The Haggard Law Firm’s Pedro Echarte and Michael Haggard have obtained a $19.5 Million global settlement involving two separate negligent security cases against common defendants. While the incidents were entirely unrelated, the same common defendants owned and operated the two multi-family residential properties in South Florida. Both incidents happened only months apart from each other. The names of the parties are confidential. Because both incidents were covered by the same insurance policies, Echarte and Haggard negotiated the settlement of both cases for the available policy limits of $19,000,000 in addition to an extra $500,000 directly from the defendant property management company. Both cases settled shortly after the respective lawsuits were filed.
John Doe 1’s Case
On March 20, 2022, Haggard Law’s client John Doe 1 went to a South Florida apartment complex to pick up a friend. While sitting in his car, an assailant walked up and began shooting. The vehicle was struck several times and John Doe 1 was shot once in the head.
The victim brought claims against the owner of the apartment complex and the property manager for failing to have reasonable security measures in place to prevent and deter criminal activity. The apartment complex had a history of criminal activity, which included prior shootings, armed robberies, assaults, as well as other types of criminal activity. Despite that history of crime and the risk that existed there to residents and guests, the Defendants did not have any security in place to address the risk – the property had no access control, surveillance cameras, or manned security.
As a result of the shooting, the victim suffered severe, catastrophic, and permanent injuries. The victim was 17 years old (a day shy of 18th birthday) when he was shot. He was taken to the hospital and although initially responsive, he deteriorated quickly. He underwent a decompressive hemicraniectomy to relieve pressure in his brain. He was intubated for over a week and spent 15 days in the hospital. John Doe 1 was later discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation facility where he spent another 17 days. He was subsequently discharged and continued extensive therapy and rehabilitation. He also underwent a cranioplasty to repair his skull.
Since then he has improved significantly, but Joe Doe 1 continues to struggle with his injuries and recovery since the shooting. He still has significant cognitive deficits, including speech limitations and he often gets distracted and confused. He also lost the ability to control his right arm and hand and can’t fully ambulate. He continues to have severe headaches and gets dizzy often. Considering the foregoing issues, he can’t fully care for himself and requires the assistance of his family to help him.
John Doe 2’s Case
John Doe 2 was shot at a separate apartment complex that was also in South Florida, but in a different county than John Doe I. The Haggard Law Firm client worked in home maintenance and was hired by a resident in the Defendant’s community. In the course of doing his job, he was attacked by several people who started shooting him. Although they were arrested and charged, no motive was ever established for the shooting. However, it became apparent that the assailants tracked John Doe 2 to the apartment complex where he was attacked using a GPS tracking device they had placed on his vehicle several days before. The victim brought claims against the owner of the apartment complex and the property manager for failing to have reasonable security measures in place to prevent and deter criminal activity. The apartment complex had a history of criminal activity, which included one prior shooting, fights, and burglaries.
Despite that history of crime and the risk that existed there to residents and guests, the Defendants did not have any security in place to address the risk – the property had broken access control gates, no surveillance cameras, and no manned security. As a result of the shooting, the victim suffered severe, catastrophic, and permanent injuries. He was unresponsive and taken by fire rescue to the hospital after he was shot several times.
He had severe injuries to his face, head and brain (among other injuries) and underwent an emergency craniectomy, and a large portion of his skull was removed. He was initially hospitalized for an extensive period of time and underwent numerous surgical procedures. He was eventually discharged home and moved in with a loved one, who became his 24/7 caregiver. He has suffered from numerous complications since his discharge, including numerous infections and seizures that have required subsequent hospitalizations. He also went to a cranioplasty to repair his missing skull.
John Doe 2 continues to suffer from his injuries, including cognitive deficits and seizures. He has undergone extensive medical care and hospitalizations since he was first discharged. Many of these subsequent issues have been due to recurring infections. He is unable to care for himself and now lives with his loved one. He is no longer able to work.
