Avoiding Nuclear Verdicts: Strategies to Minimize Your Exposure to Devastating Lawsuits
An eBook about mitigating nuclear verdicts (verdicts where the jury award is $10-million+). First published in 2021 by Vertical Alliance Group. I was responsible for layout, illustration selection and editing,
An eBook about mitigating nuclear verdicts (verdicts where the jury award is $10-million+). First published in 2021 by Vertical Alliance Group.
I was responsible for layout, illustration selection and editing,
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>Avoiding</strong><br />
<strong>Nuclear</strong> <strong>Verdicts</strong><br />
<strong>Strategies</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Minimize</strong> <strong>Your</strong><br />
<strong>Exposure</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Devastating</strong> <strong>Lawsuits</strong><br />
www.infinitiworkforce.com
All of the information and material, including text, images, logos and product names, is<br />
either the property of, or used with permission by Vertical Alliance Group. The information<br />
may not be distributed, modified, displayed or reproduced—in whole or in part—without<br />
the prior written permission of Vertical Alliance Group.
What are <strong>Nuclear</strong> <strong>Verdicts</strong>?<br />
<strong>Nuclear</strong> verdicts are a jury award in which<br />
the penalty exceeds $10 million. 1<br />
In recent years, the average verdict<br />
amount in the trucking industry<br />
increases 52% annually. The continual<br />
upward trend predicts this will be an<br />
ongoing challenge.<br />
In 2020, the largest nuclear verdict judgment<br />
<strong>to</strong> date was handed down for an accident that<br />
occurred in 2018:<br />
$411 MILLION
Successful plaintiff<br />
at<strong>to</strong>rneys win by<br />
CASTING<br />
DOUBT<br />
in the mind<br />
of the jury.<br />
To do so, at<strong>to</strong>rneys<br />
obtain considerable<br />
amounts of data<br />
during discovery.<br />
They use this<br />
information <strong>to</strong><br />
decide whether <strong>to</strong>:<br />
go <strong>to</strong> trial<br />
settle out of court<br />
drop case al<strong>to</strong>gether
Not settling? If a plaintiff at<strong>to</strong>rney decides <strong>to</strong> try your<br />
case, they have enough information for an attack.<br />
Infinit-I presents:<br />
At<strong>to</strong>rney tactics you<br />
should know. Use this<br />
guide <strong>to</strong> formulate<br />
your courtroom<br />
response strategy.
JURY PERSUASION<br />
TACTICS<br />
<strong>Nuclear</strong> verdicts are awarded by the jury. Creating a<br />
mob mentality within the jury will turn them against<br />
your company.<br />
<strong>Your</strong> future will be determined by the ability of the<br />
plaintiff at<strong>to</strong>rney <strong>to</strong> appeal <strong>to</strong> the jurors’ emotions.
Tactic #1<br />
CORPORATE GREED<br />
This tactic is used <strong>to</strong> portray your company as an evil<br />
corporation who values profit over safety.<br />
123 Trucking pushed this<br />
driver <strong>to</strong> the limit, ignoring<br />
risk fac<strong>to</strong>rs, <strong>to</strong> gain a few<br />
extra miles!
Tactic #2<br />
EXPOSING COMPANY<br />
PROCESS FLAWS<br />
Before the trial, the at<strong>to</strong>rney will scour your hiring<br />
requirements and termination policies for any<br />
opportunity <strong>to</strong> portray your company as negligent.<br />
This driver was in an<br />
accident 6 months ago.<br />
According <strong>to</strong> 123 Trucking’s<br />
termination policy, he<br />
should have been fired.<br />
If 123 Trucking followed<br />
their own policies, this<br />
accident never would<br />
have occurred!
Tactic #3<br />
REPTILE THEORY<br />
Exploit the jury’s anger by appealing <strong>to</strong> their primal instincts<br />
or “reptile brain.” People tend <strong>to</strong> make irrational<br />
or illogical decisions when based on emotions (such as<br />
anger or fear). 2<br />
If you don’t punish<br />
123 Trucking, the next<br />
accident, injury, or even<br />
fatality will be your fault!<br />
At<strong>to</strong>rneys will<br />
subtly urge jurors <strong>to</strong><br />
imagine themselves as<br />
the one who can teach<br />
123 Trucking a lesson<br />
and save lives.
Tactic #4<br />
PLACING<br />
BLAME<br />
This is an easy tactic for at<strong>to</strong>rneys, especially if the<br />
driver was operating under the influence, while fatigued,<br />
or distracted. Clearly the driver is responsible, but smart<br />
at<strong>to</strong>rneys go after the company.<br />
Company policy states that<br />
drivers will be terminated if<br />
caught with a mobile device<br />
in their hand while driving.<br />
But this driver was watching<br />
viral videos on a phone<br />
mounted <strong>to</strong> the dash!<br />
123 Trucking is <strong>to</strong> blame for<br />
allowing these behaviors!
