June 9, 2026

FORT LAUDERDALE – QPWB Fort Lauderdale Hub Managing Partner David Tarlow, alongside Associate Christian Gonzalez, secured a complete defense victory in a negligence lawsuit stemming from a rear-end collision. Despite an admitted liability posture and a final pre-trial demand of $175,000, the jury returned a final award of $0.00, fully exonerating the defense from any damages.

Overview of the Case

The litigation arose from a motor vehicle accident where the Plaintiff was rear-ended while stopped at a red light. Because the striking vehicle impacted the stationary automobile from behind, negligence was admitted by the defense prior to trial.

Following the collision, the Plaintiff alleged severe, permanent physical trauma and required significant medical intervention. The defense aggressively contested the necessity of these treatments, focusing on the lack of proximate cause and the existence of prior medical conditions.

Key Difference-Makers

• David Tarlow – Managing Partner, Fort Lauderdale
• Christian Gonzalez – Associate, Fort Lauderdale

Claims Made Against Our Client

The Plaintiff filed a one-count negligence complaint against the defendant. Because liability was admitted, opposing counsel centered their entire trial strategy on the mechanics and severity of the impact. The Plaintiff’s counsel argued aggressively that the force of the rear-end collision was structurally violent enough to propel the Plaintiff forward, causing her to strike her head directly against the steering wheel.

Opposing counsel contended that this violent impact triggered a cascade of severe physical trauma, explicitly claiming the Plaintiff sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and underwent surgery on her right shoulder. Furthermore, they emphasized that a subsequent left shoulder surgery had already been recommended, alongside ongoing complaints regarding injuries to her cervical and lumbar spine, using these procedures to maximize potential non-economic and future medical damages.

Defense Strategy

Faced with an admission of liability, the defense team led by David Tarlow and Christian Gonzalez pivoted the narrative entirely to medical causation and plaintiff credibility. The defense constructed a dual-pronged strategy utilizing specialized expert testimony and rigorous medical record tracking.

First, the defense called a biomechanical engineer to the stand. The expert provided definitive testimony establishing that the physical forces generated by the low-impact collision were entirely insufficient to cause the mechanism of injury alleged by the Plaintiff. The defense argued that it was physically implausible for the Plaintiff to have struck her head on the steering wheel while properly restrained by her seatbelt.

Second, the defense meticulously cataloged the Plaintiff’s pre-accident medical history. Tarlow and Gonzalez utilized targeted PowerPoint presentations to display side-by-side comparisons of diagnostic MRIs taken both before and after the subject accident. These visual aids clearly highlighted specific pre-accident medical record entries documenting that the Plaintiff had sought treatment for the exact same cervical, lumbar, and shoulder complaints years prior. By pairing the objective biomechanical data with historical medical charts, the defense proved that the Plaintiff was untruthful when disclosing her prior injuries to her treating providers.

Impact on Final Outcome

The defense’s strategic alignment of visual data and expert testimony successfully neutralized the admitted liability hurdle. By the conclusion of the trial, the jury possessed clear, undeniable proof that the collision could not physically cause the claimed trauma and that the injuries pre-existed the accident.

The jury completely rejected the Plaintiff's causation arguments, rendering a total defense verdict and a final judgment of $0.00.

Unique Aspects of the Case

The most critical element of this litigation was navigating jury selection under an admission of liability. During voir dire, multiple prospective jurors expressed strong preconceptions that past medical expenses should automatically be awarded to a plaintiff whenever fault for an accident is admitted. By utilizing precise comparative technology and focusing purely on the lack of proximate cause, the defense successfully educated the paneled jurors on separating the act of the collision from the origin of the physical injuries.

Predicting the Future

This victory underscores QPWB’s capability to successfully try high-risk cases where liability is adverse or admitted. Notably, the conclusion of this matter illustrates the firm's ability to successfully try cases and provide clients with accurate assessments of case value and case risks.

Key Actions in This Case

• Biomechanical Causation Mastery: Deployed expert engineering testimony to mathematically disassemble the physical plausibility of the Plaintiff's steering wheel impact claim.
• Comparative Visual Advocacy: Integrated side-by-side PowerPoint comparisons of pre- and post-accident MRIs to visually demonstrate to the jury that the claimed injuries were entirely pre-existing.

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 57 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.