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Announcing a significant victory by the Chartwell defense team, led by partner Patrick Heffron, in a high-stakes personal injury trial in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. The case involved catastrophic injury claims stemming from an October 2019 accident in which the Plaintiff alleged she was struck by a utility truck while attempting to cross Old Lycoming Road in Lycoming Township, PA. The Plaintiff's demand remained at no less than $9,000,000 throughout the litigation.
In a rare procedural win, the court granted the defense’s motion to bifurcate the case on liability only, allowing the jury to focus exclusively on determining fault. The defense successfully argued that the Plaintiff was primarily responsible for the accident, as she crossed the roadway outside of a designated crosswalk and failed to yield to vehicles. After a three-day trial and compelling arguments presented by Pat and his team, the jury assigned 75% negligence to the Plaintiff and 25% to the Defendant. Under Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence law, this finding barred the Plaintiff from recovery, resulting in a defense verdict.
This fantastic outcome is a result of the talent and dedication of Pat Heffron and the entire defense team. Congratulations to all who contributed to this well-deserved victory!
