SUMMARY
Wrongful Death Claim
Richard Mraz, a 38-year-old longshoreman, suffered fatal head injuries when he was run over by a 1992 Dodge Dakota truck while working on a Los Angeles Harbor container terminal (2004). The truck, manufactured by (then) DaimlerChrysler, had slipped out of park and into reverse, a defect in the automatic transmission known as the “park to reverse” defect. When the truck ran over Mr. Mraz, he sustained a catastrophic head injury and was in a coma for two days before he died.
CHALLENGES
Longshore Worker Death Claim
Challenges in this case were two-fold:
- Proving that DaimlerChrysler knew about the defect and knowingly failed to properly correct it
- Collecting from a public corporation that declared bankruptcy years after the trial and jury verdict.
RESULTS
Maritime Wrongful Death
$55.2 Million Jury Verdict
In 2007, a Los Angeles District Court jury issued a $55.2 Million award to the family of Richard Mraz, including $50 Million in Punitive Damages and $5.2 Million in Compensatory Damages.
$24 Million Settlement in U.S. Bankruptcy Court
As soon as the $55.2 million award was first handed down in 2007, the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor ensured that entire award was held in a secure bond, essentially requiring then DaimlerChrysler to tuck away $55.2 million to keep the funds safe and secure throughout the foreseen appeals process.
This proved to be critical when the Chrysler Corporation filed for bankruptcy in 2009. While most stakeholders in the public company were left empty-handed, the Law Offices of Charles D. Naylor was able to secure a $24 million settlement for the longshore worker’s family.
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