complex tort litigation | Catastrophic Injury & Wrongful Death

Empowering victims, challenging negligence.

We guide victims and their families through the process of seeking compensation after suffering a catastrophic injury or wrongful death. We serve zealously and with compassion.

Overview

We represent those who have been catastrophically injured or lost a loved one as a result of a defective product, exposure to toxic chemicals or waste products, or delayed or denied medical care at the hands of an insurance company or workers’ compensation carrier. We represent clients and their families across the United States against corporations, insurance companies, or others that refuse to take responsibility and adequately compensate victims for their injuries, emotional distress, or loss of life.

We represent individuals and their families in individual or mass claim litigation before juries and appellate courts, related to the most serious injuries, including:

  • Severe Burn Injuries
  • Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Amputations
  • Traumatic Brain Injury

If you or a loved one has been injured and you believe you may have a legal claim, please contact us at (877) 515-7955 or USE THE CONTACT US BOX BELOW for a free case evaluation.

Representative Matters
  • Doe v. Sysco of Central Florida: On January 10, 2017, Cohen Milstein successfully settled a wrongful death lawsuit for $2.5 million against Sysco Corporation and one of its tractor-trailer drivers on behalf of the Estate of John Doe. John Doe, a 42-year-old Kissimmee, Florida man and father of two, died on October 20, 2015 after his semi-truck struck a Sysco owned and operated tractor-trailer that had run a stop sign. Cohen Milstein worked closely with police investigators and experts to prove that Mr. Doe was not at fault; rather the Sysco driver violated his right of way and caused the crash. Evidence proved the Sysco tractor-trailer failed to slow down and ran through a stop sign into oncoming traffic despite clear stop bars and a visible stop sign.
  • Saori Yamauchi, et al. v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al.: In November 2018, Cohen Milstein resolved an automobile crashworthiness lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation on behalf of a client who sustained quadriplegia because her vehicle’s side and frontal airbags deployed during a minor impact. The case was settled for a confidential amount.
  • Paz-Orjales v. Ford Motor Company: In Septemeber 2018, Cohen Milstein successfully settled a catastrophic injury lawsuit against Ford Motor Company. Our client, Mr. Paz-Orjales, asserted that due to a defective design, the roof of the Ford truck, in which he was a passenger, collapsed and crushed him during a roll over accident, resulting in his quadriplegia. 
  • Staton v. Elite Auto Logistics, Inc.: Cohen Milstein represents Lowell Staton in a catastrophic injury lawsuit for negligently causing a truck crash that caused his disabling injuries.

If you believe you have a legal claim, USE THE CONTACT US BOX BELOW for a free case evaluation.

Current Cases

Reed, et al. v. USA – Chimney Tops 2 Fire

Cohen Milstein is representing plaintiffs in a wrongful death and property damage mass action against the United States Department of Interior and National Park Service (NPS) for the negligence of its employees to perform their duties during The Chimney Tops 2 Fire in Tennessee, which originated in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and ultimately damaged or destroyed 2,500 homes, buildings and other structures, and killed more than a dozen people.

Underwood v. Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook)

Underwood v. Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook) (State Crt., Cal.): Cohen Milstein filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Angela Underwood Jacobs, the sister of slain federal security officer Dave Patrick Underwood, against Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly Facebook. On May 29, 2020, Officer Underwood was providing security at a federal courthouse during a rally to protest the killing of George Floyd. According to documents filed in federal criminal proceedings, Officer Underwood was the victim of a drive-by shooting by Steven Carrillo and his accomplice, Robert Alvin Justus, Jr., who identify as boogaloo adherents, part of an extremist movement that advocates targeted violence against federal officers. Plaintiff alleges that by connecting users to extremist groups, including Officer Underwood’s killers who met through Facebook where they hatched their extremist plot to target and kill federal officers, and promoting inflammatory, divisive, and untrue content, the company bears responsibility for the tragic murder of Officer Underwood.

Flint Water Crisis Class Action Litigation

On November 10, 2021, Judge Judith E. Levy of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan granted final approval of a landmark $626.25 million settlement resulting from the class action and individual lawsuits brought on behalf of more than 90,000 Flint residents and businesses against multiple governmental defendants, including the State of Michigan, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and individual defendants, including former Governor Rick Snyder, for their roles in re-directing toxic levels of contaminated water from the Flint River into the City’s drinking water in an effort to save money and their subsequent efforts to try to cover up the crisis.

Past Cases

Lindsay X-LITE Guardrail End Terminal Litigation

Lindsay X-LITE Guardrail End Terminal Litigation: Cohen Milstein represented a number of families of decedents and victims of catastrophic injuries in a series of individual products liability, wrongful death and catastrophic injury lawsuits in Tennessee and South Carolina state courts against the Lindsay Corporation and several related entities for designing, manufacturing, selling, and installing defective, X-Lite guardrails on state roadways.

H.C., et al. v. Ric Bradshaw, et al.

H.C., et al. v. Ric Bradshaw, et al. (S.D. Fla.): Cohen Milstein, in conjunction with the Human Rights Defense Center and the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, successfully represented juvenile offenders against the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Palm Beach County School Board, challenging the practice of placing juvenile offenders in solitary confinement and for allegedly denying mandated educational services to juvenile offenders held at the Jail, “including services needed to address their disabilities,” in violation of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Cohen Milstein and its co-counsel resolved the matter in 2018 by obtaining a settlement that was first-of-its-kind in Florida, as it ended the systemic practice of holding juveniles charged as adults in solitary confinement and ensures the provision of educational services to such juveniles.

Paz-Orjales v. Ford Motor Company

Paz-Orjales v. Ford Motor Company: In Septemeber 2018, Cohen Milstein successfully settled a catastrophic injury lawsuit against Ford Motor Company. Our client, Mr. Paz-Orjales, asserted that due to a defective design, the roof of the Ford truck, in which he was a passenger, collapsed and crushed him during a roll over accident, resulting in his quadriplegia.