Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
Ish
New member
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/21/nyregion/21beer.html
Tug of War Over a $112 Million Injury Award
By TINA KELLEY
Published: January 21, 2005
OSELAND, N.J., Jan. 20 - The lawyer who represented a family awarded $112 million by a New Jersey jury for injuries suffered when their car was hit by a drunken driver's truck said he expects the award to withstand an appeal by the Aramark Corporation, which served the driver 14 beers at Giants Stadium.
Antonia Verni, 7, of Cliffside Park, was 2 on Oct. 24, 1999, when her family's Toyota Corolla was struck head-on by a truck driven by Daniel Lanzaro of Cresskill, N.J. She cannot move her arms or legs or breathe on her own. She also requires a nurse's care 24 hours a day and is frequently in pain, said the family's lawyer, David A. Mazie.
Antonia's mother, Fazila Verni, was seriously injured in the crash.
"It's our hope and expectation that this verdict will change the way alcohol is served," Mr. Mazie told a news conference Thursday.
"We are disappointed by the size of the award, and we intend to appeal," said Debbie Albert, a spokeswoman for Aramark, which serves food and beverages at Giants Stadium.
Mr. Mazie called the $112 million one of the largest personal injury awards in New Jersey. "I think it's actually a conservative number," he said.
On Tuesday and Wednesday before Judge Richard J. Donohue in Bergen County Superior Court, a jury awarded punitive damages of $75 million and compensatory damages of $22 million for Antonia's care. Her mother got $5 million for pain and suffering and $1.5 million for loss of wages.
Antonia also got $1.35 million for loss of wages, and the family was awarded $600,000 for her care since the accident.
With interest, the award comes to about $112 million.
Antonia's father, Ronald Verni, said he hoped the money would help his daughter enjoy things she might not otherwise have been able to enjoy. "It may make it more possible for her to have a more normal life," he said.
At the time of the crash, in Hasbrouck Heights, Mr. Lanzaro had a blood alcohol content of 0.266, two and a half times the legal limit. In August 2003, he was sentenced to five years in prison.
Antonia said she did not understand the recent events, but after a little encouragement from her father, she sang a song from her kindergarten graduation, clearly and sweetly. And, she said, when she grows up she wants to be "a teacher, a singer and a ballerina."
Tug of War Over a $112 Million Injury Award
By TINA KELLEY
Published: January 21, 2005
OSELAND, N.J., Jan. 20 - The lawyer who represented a family awarded $112 million by a New Jersey jury for injuries suffered when their car was hit by a drunken driver's truck said he expects the award to withstand an appeal by the Aramark Corporation, which served the driver 14 beers at Giants Stadium.
Antonia Verni, 7, of Cliffside Park, was 2 on Oct. 24, 1999, when her family's Toyota Corolla was struck head-on by a truck driven by Daniel Lanzaro of Cresskill, N.J. She cannot move her arms or legs or breathe on her own. She also requires a nurse's care 24 hours a day and is frequently in pain, said the family's lawyer, David A. Mazie.
Antonia's mother, Fazila Verni, was seriously injured in the crash.
"It's our hope and expectation that this verdict will change the way alcohol is served," Mr. Mazie told a news conference Thursday.
"We are disappointed by the size of the award, and we intend to appeal," said Debbie Albert, a spokeswoman for Aramark, which serves food and beverages at Giants Stadium.
Mr. Mazie called the $112 million one of the largest personal injury awards in New Jersey. "I think it's actually a conservative number," he said.
On Tuesday and Wednesday before Judge Richard J. Donohue in Bergen County Superior Court, a jury awarded punitive damages of $75 million and compensatory damages of $22 million for Antonia's care. Her mother got $5 million for pain and suffering and $1.5 million for loss of wages.
Antonia also got $1.35 million for loss of wages, and the family was awarded $600,000 for her care since the accident.
With interest, the award comes to about $112 million.
Antonia's father, Ronald Verni, said he hoped the money would help his daughter enjoy things she might not otherwise have been able to enjoy. "It may make it more possible for her to have a more normal life," he said.
At the time of the crash, in Hasbrouck Heights, Mr. Lanzaro had a blood alcohol content of 0.266, two and a half times the legal limit. In August 2003, he was sentenced to five years in prison.
Antonia said she did not understand the recent events, but after a little encouragement from her father, she sang a song from her kindergarten graduation, clearly and sweetly. And, she said, when she grows up she wants to be "a teacher, a singer and a ballerina."
