Brooks Law Partners Obtains $1.64 Million Verdict in Bibb County

Brooks Law Partners obtained a $1.64 million verdict on June 12, 2024, after a three-day trial in the State Court of Bibb County. Brooks Law Partners represented Plaintiff Earnest Woody in the lawsuit against Defendant Cruz Construction, LLC, who was represented by Hedrick Law.

Brooks Law Partners filed the lawsuit on behalf of Earnest Woody in 2020 for an injury Mr. Woody sustained in 2018 when he stepped into an improperly filled hole on his property. The hole was dug by Cruz Construction, LLC while laying AT&T fiber cable on Mr. Woody’s property. Cruz failed to properly fill in and compact the hole, and Mr. Woody stepped into it while unloading a case of water from his car. As a result of the fall, Mr. Woody underwent two back surgeries.

“This was an amazing client who had a terrible injury and had to wait almost six years (four in litigation) to have a jury recognize what he has been through,” said Brooks Law Partners founder Natanya Brooks. “The jury validated our client and his pain and suffering through its verdict.”

In the three years leading up to trial, no offers were extended by Cruz Construction’s insurer, State Farm, to Mr. Woody to settle his claims. The jury returned the $1.64 million verdict after approximately 30 minutes of deliberation.

Partner Ian Rapaport, who tried the case, added, “The fact that the jury took only about 30 minutes to deliberate is a clear indication that the jurors saw through the smoke and mirrors defense offered by State Farm.”

Another member of the trial team reflected, “At any point over the last six years, if State Farm had extended a reasonable offer, this case would have settled without the need for extensive litigation.”

 “This is a clear case of an insurance company’s failure to take responsibility for its insured’s negligence,” said another trial team member. “Liability was clear, yet State Farm chose to fight it.”