SUCCESS STORY

Absolute Duty Not Lost in Translation

SFE Attorney: Gordon Klug

Claims Alleged: Automobile Collision

Brief Overview

Smith Freed Eberhard attorney Gordon Klug achieved a favorable settlement via mediation by taking advantage of Washington’s Joint and Several Liability Statute as well as Washington’s Following Car Doctrine in a case involving a four-car pileup.

The Background

Gordon’s client, an Indian national on a trip with her son, stopped her vehicle on a highway on the Washington coast after a period of erratic driving, resulting in a four-car pileup and initiating a lawsuit involving three plaintiffs who claimed negligence on the part of three of the key defendant drivers. When one of the other drivers approached her vehicle after the accident, Gordon’s client switched seats with her son and fled the scene. In deposition, Gordon’s client explained that the distinctions between driving in the United States and India account for her behavior. For example, her fear of cars overtaking others around blind turns in the wrong lane, a common practice in India, led her to take extra care around turns – maneuvering that appeared erratic to the American drivers. She then stopped her vehicle only when a small animal darted across the road because her religious beliefs require her to avoid causing injury to any living being. Further, she swapped seats and fled the scene when another driver, a large American man, approached her car because, according to her account, police officers rarely show up at accident scenes in India, where the possibility of retaliatory violence for driving disputes is common.

The Strategy

Gordon successfully mitigated the argument alleging wrongdoing on the part of his client by facilitating an understanding of his client’s cultural distinctions. By doing so, he shifted the focus of the dispute to the legally established absolute duty of the other drivers to follow all vehicles at a safe enough distance behind so as to avoid rear-end collisions.

Initially, Gordon moved for summary judgment but the court denied his motion Judgment based on the trial judge’s conclusion that there was a question of fact as to whether Gordon’s client’s erratic driving and stopping on the highway constituted a breach of her obligation to use ordinary care.  As such, the case moved to mediation where Gordon successfully argued that Washington’s Following Car Doctrine places the responsibility to avoid the accident on the other defendants by requiring that all drivers keep a safe distance between their vehicles and those in front of them.

The Outcome

Ultimately, Gordon utilized an aggressive negotiation strategy to achieve a favorable outcome for his client. Of the three plaintiffs, two received a nominal sum and one received only 35% of the total value of her claim.

Categories
Read More
Success Story Commercial Liability Defense Dog Bite Negligence Tenant Landlord Preserving Precedent: Defending Commercial Landlord Liability Through Recent Victory in High Exposure Dog Bite Case Thursday October 26, 2023 By: Brian Schiewe
Success Story Bad Faith Billion Dollar Bust Thursday June 2, 2022 By: Cliff Wilson
Success Story Negligence Personal Lines Tenant Landlord Court Strikes Opposing Party’s Counterclaims Due to Failure to Comply With Discovery Orders Wednesday October 13, 2021 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story Automotive Defense General Litigation ORS 20.080 Attorney Fee Personal Lines Taking a Case to Trial During COVID-19 Wednesday September 22, 2021 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story Property Loss Tenant Landlord 4th and 10… An Improbable Comeback Win at the Washington Court of Appeals Tuesday December 1, 2020 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story General Litigation ORS 20.080 Attorney Fee Personal Lines When to Fight Back with a Counterclaim Thursday November 19, 2020 By: Jeff Eberhard
Success Story Automotive Defense General Litigation Motorist Minor Impact Personal Lines The Strategy in Jury Selection: Using Voir Dire to the Defendant’s Advantage Tuesday August 11, 2020 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story Commercial Liability Defense Securing Victory Under Securities Laws Friday December 20, 2019 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story Automotive Defense Personal Lines Research Pays Off (to the Tune of $2.2 Million) Friday December 20, 2019 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story General Litigation Drawing the (Property) Line Friday December 20, 2019 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story General Litigation Multi-National Retailer’s Discrimination Mitigated Friday December 20, 2019 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story Commercial Liability Defense Allegations of Misappropriation of Trade Secrets and Employment Law Violations? Denied. Friday December 20, 2019 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story Automotive Defense Personal Lines PIP Rejected: A Desperate Attempt to Recover Expenses Friday December 20, 2019 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story Commercial Liability Defense General Contractors Jobsite Injury An $18,000,000 Dismissal Friday December 20, 2019 By: Firm Authorship
Success Story Automotive Defense General Litigation Personal Lines The Early Bird Gets the Case Dismissed Friday December 20, 2019 By: Josh Hayward
Safe Harbor Letter Success Story Automotive Defense Personal Lines Preparation Always Pays off: Especially at Trial Friday December 20, 2019 By: Firm Authorship
Let’s talk

Tell us about your legal challenge.
Then we’ll tell you how we can help.