Houston Trial Law Firm Arnold & Itkin Honored for Winning One of Nation's Top Verdicts

HOUSTON, March 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Houston trial law firm Arnold & Itkin LLP's $117 million verdict for a Louisiana woman who was severely injured in a 2010 ambulance crash is being recognized as the 25^th largest verdict in the nation last year in The National Law Journal's recent listing of the Top 100 Verdicts of 2012.

Arnold & Itkin attorneys Kurt Arnold, Jason Itkin and Mike Pierce represented Whitley Lacey and her family in their lawsuit against Louisiana-based Acadian Ambulance Service Inc. The family also was represented by Tony Clayton and Mike Fruge of Baton Rouge, La.'s Clayton & Fruge and the Law Office of William Gee III in Lafayette, La.

In late 2010, Ms. Lacey, who was 7 months pregnant at the time, began suffering stomach pains and called Acadian Ambulance to take her to the hospital. During the trip, the ambulance rear-ended a sugar cane truck on Louisiana Highway 1. Ms. Lacey's attorneys presented evidence showing that the ambulance was traveling nearly 60 miles per hour without using its emergency lights and sirens.

Following the crash, Ms. Lacy prematurely gave birth to her daughter, who survived despite weighing just 3 pounds. Ms. Lacey's spinal cord was severed, leaving her with limited use of only one arm. Only 21 years old at the time of the accident, Ms. Lacey also suffered a traumatic brain injury and has remained in various hospitals since the incident.

On Aug. 1, 2012, jurors in the 18th Judicial District Court in Iberville Parish, La., awarded Ms. Lacey and her family the $116,939,241 verdict.

The Top 100 Verdicts of 2012 is included as a special section in the March 4, 2013, issue of The National Law Journal. The rankings are based on data compiled by American Lawyer Media's Verdict Search, a leading guide to U.S. courtroom verdicts.

Arnold & Itkin LLP represents clients in high-stakes cases involving serious personal injury claims, maritime accidents, medical and pharmaceutical injuries, products liability and business disputes. To learn more, visit the firm's website at http://www.arnolditkin.com.

For more information on the verdict, please contact Alan Bentrup at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].

SOURCE Arnold & Itkin LLP