M.C. Sungaila and Matt Stucky, retained following a multimillion-dollar judgment against a Southern California construction firm, successfully persuaded a California superior court judge to grant their client a completely new trial.
The case involved an alleged violation of employment law, and the 6-day jury trial resulted in an economic damages award of $1.1 million, punitive damages award of $900,000, and request for attorney’s fees of $2.1 million. In their motion for new trial, M.C. and Matt argued that the trial court’s refusal to bifurcate the punitive damages phase and error in the jury instructions denied their client a fair trial. The trial court’s ruling conceded those errors during trial, concluded they likely led to the jury considering impermissible factors when reaching its verdict, and granted the motion.
The case is Dababneh v. Doja, Inc., et al., San Bernardino Superior Court, No. CIVSB2227356.