T. Gabe Houston Obtains $8M Verdict

Authored By: Ollie Lammers

Our friend and client T. Gabe Houston with Houston Law of California recently obtained $8M on behalf of his client Joey Soulliere.

The plaintiff was riding his 2009 Suzuki GSXR 600 motorcycle under the speed limit when a vehicle pulled out of a parking lot in front of him. When Joey Soulliere hit the brakes, they didn’t respond, and he collided with the vehicle and was thrown from his motorcycle.

The accident left Joey Soulliere with multiple injuries including a crushed right kneecap, catastrophic femur fracture, and left foot Lisfranc fracture. To recover from the many injuries the plaintiff suffered required hardware to be placed in his kneecap, foot, and femur.

The plaintiff was driving under the speed limit at the time of the crash. Experts on both sides testified that, at the speed he was travelling, he should have been able to stop in the time and distance he had between him and the vehicle.  The defense contended the plaintiff failed to apply the brakes properly, and that brake failure has nothing to do with the accident. Notably, Suzuki had been aware of defective front brakes on this model of motorcycle for several years prior to this collision.  Suzuki recalled the front brake master cylinder due to a defect four months after the collision.

The jury ordered the defense to pay $6M in punitive damages and $2M in compensatory damages. Congratulations and job well done, to our friends and clients at Houston Law of California. We are proud to support all plaintiff attorneys as they fight for justice.

About Donna A. Jones

Donna Jones is the President at Advocate Capital, which became a part of Pinnacle in 2019. Ms. Jones is a member of the Board of Directors of Advocate Capital and serves as a member of the Credit Committee. Her responsibilities include education and training of Advocate Capital staff regarding civil litigation, coaching new clients on the fundamentals of Advocate’s online services, as well as its proprietary software application, AdvoTrac®, and all activities related to existing and prospective clients.