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JOHN EDWARDS
Democratic Candidate President, 2008 |
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Legal Professionals,
see
The
Thomson Legal Record for John R. Edwards
Providing the complete litigation record for John
Edwards |
| Born: |
June 10, 1953, Seneca, South
Carolina |
| Occupation: |
Director of the Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Prior Occupations: |
U.S. Senator, North Carolina
Trial Lawyer |
| Education: |
B.S., North Carolina State
University, 1974
J.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1977 |
Jump to: Cases
litigated by Edwards | Profile
| News & Commentary |
| Major Cases Litigated by John Edwards:
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PERSONAL INJURY & PRODUCT LIABILITY CASES
Beyond representing clients in routine personal injury cases, Edwards developed a specialty in swimming pool injury cases. In one case involving a 5-year-old girl who was disemboweled by suction from a pool drain, the jury awarded her $25M, the highest personal injury award in North Carolina history at the time.
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| Case |
Summary of Facts |
Case Type |
Result |
Lakey v. Sta-Rite Industries
(Wake Co. Superior Ct., NC, 1996) |
5-year-old girl was disemboweled, but
survived, after being caught and suctioned by wading pool's defective
drain. Despite 12 prior suits with similar claims, manufacturer
continued to make and sell drain covers lacking warnings. |
Product
Liability |
$25M
settlement |
Passe v. General Transport Systems, Inc.
(Wake Co. Superior Ct., NC, 1997) |
850-lb. box delivered to attorney's
home, fell on him breaking his back, causing paraplegia, and confinement
to wheelchair. |
Negligence |
$4M
settlement |
Weckbacher v. J.B. Hunt Transport
Servs., Inc.
(U.S. Dist. Ct., E.D.N.C. 1997) |
33-year-old died during rescue attempt after head-on pickup–tractor-trailer collision. Settlement
included worker's comp claim. |
Wrongful
Death |
$3M
settlement |
Buck v. Atlantic Veneer Corp.
(Carteret Co. Superior Ct., NC, 1987) |
Worker fractured both ankles, jaw,
and skull after fall from 24-foot scaffold in defendant's plywood
plant. |
Premises
Liability |
$2.3M
verdict |
Morgan v. Southeast Jurisdictional
Admin.
Council, Inc.
(Wake Co. Superior Ct., NC, 1988) |
14-year-old girl rendered quadriplegic
from neck injury resulting from improperly supervised dive into shallow
end of defendants' pool. |
Premises
Liability |
$875K
settlement |
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MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
CASES
Another specialty Edwards developed was
in medical malpractice cases involving problems during births of babies.
According to the New York Times, after Edwards won a $6.5M verdict
for a baby born with cerbral-palsy, he filed at least 20 similar lawsuits
against doctors and hospitals in deliveries gone wrong, winning verdicts
and settlements of more than $60M. |
| Case |
Summary of Facts |
Case Type |
Result |
Griffin v. Teague, et al.
(Mecklenburg Co. Superior Ct., NC, 1997) |
Application of abdominal pressure
and delay in performing c-section caused brain damage to infant and
resulted in child having cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia.
Verdict set record for malpractice award. |
Medical
Malpractice |
$23.25M
verdict
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Campbell v. Pitt County Memorial
Hosp.
