About the Victim, Ida Fua
Ida Fua was a very bright, accomplished young lawyer. She graduated high in her class from UCLA School of Law, consistently ranked in the top fifteen in the country. She got a job with a top-tier Corporate Securities law firm in Silicon Valley, and she was on her way to achieving her dream of becoming a successful, highly compensated attorney. She was in a long-term relationship with a fellow lawyer, and she was physically healthy and content with her life.
Ida had the opportunity to interact with a lot of bright minds from the tech industry in Silicon Valley. Ida loved having the responsibility of guiding these tech companies through the minefield of legal obstacles.
The Taxi Cab Accident
One tragic day, Ida returned from a trip to Las Vegas with her boyfriend. They went to the dedicated taxi cab line at the San Francisco International Airport and got into a Yellow Cab.
Unfortunately, the driver was not paying attention and struck a stopped vehicle on Highway 101 at 55 mph. As a result, Ida suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and she was diagnosed with left sided hemi-paresis. She was basically paralyzed on the left side of her body. Ida will never be able to walk without assistance. Ida will never be able to work in her previous capacity as a lawyer. Her life has been turned upside down, physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively.
Yellow Cab’s Position
Yellow Cab chose to take no responsibility whatsoever for Ida’s injuries. Yellow Cab it did not own the cab, did not operate the cab, and did not hire the driver. Their position was basically “We’re not at fault.”
The Trial
Yellow Cab argued that they are not a transportation company – that their business model really has nothing to do with transporting a passenger from Point A to Point B. Yellow Cab tried to deceive our jury into believing that this corporation, Yellow Cab, is nothing more than a color scheme and a dispatch service.
The jury held Yellow Cab accountable because we proved the driver of the taxi cab was their ostensible employee. Yellow Cab intentionally creates the impression among taxi cab customers that its drivers are its agents and employees.
Yellow Cab spent hundreds and thousands of dollars trying to deny responsibility and to minimize the plaintiff’s injuries.
The verdict was for $8,080,000. Additional sums have been added to that amount to account for significant interest and court costs.
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