Tactic #5<br />
COMPANY COMPLACENCY -<br />
ATTACKING DRIVER TRAINING<br />
At<strong>to</strong>rneys will attempt <strong>to</strong> prove there is more you could<br />
have done <strong>to</strong> prevent the accident, especially if you have<br />
under- or un-utilized <strong>to</strong>ols at your disposal.<br />
123 Trucking failed <strong>to</strong> provide proper<br />
training <strong>to</strong> the driver.<br />
Their records indicate the driver<br />
hasn’t received any safety training in<br />
SIX MONTHS!
Strategic Response Plan<br />
MANAGE THE<br />
OPINION OF THE JURY<br />
You can manage the jury’s opinion of your<br />
company as long as you can prove that you<br />
have invested in your safety culture.
Strategic Response Plan<br />
ONGOING<br />
SAFETY<br />
TRAINING<br />
There is no current industry<br />
standard on training frequency.<br />
However, it is proven that<br />
ongoing safety refresher courses<br />
keep safe driving techniques<br />
<strong>to</strong>p-of-mind.<br />
BASICs<br />
Over time, frequent training<br />
positively changes behaviors<br />
and significantly reduces<br />
accidents and incidents.<br />
Recurring safety training proves<br />
your company’s foresight and<br />
accident prevention efforts.
Strategic Response Plan<br />
DUE DILIGENCE<br />
Take reasonable steps <strong>to</strong> ensure<br />
compliance and satisfy legal responsibility.<br />
Frequent Drug & Alcohol Testing<br />
Provide In-Cab Cameras<br />
Corrective Action and Coaching<br />
Ongoing Training and Refreshers
PROVE YOUR DUE DILIGENCE<br />
During discovery, prove your due diligence by providing:<br />
• Company Policies and Procedures<br />
• Medical and Licensing Records<br />
• Orientation Completion<br />
• Ongoing Training and Test Scores<br />
• Documented Proof of Comprehension<br />
Each of these should be immediately accessible as a<br />
digital component of your driver files.<br />
If you can’t provide these within hours of request, you<br />
are already behind.<br />
If it takes you days or<br />
weeks <strong>to</strong> pull <strong>to</strong>gether<br />
a file, you can bet the<br />
at<strong>to</strong>rney will use that <strong>to</strong><br />
diminish your credibility<br />
in front of a jury.
DEFENSE ADVOCATE<br />
Infinit-I is the most preferred <strong>to</strong>ol in the trucking industry<br />
<strong>to</strong> protect your company, drivers, and your future.<br />
Our ongoing safety training prevents accidents and violations<br />
from happening.<br />
And the documentation we provide has<br />
protected numerous clients from their<br />
own nuclear verdicts.
Vehicle Maintenance<br />
Infinit-I offers over 1,000 safety training courses, including:<br />
• Distracted driving<br />
• Hours of service<br />
• Driving under the influence<br />
• Fatigued driving<br />
• Proper inspections<br />
• Adverse weather conditions<br />
• Tailgating<br />
• Speeding<br />
• Traffic<br />
• Animal avoidance<br />
• CSA BASICs<br />
• And many more!<br />
GENERAL SAFETY<br />
VIDEO<br />
VIDEO<br />
Distracted Driving<br />
DRIVER SKILLS<br />
VIDEO<br />
Animal Avoidance<br />
DRIVER SKILLS<br />
VIDEO<br />
COVID-19<br />
CORONAVIRUS<br />
VIDEO<br />
VIDEO<br />
Hours of Service<br />
CSA<br />
VIDEO<br />
VIDEO
1. www.pooleshaffery.com.<br />
2. Lexis Nexis.<br />
SOURCES<br />
SAFETY TRAINING.<br />
ANYTIME. ANYWHERE.<br />
Having the right <strong>to</strong>ols for the<br />
job makes all the difference<br />
At Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, we get<br />
drivers home safely. We provide your team<br />
easy <strong>to</strong> digest, anytime, anywhere training <strong>to</strong><br />
enhance your company’s safety culture. Over<br />
1,300 companies trust Infinit-I.<br />
For information about a 30-day, full access<br />
trial of Infinit-I, please visit:<br />
www.infinitiworkforce.com/complimentary-trial/<br />
BENEFITS<br />
3 Reduce Accidents by 20%<br />
3 Reduce Violations by 50%<br />
3 Reduce Training Costs<br />
by 80%<br />
3 Improved Litigation Support<br />
3 Thousands of Lives Saved