Case Results
Verdicts That Speak for Themselves
We try the cases that should be tried. Here is what that determination has meant for our clients.
Featured verdict
$104 Million — Peterson v. Sta-Rite
One of the largest pool-related personal-injury verdicts in United States history — and one of the cases that helped reshape the national conversation about pool-drain safety.
Verdict for a teenager catastrophically injured by pool suction entrapment.
POOL SUCTION ENTRAPMENT · PRODUCT LIABILITY
The mechanism. A young swimmer was fixed to a pool drain by the powerful suction generated by the pool’s own pump. Escape without external intervention was impossible.
What the case established. The verdict addressed a manufacturer’s responsibility to design against and warn about a known risk of catastrophic entrapment injury from unsafe pool drain design — a risk long documented in the pool industry.
Beyond the courtroom. The Peterson case became a reference point in pool-safety discussions and helped focus national attention on drain safety in the years leading up to the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act.
Additional record verdicts
A career of results, not settlements
Every one of these outcomes started as a case another firm might have settled quickly. We prepared them for trial — and delivered.
PREMISES LIABILITY
$100M+
Landmark Negligent-Security Verdict
One of the largest negligent-security verdicts of its kind for an individual client. Held a commercial property owner accountable after a violent crime that a competent security program would have prevented.
AQUATIC INJURY
$100M+
Catastrophic-Injury Verdict
One of three separate $100 million-plus verdicts secured by Michael Haggard for individual clients — each in a case that turned on specialized mechanism proof.
OVERALL RECORD
3 Verdicts
$100M+ Trial Record for Individual Clients
The only plaintiff’s personal-injury attorney with three separate $100 million-plus verdicts on behalf of individual clients — a distinction reflecting a career-long willingness to try the cases that should be tried.
Behind the numbers
Why these verdicts are possible
The results come from a specific way of preparing and trying cases — not luck.
Try, don’t settle
Every case is prepared as if it will be tried to verdict. That preparation is what forces the settlement or wins the verdict — we do not choose easy over right.
Litigate by mechanism
We build each case around the physics, engineering, and industry knowledge of what actually happened. Where others use narrative, we use evidence.
National-authority expertise
Aquatic injury and premises liability are our exclusive focus. The specialized knowledge that turns a difficult case into a survivable one is the knowledge we live in every day.
Recognition
Peer-recognized, publication-listed, jury-tested
A record recognized by the peers, publications, and organizations that shape our profession.
Free, confidential consultation
Talk to us now. We care.
Tell us what happened. There is no fee unless we win, and your conversation with us is always confidential. Prefer to talk now? Call (833) 652-7600.