Verdicts & Settlements

Always prepared for trial. Never settling for second best.

Our lawyers prepare every case as if it were going to trial. This level of preparation for litigation has resulted in many successful settlements for our clients. When defendants refuse to settle, or fail to offer an appropriate settlement amount, our lawyers have no qualms about pursuing the maximum compensation available at trial. We have successfully tried hundreds of state and federal cases across Tennessee, securing millions of dollars for victims of auto accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, child injury cases and personal injury. You can find a small sampling of our work below.

Personal injury

• $4,000,0000 SETTLEMENT for construction worker who suffered life-threatening and life-changing burns to his neck, cheek, chest, back and legs in an industrial work site explosion. An out-of-court settlement was reached in private mediation. Rocky and co-counsel obtained nationwide experts for the case.
• $1,638,561 JURY VERDICT obtained for widow and family of a man who was struck and killed while walking in a cross-walk in Hillsboro Village area of Nashville. Award was for the family’s loss of the love and guidance of the husband and father as well as the economic value of his expected remaining work life.
• $401,000 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for construction worker severely injured when a boom truck he was operating overturned and severely injured him.
• $250,000 TRIAL VERDICT for young female who was assaulted with a baseball bat in the parking lot at work by two men and two women engaged in a civil conspiracy against the young lady. Compensation was awarded for physical injuries, emotional distress, pain and suffering, medical bills and lost wages.
• CONFIDENTIAL OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for handy man seriously burned where he was working in basement fire explosion caused by fumes from a dangerous product spreading to the ignited gas water heater. Client suffered burns to his arms, chest, back and legs. He incurred over $1,000,000 in medical bills at Vanderbilt Burn Unit. Rocky had fire origin expert from Alabama and an industry leading liability expert from New York. Case was against the seller of the product for negligence.
• CONFIDENTIAL OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for construction worker paralyzed when a boom truck he was operating turned over at a construction site in Bellevue area of Nashville and he was struck in the head by the crashing crane. Case was against the lessor of the truck for failing to comply with industry safety standards.
• $165,000 SETTLEMENT for self-employed man who suffered a crush injury to his hand while making a delivery of product to the Farmer’s Market when a tow motor driver lost the load and it pinned client’s hand to the bed of the truck. Injury developed into reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

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Auto and tractor-trailer accidents

• $1,500,000 SETTLEMENT for a young actress injured when the van she was riding in on I-40 West was hit from behind by a speeding tractor-trailer. Client had numerous broken bones and fractures. Medical bills were $174,000.00.
• $500,000 SETTLEMENT for 62-year-old lady who suffered bilateral ankle fractures and a lacerated liver when a negligent hospital executive turned left in front of the client causing a serious auto crash. Client spent four weeks in rehab hospital and had $84,000 in medical expenses.
• $450,000 SETTLEMENT for HVAC supervisor who sustained ACL tear and fracture of the knee when a teenage driver ran a stop sign and hit the company pickup truck. Client had $40,000 in medical bills and lost wages. Insurance for the negligent teenager and underinsurance on the company truck paid money toward the settlement.
• $265,000 SETTLEMENT for young lady who was forced to get married on a walker because, as a passenger, she received a compound femur fracture in a one vehicle wreck in Missouri just weeks before her wedding day.

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Motorcycle accidents

• $100,000 POLICY LIMIT SETTLEMENT for Nashville man rear-ended on his motorcycle as he was stopped for a red light. He had orthopaedic injuries and was treated at the Vanderbilt Trauma Unit.
• POLICY LIMITS SETTLEMENT for Nashville semi-professional football player who was injured when a car pulled out in front of his motorcycle. He was treated at the Vanderbilt Trauma Unit and incurred over $70,000 in medical expenses.
• CONFIDENTIAL POLICY LIMITS SETTLEMENT for Madison man injured on his way to work at 6:30 in the morning when a car ran a red light at the intersection of Gallatin Road and Myatt Drive in Rivergate. The client suffered a serious broken leg and other orthopaedic injuries.

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Workers compensation

The Rocky McElhaney Law Firm has handled hundreds, if not thousands, of workers compensation cases ranging from less severe trigger finger and sprain injuries to catastrophic injuries resulting in paraplegia and debilitating orthopaedic conditions. Over the years, settlements and judgments have ranged from $2,500 to $790,000. Each workers compensation case is different and is based on its unique facts and the law that applies to that case. The results below are some of our most memorable successes. However, RML has handled much smaller cases for injuries to the hands, wrists, arms, elbows, shoulder, neck, back, hips, knees, ankles, toes, fingers and mental conditions resulting from on-the-job injuries as well.

