09/12/2019
Back in 2016, I earned my first verdict on a small case as lead counsel in the Gengle case. The verdict was $391K. Not bad for a case where the client completed only 16 sessions of PT. During discovery, I sent requests for admission on all the key issues--admit liability, causation, damages, etc. I received denials without objections and proceeded to trial. After we prevailed, I filed a post-trial motion for costs of proof for unreasonably denying liability, causation, and damages. Long story short, the judge awarded us $160K in attorney's fees and costs because of the defense's unreasonable denials. This morning, a colleague shared with me that he spoke with a former Geico in-house lawyer. He said that, because of that verdict and the post-trial costs of proof motion, Geigo changed its policies for how its lawyers are to handle and respond to requests for admission. I'm not sure what changes were made, but it's still pretty damn cool to hear a story years later that your hard work changed the way Geico litigates its cases. Who would've thought that taking a little 16 session PT case to trial would change corporate policy! So, if it's been harder for you other plaintiff's lawyers to obtain costs of proof against Geico since 2016, I apologize!
September 6, 2019: Brian Poulter posted on LinkedIn
