 was entered April 6, 2026 as $90,000,000 against Kyle Lloyd on the Section 1983 claim and $125,000 against the City of Moore, capped by the Oklahoma tort claims act. See more

$219.9 Million Verdict for Paramedic Brain-Injured in Ambulance Crash

Sherri Tramble, 36, was a St. Landry Parish paramedic riding unrestrained in the back of an ambulance, starting an IV on a patient en route to hospital, when a pickup turned across the ambulance's path without yielding. She has multiple skull fractures, a C-7 fracture and a permanent traumatic brain injury, and has since been interdicted.

After trial: Remitted on appeal to roughly $84.1 million. The jury returned $219,910,110.82 on September 23, 2024, and in July 2026 the Louisiana Third Circuit affirmed liability but reduced general damages to $40,000,000 and future medicals to $41,300,219. See more

$81 Million Utah Verdict After a Truck Killed a 12-Year-Old in a Marked Crosswalk

A retrial jury in Utah's Fourth District Court awarded $81 million against Beacon Roofing Supply after one of its trucks struck and killed a 12-year-old boy who was crossing legally in a marked crosswalk.

After trial: After the retrial verdict, the parties reached a confidential settlement. A QXO spokesman said the payment was fully covered by insurance.

El Paso Jury Awards $76.5 Million to Family of Trucker Killed in Sleeper Berth When Co-Driver Fell Asleep

Orlando Robles, 38, of El Paso, died in October 2020 when the Mesilla Valley Transportation tractor-trailer he was resting in struck a parked box truck on Interstate 40 in Oklahoma after the driver fell asleep. In July 2026 an El Paso jury found the carrier and its driver responsible and awarded $76.5 million to Robles' wife, mother and five daughters. A separate award went to his son through other counsel. The company has said it is evaluating appellate options.

After trial: MVT said after the verdict that it is evaluating its appellate options. We found no ruling on post-trial motions and no appeal filing, so the award is not yet final. See more

$70 Million Verdict for Boat Repairman With Flesh-Eating Infection After Chicken Waste Spill Into River

In 2019 a rented temporary pipe system failed at a Tyson Farms chicken rendering plant in Hanceville, and roughly 220,000 gallons of rendering wastewater went into the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River. Mark Griffin, a boat repairman working on the water downriver in Dora, fell ill and was eventually diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis.

After trial: The jury returned $70 million on March 27, 2026 against Tyson Farms (wantonness) and HydraService (negligence). Tyson said it was disappointed, but no post-trial ruling or payment has been reported. See more

Larimer County Jury Awards $65 Million After Excavator Load Strikes I-25 Overpass and Kills Mother

A Larimer County jury returned a $65 million wrongful death verdict in September 2026 for the family of Megan Arneson, a 32-year-old single mother killed on I-25 near Mead in August 2022. A semi hauling an improperly loaded excavator struck an overpass, and falling concrete came through her windshield. The jury found the driver and his employer liable after a five-day trial. Plaintiffs' counsel described it as the largest jury verdict in Larimer County history and the largest in a Colorado trucking crash case.

After trial: The verdict was returned in late September 2026, shortly before this entry was written. No post-trial motions, appeal, judgment entry or payment had been reported, so the award is shown as returned and its collection is unconfirmed.

A Two-Lane Pothole, a Rollover on I-55, and a $60 Million Settlement

Clifford Law Offices secured a $60 million settlement for Sarah Grasser, 31, left paraplegic when another driver swerved to avoid a deep pothole in an I-55 work zone and struck her car, rolling it into a ditch.

$60 Million Judgment Against a Drunk Driver Who Killed a Mother and Her Son on the I-15 Shoulder

On Halloween night 2021 Season Dow's car ran out of gas on Interstate 15 in Orem and she stopped on the shoulder with her hazard lights on. Kesley Pope, 22, driving her father's uninsured truck at about twice the legal blood alcohol limit, drove straight into it. Season Dow died at the scene and her 16-year-old son died in hospital. Pope is in prison. In June 2026, after a two-day civil trial, Judge Derek Pullan ordered her to pay the family $60,000,000.

After trial: Bench judgment after a two-day trial in April 2026, with damages ordered in June 2026. No appeal or post-judgment motion has been reported. See more