• $790,115.16 TRIAL COURT JUDGMENT in February 2011 for injured General Motors worker who was given a permanent restriction from her orthopaedic surgeon of no use of the right arm. Judgment will pay the worker until she reaches age 67.
• $535,000 TRIAL COURT JUDGMENT for construction worker severely burned in an industrial explosion at Glenn Springs Holdings in Columbia, Tennessee. The award is a maximum award for this worker.
• $370,000 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for injured air craft assembler in Nashville, Tennessee who suffered a severe low back injury which precluded him from returning to work for his pre-injury employer.
• $198,000 SETTLEMENT for construction worker injured when a boom truck he was operating overturned and severely injured him. This was a maximum award available to this injured worker. In addition, RML was able to obtain very costly and extensive home modifications to accommodate the injured worker in his disabled condition.
• $252,000 TRIAL COURT JUDGMENT for a nurse who injured her back working at Highland Manor nursing home in Portland, Tennessee when a resident struck her with a motorized wheelchair and knocked her to the ground. This was a maximum available recovery for this injured Tennessee worker.
• $239,600 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for General Motors worker who injured his low back at work and was unable to continue to work in the automobile assembly profession.
• $245,000 PRE-TRIAL SETTLEMENT for injured General Motors worker who slipped in oil and injured his knee and shoulder. While walking on a deck at his house, the knee buckled causing the worker to fall and have a serious fracture of his ankle. The combination of these injuries precluded the injured worker from returning to automobile assembly work at General Motors.
• $272,800 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for worker injured at General Motors when a tow motor struck his leg causing severe soft tissue and tendon injury. The worker was assigned a cane for permanent use and was unable to return to the workplace at General Motors.
• $240,000 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for injured General Motors worker resulting from repetitive injuries to her elbows, shoulders and neck. The worker underwent four separate surgeries and was unable to return to work at General Motors’ manufacturing facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
• $250,000 SETTLEMENT for injured General Motors worker who injured her neck, back and shoulders when she tripped over an angle iron and fell onto the assembly line. She had neck and back surgery and was unable to return to work at the manufacturing facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
• $238,680 TRIAL COURT JUDGMENT affirmed on appeal for Spring Hill woman who suffered bilateral thumb and wrist injuries while working at Saturn Corporation/General Motors in Spring Hill, Tennessee. After two surgeries, the worker was unable to return to her position at General Motors. The company appealed the trial court’s ruling and the decision was upheld on appeal, Haake v. Saturn Corporation 2009 WL 3925399 (Tenn. Sp. Work Comp. Panel Nov. 18, 2009).
• $258,908 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for injured mechanic who worked at Carl Black Chevrolet who was injured when a co-worker “revved” up an engine in the shop which reverberated and caused a rare ear injury known as hyperacusis to the injured worker. Hyperacusis is hypersensitivity to sound, the opposite of hearing loss. As a result of the injury, the worker was unable to continue to work as a mechanic which he had done for most of his adult life. RML also assisted the injured worker in obtaining Social Security Disability benefits.

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Premises liability

• $419,157.62 JURY VERDICT against Suburban Lodge in favor of a woman who was injured on a defective and dangerous disability assessable ramp at the hotel. The proof at trial established that the ramp violated Metro codes and was dangerous and defective. The injured lady suffered a fractured ankle and underwent knee surgery. The judgment will help the injured woman receive future medical care that her doctor testified she would need as a result of her injuries.
• $220,000 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for injured West Virginia man against national hotel chain based upon injuries to his wrist and shoulder when he fell in oily and standing water in the handicap accessible parking spaces. The Plaintiff alleged that the hotel was negligent in the design and maintenance of the disability accessible parking spaces, including inadequate drainage and negligent maintenance.
• $95,000 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for Nashville woman against a now-closed nightclub. While she was in the restroom, a patron spilled a drink and employees of the nightclub mopped up the drink but failed to place any signs in the area. When the woman came out of the restroom, she did not know that the floor was wet and fell suffering serious injuries. The injured woman underwent knee surgery.

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Nursing home abuse

• CONFIDENTIAL OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for family of a woman who died as a result of pressure sores (decubitus ulcers) which developed during improper and poor care in a Coffee County nursing home.
• CONFIDENTIAL OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for family of a 91-year-old lady who was dropped during a transfer and suffered a broken femur. After surgery to repair the broken femur, the patient died. The transfer was done improperly and against the written procedures and protocols established by a Nashville-based nursing home.
• CONFIDENTIAL OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for daughters of a 54-year-old nursing home resident who developed pressure sores because of negligent care rendered by the nursing home. After several surgeries to cut away rotting tissue, the patient passed away as a result of complications due to the pressure sores.

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Child injuries

• POLICY LIMITS SETTLEMENT for seven-year-old boy who was in a severe motor vehicle collision which took the life of his grandmother. RML assisted the family in placing the net settlement proceeds into a structured settlement which will provide needed financial assistance to the little boy in the future.
• $245,925 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for five-year-old little boy from Murfreesboro who was struck by a construction dump truck while he played in his family’s driveway. The little boy was life-flighted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he was treated in the trauma unit. He ultimately made a full recovery but incurred medical expenses of approximately $50,000. RML assisted the family in placing the policy limit settlement proceeds for the minor child into a structured settlement which will pay guaranteed benefits to the child of $245,925.89.
• $90,000 OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for a two-year-old who suffered a simple fracture of his leg at a day care when another child jumped from a plastic slide and landed on the client. RML alleged and proved that the day care had the wrong type of playground equipment for the age group using the equipment and failed to comply with state mandated teacher/child ratios which led to poor supervision of the children.
• CONFIDENTIAL OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT against restaurant franchise when a six-month-old child suffered burns to his hand when the waitress placed hot mashed potatoes in front of the baby.
• CONFIDENTIAL OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT for 11-year-old Bedford County pre-teen boy who was struck by a construction vehicle as he rode his bicycle in the street. RML assisted the family in placing the net settlement proceeds for the minor into a structured settlement which will go tax free and provide substantial benefits to the minor including college education funding.
• CONFIDENTIAL OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT against restaurant franchise because a waitress negligently spilled hot coffee on a nine-month-old child causing second degree burns.

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Let Rocky fight for you and your family.

Call Rocky at 615-338-6121 or contact the firm online to schedule an initial consultation. From our offices in the historic Germantown section of Nashville, the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm represents clients throughout the state of Tennessee, including Knoxville, Memphis, Hendersonville, Columbia, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga and Kingsport.