After a five-day trial before the Honorable Mark Moore, Amy N. Gampico recently obtained two defense verdicts involving three consolidated cases in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
The cases stemmed from a three-vehicle motor vehicle accident that occurred on the Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia, PA in 2020. The cases had various disputed issues including liability as to a red light/green light dispute, a question as to who was driving, and an issue over whether either Plaintiff sustained a serious impairment of bodily function. The jury rendered a defense verdict in favor of Ms. Gampico’s client in both cases brought against him. The third case involved one of the Plaintiff’s claims against an insurance company where a finding of no negligence was also applied and molded after the prior two verdicts were received by the Court.
The threshold question before the jury was whether Ms. Gampico’s client was driving at the time of the accident. The Plaintiff offered evidence from a decorated Philadelphia CID Police Officer that Ms. Gampico’s client was the driver of one of the vehicles at the time of loss. Plaintiff tried to establish that Ms. Gampico’s client was driving through the introduction of circumstantial evidence despite direct testimony from the Defendant as well as one of the Plaintiff’s that he was a passenger. Various motions to preclude the contents of the Police Report and Driver’s Citation were presented; however, the Court ordered that the Police Report and Citation could be used to refresh the Police Officer’s recollection. Ms. Gampico was able to establish that the Police Officer mistakenly included her client as a driver and cited him for a driving related violations due to the chaotic nature of the accident scene, immediate EMS involvement, as well as a language barrier. The jury rendered defense verdicts on behalf of Ms. Gampico’s client who was a Defendant and Additional Defendant in less than an hour.
Plaintiffs’ demands were respectively $35,000 and $15,000 prior to the trial. Nominal pre-trial offers were declined.
Questions regarding this matter may be directed to Ms. Gampico.
