GMR Partner Robert Stein successfully defended his client in the firm’s first in-person jury trial in New Jersey since the start of the pandemic. The Honorable Samuel J. Ragonese presided over the four-day trial. Liability for the happening of the accident was not in dispute, but Rob disputed Plaintiff’s surgical claims and permanent injury. Plaintiff alleged a dorsiflexed ankle injury requiring a triple arthrodesis and fusion of the ankle along with exacerbation to a prior back injury. Plaintiff presented both her surgeon and pain management specialist as expert witnesses. Rob effectively cross-examined both experts on objective evidence and argued that any injury was not traumatically induced, but rather based on the normal aging process. The jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Rob’s client due to lack of causation.