(Pitt County, NC, 1985) |
Infant born with cerebral palsy after breech birth via vaginal delivery, rather than cesarean. Established North Carolina precedent of physician and hospital liability for failing to determine if patient understood risks of particular procedure. |
Medical
Malpractice |
$5.75M
settlement |
| Wiggs v. Glover, et al. |
Plaintiff alleged infant's severe
cerebral palsy was caused by negligent administration of pitocin,
failure to use fetal monitor, or timely intervening in baby's fetal
distress. |
Medical
Malpractice |
2.5M
settlement |
| Cooper v. Craven Regional
Med. Ctr., et al. |
Infant suffered severe brain damage
after obstetrician failed to moderate use of Picotin after baby displayed
clear fetal distress. |
Medical
Malpractice |
$2.5M
settlement |
Dixon v. Pitt County Memorial
Hospital
(Pitt County, NC) |
Birth-related injuries including
cerebral palsy and mental retardation allegedly caused by obstetrician's
failure to diagnose fetal distress, including umbilical cord wrapped
around baby's neck prior to delivery. |
Medical
Malpractice |
2.4M
settlement |
| Sawyer v. St. Joseph's Hospital |
Doctor prescribed drug overdose of
anti-alcoholism drug Antabuse, resulting in permanent brain and nerve
damage. |
Medical
Malpractice |
$3.7M
verdict |
| Estate of Fuller v. Mazzaglia |
38-year-old female committed suicide
after psychiatrist discontinued suicide watch. |
Medical
Malpractice |
$2.3M
verdict |
Allen v. Bostic
(Forsyth Co. Superior Ct., NC, 1991) |
Doctor's delay and failure to properrly treat 45-year-old's severely lacerated foot ultimately required amputation of foot three years later. |
Medical
Malpractice |
$.6M
settlement |
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MOTOR VEHICLE INJURY CASES
Another specialty Edwards developed was in motor vehicle accident and injury cases involving tractor-trailers.
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Howard v. Collins & Aikman Corp.
(NC Superior Ct., 1990) |
Suit against trucking company by estate of man killed by company driver, arguing that company acted recklessly in paying drivers by the mile, thereby encouraging unsafe conduct. |
Truck
Accident |
$6.5M
verdict |
Kim v. Poling & Bacon Construction Co., Inc.
(Wake Co. Superior Ct., NC, 1992) |
Head-on car-truck collision injured 5 in car, including 7-year-old who suffered fractured skull and massive brain injury |
Truck
Accident |
$5.9M
settlement |
Casey, et al. v. Fredrickson Motor
Exp. Corp.
(Buncombe Co. Superior Ct., NC, 1991) |
Part-time employee suffered severe brain damage after vehicle collided with defendant's semi-truck. |
Truck
Accident |
$4.5M
verdict |
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| Newsmaker Profile:
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As a veteran trial lawyer, John Edwards brings to his Vice Presidential
candidacy years of legal experience honed in personal injury cases in
state and federal courts. Until he graduated law school at the University
of North Carolina, he explains in his autobiography The Four Trials, "[t]here
were no lawyers in my extended family. There were millworkers, grocery
clerks, ministers, Marines, boxers - but not lawyers." When he was eleven
years old, Edwards wrote that he wanted to be a lawyer "to protect innocent
people from blind justice the best I can." Edwards pursed this vision
trying to live his life by righting wrongs, captivated by television shows
like The Fugitive and Perry Mason. Twenty-seven years after he passed
the bar exam, Edwards' track record as a litigator remains remarkable:
according to North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, he obtained verdicts and settlements
for his clients totaling more than $175 million over his career.
Click for Full Profile
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| News and Commentary:
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From FindLaw's Writ:
Political Commentary:
News: *
- From Atticus Finch to John Edwards, the trial lawyer has often been the face of Southern liberalism
The Boston Globe (Oct. 3, 2004)
- Edwards charms conventioneers
The Virginian-Pilot (July 29, 2004)
- A courtroom master faces his biggest jury
USA Today (July 28, 2004)
- To Many, Edwards Is Defined By Work Ethic, Family
The Washington Post (July 28, 2004)
- Edwards Courts the Wrong America
The American Spectator (July 21, 2004)
- Edwards honed campaign skills in courts
Associated Press, via USA Today (July 18, 2004)
- Edwards: From Trial Lawyer To V.P. Candidate
Interview of Judge Robert Farmer (Retired), Hannity & Colmes, Fox News (July 14, 2004)
- Trial lawyers comment on choice of Edwards
The Daily Local News (Philadelphia
suburbs) (July 13, 2004)
- In Trial Work, Edwards Left a Trademark
The New York Times (Jan. 31, 2004)
*Some online newsmedia, such as the New York Times and Washington post, require registration prior to providing access to articles or columns.
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