Randall Sorrels – Foiling a “Nuclear Verdict Defense” to Win $353 Million

Struck on an airport tarmac by a fueling vehicle, the United Airlines worker suffered catastrophic injuries. “The worst-hurt person I've ever seen in my life,” recalled his lawyer, Randall Sorrels.

When Randall sued the fueling vehicle company and its driver, he faced a high-powered defense firm, and a famous defense lawyer, that sought to keep the verdict low by using a so-called “nuclear verdict defense.” To host Dan Ambrose, Randall reveals how he and his law firm partner and wife, Alex, foiled the attack. Relying on a blend of strategy (putting the defendant’s corporate representative as the first witness), smart advice (listening to a jury consultant who advised him to keep a juror he wanted to strike), and a little luck (finding a mock juror who had sat through the defense’s mock trial), they transformed a lowball offer of $5 million into a jury verdict of $353 million. 

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Episode Snapshot

• Grabbing headlines: Randall’s $3.24 million verdict for the son and godson of baseball great Roger Clemens
• How teaching at TLU made him a better lawyer
• Background of his case against a fueling vehicle company and driver
• Why Randall did a portion of his voir dire on the high-profile defense lawyer
• One question plaintiffs’ lawyers in PI cases should ask the jury 
• The defense’s big mistake in closing 
• Securing a $353 million verdict

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