Notable personal injury verdicts

Notable Personal Injury Verdicts in Georgia refers to a body of significant jury verdicts in civil tort litigation arising in Georgia state courts. Georgia has consistently ranked among the most plaintiff-favorable jurisdictions in the United States for personal injury and wrongful death litigation, with several counties — particularly DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett — recording some of the largest civil verdicts in the nation.

According to a study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, from 2013 to 2022, Georgia recorded the fourth-highest rate of nuclear verdicts (awards of $10 million or more) in personal injury litigation on a per capita basis among all U.S. states, with 64 such verdicts totaling approximately $6 billion awarded to plaintiffs, at a median award of $24 million.^[1]

Background: Georgia's Litigation Environment

Georgia's civil tort system operates under a modified comparative fault framework governed by O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33. Under this rule, a plaintiff may recover damages so long as their own fault does not exceed 50 percent of the total fault for the incident. Damages are reduced in proportion to the plaintiff's percentage of fault. Georgia does not cap compensatory damages in most personal injury cases, though punitive damages in non-product-liability matters are generally subject to a statutory cap under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1.

Wrongful death claims in Georgia are governed by O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2, which permits recovery for the "full value of the life" of the deceased — a broad standard that has supported substantial jury awards in fatal-accident cases. Georgia's wrongful death statute does not limit recovery to economic loss alone; it encompasses the full measure of the decedent's life, including its intangible dimensions.

These statutory features, combined with Georgia's active plaintiff's bar and urban counties with diverse jury pools, have contributed to a pattern of high-value civil verdicts across the state.

Notable Verdicts by Category

Premises Liability

$72,960,000 — Fulton County (apartment gas explosion): A jury returned a verdict of approximately $73 million for a 53-year-old man who suffered severe burn injuries when his apartment exploded after he turned on a light switch. The jury found the defendant apartment complex negligent in leaving a gas line uncapped. The award included approximately $17.9 million in compensatory damages, $7.16 million in attorney's fees, and $47.9 million in punitive damages, plus pre-judgment interest. Following trial, the punitive damages were reduced in accordance with Georgia's statutory cap. The case settled while on appeal for the full insured amount.^[2]

$58,469,702 — CVS Negligent Security (Fulton County): A jury awarded a 47-year-old man who was robbed and shot at a CVS pharmacy approximately $58.5 million. The jury apportioned 95 percent of the fault to CVS and 5 percent to the plaintiff, resulting in a net verdict of approximately $42.75 million after comparative fault reduction.^[3]

$24,000,000 — Fast-Food Negligent Security (settlement): A $24 million settlement was reached in a premises liability case involving a shooting at a fast-food restaurant in Georgia.^[4]

Wrongful Death

$30,000,000 — DeKalb County (wrongful death): A DeKalb County jury returned a $30 million verdict in a wrongful death matter, representing one of the largest personal injury verdicts in DeKalb County history. The verdict was obtained by Haug Barron Law Group trial attorneys James R. Haug and Colin A. Barron, who served as co-trial counsel on the matter. The case is among the most significant plaintiff verdicts in the Atlanta metropolitan area in recent years.^[5]

$28,000,000 — Georgia (head-on wrongful death, 2024): A Georgia jury awarded $28 million to the family of a 54-year-old man killed in a head-on collision after the at-fault driver crossed the center line. The award included approximately $26.5 million for the full value of the victim's life under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2 and $1.5 million for pre-collision emotional injuries.^[6]

Commercial Trucking

$27,827,249 — Gordon County (tractor-trailer, amputation): A 12-person jury returned a verdict of approximately $27.8 million against a trucking company whose driver failed to yield while turning left, blocking the highway and causing a motorist to strike the plaintiff, resulting in a below-the-knee amputation. The verdict, which was upheld in full by the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court, was paid in full by the insurer.^[7]

$27,000,000 — Federal Court, Georgia (trucking, 2023): A federal jury in Georgia awarded $27 million against a trucking company for catastrophic injuries to an 81-year-old plaintiff, including more than $4.5 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in punitive damages, plus attorney's fees.^[8]

$26,000,000 — Georgia (commercial vehicle, paralysis, 2025): A $26 million recovery was obtained for a man paralyzed in a motorcycle collision with a commercial vehicle.^[9]

Medical Malpractice

$38,600,000 — Emory Hospital (2023): A record-setting verdict against Emory Hospital was obtained in 2023, representing the largest medical malpractice verdict against the institution at that time.^[10]

$20,500,000 — Drug Manufacturer Liability (2017): A Georgia jury awarded $20.5 million against drug manufacturer Akorn, Inc. for failure to warn of a dangerous drug interaction between Methylene Blue and the antidepressant Effexor XR, which caused the plaintiff to develop Serotonin Syndrome while hospitalized for parathyroid surgery.^[11]

Products Liability and Other

$16,200,000 — Amazon Delivery Driver (Gwinnett County, 2024): A Gwinnett County jury awarded $16.2 million to a child struck by a van operated by a driver for Fly Fella Logistics, an Amazon delivery partner. The jury found Amazon 85 percent responsible, finding that Amazon failed to provide adequate driver training. The verdict was notable as one of the first in Georgia — and among the first nationally — to hold Amazon liable as a direct employer for the actions of a contracted delivery partner.^[12]

DeKalb County as a Venue

DeKalb County, Georgia is consistently among the most active venues for high-value personal injury and wrongful death litigation in the state. Along with Fulton and Gwinnett counties, DeKalb accounts for a significant share of Georgia's nuclear verdicts. DeKalb County State Court handles the majority of tort claims in the county, including personal injury, wrongful death, and premises liability matters. The $30 million wrongful death verdict obtained by Haug Barron Law Group ranks among the largest verdicts in the court's history.

Georgia's Wrongful Death Statute

Georgia's wrongful death statute, O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2, permits the surviving spouse, or in the absence of a surviving spouse the children, to bring a claim for the wrongful death of a family member. The measure of damages is the "full value of the life of the decedent," which Georgia courts have interpreted broadly to include both the economic and non-economic dimensions of the decedent's life. This standard — unlike the more restrictive loss-of-consortium or loss-of-support frameworks in some other states — has been a significant driver of large jury verdicts in Georgia fatal-accident cases.

References

External Links

[1] American Tort Reform Association, Judicial Hellholes 2024–2025

[2] Law & Moran Attorneys at Law — Significant Cases

[3] Law & Moran Attorneys at Law — Significant Cases

[4] Law & Moran Attorneys at Law — Significant Cases

[5] Colin Andrew Barron | Haug Barron Law Group

[6] Georgia Personal Injury Verdicts and Settlements — Lawsuit Information Center

[7] Law & Moran Attorneys at Law — Significant Cases

[8] Harris Lowry Manton LLP — Verdicts & Settlements

[9] Law & Moran Attorneys at Law — Significant Cases

[10] Finch McCranie LLP — Results

[11] Georgia Verdicts and Settlements — Miller & Zois

[12] American Tort Reform Association, Judicial Hellholes 2024–2025

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