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Doe
Family v. Car Rental Company: Over $1 Million Dollars*
This
settlement is confidential as required by the defendant car rental
company. John Doe was killed by a drunk driver who had rented
a car from the Car Rental Company. The drunk driver had a $15,000
insurance policy. Not satisfied, we filed suit against the
Car Rental Company
and discovered that the drunk driver was unlicensed.
We
based our claim against
the Car Rental Company
on a theory of negligent entrustment. This case was fought tooth
and nail. Before trial the
Car Rental Company
offered the Doe family approximately $80,000.
The
jury awarded the Doe family $5 million dollars. $2.5 million from
Budget and $2.5 million from the drunk driver who was incarcerated
and who had little or no assets. With interest, the verdict against
Budget was over $3 million dollars. This case was tried by co-counsel
and was appealed.
Budget was represented by William Hoback of the Ericksen, Arbuthnot
law firm.
The
Court of Appeal reversed the judgment on a technicality. The case
was scheduled to be re-tried in September 2002 when Budget filed
for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Most of Budget's assets and liabilities
were then acquired by Cendant
Corporation in late 2002. A new trial was set for January
2004.
*This
case was settled in January of 2004 for a confidential sum that
exceeded 7 figures.
The
case was reported in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Oakland
Tribune.
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