$6.234 Million Workers’ Comp Settlement
Note: The recoveries in these cases are not necessarily indicative of recoveries in similar cases in the future, since each case must be decided on its own facts and circumstances.
- Settlement: $6.234 Million (7th largest among all 52)
- Case name: Steele v. William A. Hazel Inc., et al.
- Case type: Worker’s comp
- Court: Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission
- Mediator: Brooke Anne C. Hunter
- Attorneys: Craig B. Davis, Richmond
- Summary:An 18-year-old construction worker was struck in the head by a heavy piece of equipment while on the job. He suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. Efforts to return the plaintiff to some form of gainful employment failed, and he was eventually placed in a residential brain injury rehabilitation facility.The employer’s workers’ compensation carrier agreed to plaintiff’s entry of permanent and total disability, so long as he agreed to engage in settlement negotiations. At mediation, the disability benefits and non-Medicare covered treatments were settled for a cash payment of $6 million. He received a Medicare Set-Aside of $234,989. A special needs trust was set up to incorporate the MSA. The payout is the largest reported workers’ compensation settlement in Virginia.
Million Dollar Settlements of 2012
Virginia Lawyers Weekly presented their survey of “Million Dollar Settlements of 2012,” their annual compilation of big settlements from across the commonwealth.
Criteria for the list are simple:
- The settlement must be for at least $1 million.
- The settlement was reached in calendar year 2012.
- The settlement involved a dispute with a strong Virginia component.
The 2012 survey features 52 settlements in total, and our firm had three as follows:
- $7.75 Million Slip & Fall Settlement
- $6.234 Million Workers’ Comp Settlement
- $1.25 Million Automobile Accident Settlement