MIAMI – Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. (QPWB) Orlando Senior Partner Kevin Ross-Andino and Miami Partner Doris Torres secured a complete defense verdict and a $0.00 final financial award for their client following a jury trial in Miami, Florida. Opposing counsel requested $3.1 million in total damages for two plaintiffs involved in a major intersection collision with a commercial motor vehicle. The defense team successfully discredited the plaintiffs’ account of the incident and persuaded the jury that the rideshare client was not negligent, shielding the client from all monetary liability.
Overview of the Case
The litigation arose from a commercial motor vehicle accident that occurred at a busy intersection in Miami, Florida. The lawsuit named a rideshare driver as the defendant, with two plaintiffs asserting that the driver negligently operated his commercial motor vehicle through the intersection and directly caused the collision.
Key Difference-Makers
Claims Made Against Our Client
Opposing counsel asserted negligence claims against the client on behalf of both plaintiffs, alleging a failure to exercise reasonable care while operating a commercial motor vehicle. Before the jury, opposing counsel demanded $3.1 million in cumulative damages to compensate for past and future medical expenses, mental anguish, pain and suffering, and ongoing loss of enjoyment of life.
To support their demand for a multi-million-dollar award, opposing counsel relied on the plaintiffs’ eyewitness testimonies and expert opinions to construct a narrative that attributed the intersection crash and all resulting physical trauma exclusively to the rideshare driver’s alleged negligence.
Defense Strategy
The defense team adopted a targeted approach focused on undermining the credibility of the two plaintiffs and systematically challenging the foundational assumptions of their expert witnesses.
Rather than allowing the opposing side to dictate the narrative surrounding damages, the defense focused the jury’s attention on the physical mechanics of the collision and the inconsistencies in how the plaintiffs described the event. Through disciplined cross-examination, counsel demonstrated that the physical evidence and timeline did not align with the plaintiffs’ account of how the commercial motor vehicle entered and proceeded through the intersection. By exposing critical contradictions between the plaintiffs’ testimony, the objective evidence, and the expert opinions offered in support of liability and damages, the defense established that the accident did not occur as claimed.
Impact on Final Outcome
By challenging the plaintiffs’ credibility and connecting authentically with the jury in a venue known for yielding substantial plaintiff awards, the defense shifted the trial’s focus from sympathy to strict evidentiary proof. As a result, the jury returned a complete defense verdict in favor of our client, awarding $0.00 to both plaintiffs and completely eliminating the $3.1 million exposure.
Unique Aspects of the Case
The defining element of this trial was that liability hinged almost entirely on witness credibility and reconstructing the intersection mechanics to prove that the accident could not have occurred as the plaintiffs described to the jury.
Predicting the Future
This victory confirms that when a case is anchored in objective evidence and clear presentation, juries will look past initial demand figures and hold plaintiffs to strict proof. For partners in the commercial motor vehicle and transportation industry, this outcome reinforces the value of taking strong cases to trial and placing trust in a well-prepared jury defense.
Key Actions in This Case
- Witness Credibility Offense: Systematically dismantled the plaintiffs’ accounts of the collision by highlighting critical factual inconsistencies between their trial testimony and the physical evidence.
- Expert Testimony Refutation: Challenged the technical explanations provided by opposing liability and damages experts to show their opinions relied on flawed baseline assumptions.
- Complete Defense Verdict: Defeated a $3.1 million jury demand to secure a $0.00 final financial award, shielding the commercial motor vehicle driver from all liability.
About QPWB
Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. is one of the fastest growing law firms in the United States providing a different focus on what it means to provide responsive service to clients and team members. With a national presence of 61 offices and a comprehensive scope of over 130 practice areas, QPWB delivers legal representation in litigation, regulatory, and corporate matters to a diverse range of industries. This scope and rapid expansion has attracted unique legal talent from all different backgrounds and experiences which has made them the largest minority-owned law firm in the country.
Case results reported by Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.. Legal strategy led by Miami Partners Kevin Ross-Andino and Doris Torres.