Osborne v. Budd

This week’s New Jersey Law Journal’s Suits & Deals section mentions a case which I recently settled for a client.

On April 30, 1998 defendant Brenda Budd was traveling on Route 206 when she suddenly crossed lanes striking my client Gail Osborne’s vehicle. Ms. Osborne was taken to the emergency room, complaining of neck pain and released shortly that day. Over the next week, she began to experience problems with attention and concentration as well as balance. A CT scan taken shortly after the collision was normal. She was ultimately referred to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation where she underwent neuropsychological testing and was diagnosed as having sustained a mild traumatic brain injury.

Following her discharge from the Kessler program, Ms. Osborne remained under the care of various specialists including a neuro-optometrist, neuro-otologist and neuropsychiatrist. The Social Security Administration found her to be totally disabled as a result of her injuries.

The defendant, Brenda Budd, and her attorney initially asserted that the collision occurred due to a defect in her vehicle’s axle. However, her insurance carrier, Liberty Mutual, got rid of the car prior to litigation so no testing could be done. Our lawsuit was instituted against Ms. Budd and a count for spoliation and punitive damages were asserted.

Trial was first commenced in the summer 2003. However, a mistrial was declared after plaintiff’s opening statement due to references to my client’s Social Security award. The case was next scheduled for trial in October 2003. After a three-week trial with the jury apparently hung, a second mistrial was declared when one of the deliberating jurors advised that she could not return for further deliberations.

The case was called for trial again on June 1, 2005 and after two days of negotiations I was able to settle the matter for $975,000.00.