Joe Stephens Wins $7 Million Verdict Against Houston Yellow Cab

On June 30, 2014, plaintiff Diane Perez was struck by a Yellow Cab van that had ran a stop sign. The resulting collision inflicted severe back injuries to the defendant including several disc herniations. Perez spent the next 14 months going to physical therapy and chiropractic care and underwent a two-level cervical fusion. The residual effects of the accident left Perez in continual pain that required ongoing steroid injections and other pain-blocking procedures.

Houston Yellow Cab Denies Liability for Car Crash Injuries

Houston Yellow Cab’s parent company, Greater Houston Transportation Company, claimed in their defense that the driver of the van, Delwende Nikiema, was not an employee and therefore the company had no liability in the matter. A lower court ruled in favor of the taxi cab company but the ruling was later overturned by the Texas 1st Court of Appeals. This court found that despite a contract stating that Nikiema was a contract employee, he had in fact acted as an employee and that GHTC was his employer at the time of the car wreck.

At trial, Joe Stephens asked the jury to award Perez $3.36 million for future medical expenses and $4 million in noneconomic damages. The noneconomic damages were for the past and future physical pain and suffering, past and future mental anguish, past and future disfigurement, and past and future physical impairment suffered by Perez.

The jury found that Nikiema’s negligence in failing to stop at a stop sign, while speeding, caused the accident that resulting in Perez’s injuries. The jury also found that he was operating his van as an employee of Yellow Cab at the time of the accident.

Perez was awarded $7,011,000 dollars by the jury. Perez filed a proposed judgment seeking $7,101,000, less the $30,000 offset for the settlement with Nikiema, plus $306,250 in prejudgment interest, for a total of $7,377,250. Yellow Cab’s counsel has stated they will move forward with an appeal of the court’s ruling.

Unfortunately, Greater Houston Transportation Company has filed for bankruptcy. This verdict is in the process of being collected, and it is too early to predict how much the client will collect, if any.

See Verdict Search notes here.