$1.7 Million Settlement in Civil Rights Lawsuit

Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky attorneys Larry Bendesky, Robert Zimmerman, and Jordan Howell have secured a $1.7 million settlement against the Pennsylvania State Police resulting from a car accident on Belmont Avenue in Philadelphia.

SMB represented a woman whose vehicle was struck by a speeding State Trooper. The woman suffered fractures to her neck and lower back. The State Police claimed that it was protected by sovereign immunity and thus the potential recovery was limited to $250,000.

SMB conducted pre-complaint discovery to reveal the full extent of the Trooper’s reckless driving. SMB utilized drone footage as well as 3D image scanning to recreate the Trooper’s driving and prove he was driving 81mph in a 35mph zone. In order to surpass the State’s damage cap, SMB filed a Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit under Section 1983 of the U.S. Federal Code. SMB successfully proved the Trooper was not responding to a true emergency and violated the plaintiff’s constitutional rights. SMB’s successfully showed that the Trooper had a “king of the road” complex and believed he was above the law. The case settled a week after the Trooper’s deposition.