Arizona Injury Victims, Represented by "Arizona's Husband & Wife Law Team" Get Their Day In Court and a Win From The Jury After Much Delay By The Insurance Company
After delay, delay, and more delay, injury victims finally receive jury verdict in their favor, against insurance company's driver
On August 29, 2005 Christie Webb and Darryl Webb were traveling down the I-17 when they were rear-ended by another driver. It took almost four full years, but a jury has just entered a verdict in their favor. Although most cases do not take this long to get to jury trial, for those cases that do take longer to resolve, it is the clients and lawyers determination must be applauded. This case is not just an example of two people willing to fight through long delays that only benefit insurance companies at the expense of real people. This case is also an example of clients who were willing to hold-on as long as needed for justice with lawyers at their side willing to fight as well for as long as it took to win. It is unfortunate that the system can allow such extreme delay, but this verdict stands as a reminder of the importance a good legal team still plays for the injured in Arizona.
In this case, the defendant driver rear-ended Mr. and Mrs. Webb's vehicle. Instead of readily admitting to fault, the driver tried to pay bystanders to testify that he was cut off by a phantom vehicle. The bystanders told police that the Defendant tried to bribe them with money to give him an alibi. Did the jury ever hear these facts? No. In Arizona, if a Defendant admits to liability the law usually allows an at-fault Defendant to keep these damning facts from the jury. Even without this evidence, the jury gave the Webbs their long sought-after victory. Sure, awaiting a day in court can be tough, but the Webbs were happy and it was all worth it in the end.
One of the most interesting parts of the trial occurred when one of the jurors questioned the Judge as to why it took so long to get the case in front of a jury. The Judge could not answer this juror's questions as Arizona rules of evidence do not allow the Judge to answer this type of question regarding Arizona's legal system. Attorney Mark Breyer, the renowned Phoenix personal injury lawyer, was asked about this unusual moment in this case. He explained, "The Judge made the right decision in not answering the question. Not because the question is unimportant, but the rules of evidence do not allow the jury to hear the truth. The truth is that delay is almost always to the benefit of insurance companies, because many innocently injured people that we represent at Breyer Law Offices simply quit fighting and are unwilling to take a case to trial after such a long wait. These clients should be commended not just for receiving the verdict in their favor, but in being willing to continue to fight for what was right. Most cases simply do not take this long. When they do, it is a great feeling to be able to see justice done."
What extreme will defendants in personal injury cases go to in order to avoid paying the compensation required under Arizona personal injury law? According to attorney Alexis Breyer, the wife in "Arizona's Husband and Wife Law Team" that represented the Webb family, "The case originally was arbitrated in front of an impartial party where an award came down for the Plaintiffs as well. Rather than paying that award the insurance company chose to appeal it and go to trial. It took 2 years to get to a jury trial where again there was a finding for the Plaintiffs. The law gives the insurance company an opportunity to appeal yet again and further avoid payment. In sticking by our clients we will continue to fight for justice."
For their part, although it was a long wait, Mr. and Mrs. Webb are very happy with the verdict. They certainly earned it.
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