A retail store security firm became the culprit of a horrific assault after one of its guards, acting with excessive force, severely injured a man exiting one of its stores. The security guard blindsided the man with a blow to the back of his head. The victim collapsed to the ground, at which point the guard kicked him three times while he was down. Adding insult to injury, the guard took out his phone and recorded a video of the attack, sharing it to social media. The unwarranted attack led to orbital fractures and a brain injury that would challenge the victim's way of life forever.
The act of aggression unfolded quickly, but the consequences were long-lasting. After the initial strike, the victim remained unconscious for over two minutes. During these two minutes, the guard stalked and circled the unresponsive body, taunting him. The man, dazed and gravely injured, eventually picked himself up and left the scene. However, he ultimately needed to be transported via ambulance to a hospital.
Facing mounting medical bills and severe brain damage from the violent attack, the man desperately needed effective legal representation. The initial attorney assigned to his case faced challenges in making progress, leaving the victim's hope for justice dwindling. A second attorney also failed to represent the man adequately. However, in 2020, attorney Shahrad Milanfar of Milanfar Law Firm, PC, stepped in to take over. Known for handling complex cases involving personal injury, police brutality, and nursing home abuse, Shahrad brought a new level of expertise and determination to reinvigorate the pursuit of justice for the victim.
Shahrad and his team faced an uphill battle as they worked to correct the mistakes made by the previous counsel and completely rebuild the case. They concentrated on the victim's life before the incident, detailing who he was and the lifelong issues he would endure due to the traumatic brain injury he sustained.
The Defense contested every argument Shahrad presented. Their expert claimed that the force of the blows had not reached the victim's brain, arguing he could not have been unconscious. Moreover, they sought to downplay the assault, asserting that the victim's traumatic brain injury claims were grossly overstated. However, Shahrad had anticipated this strategy. He enlisted a diverse team of experts, including neurologists, neuropsychologists, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and life care planners, to thoroughly demonstrate the severe consequences of the security guard's brutal actions.
Shahrad aimed to convey to the Defense the risks of facing him in trial. While he possessed expert testimony and comprehensive medical records, he sought to make a lasting impression. He needed to ensure the Defense comprehended the impression an egregious, unprovoked attack would have on a jury. To transcend mere words and fully bring the story to life, Shahrad engaged DK Global to enhance the security camera footage and reconstruct the assault.
The animation opened with enhanced security camera footage showing the Plaintiff exiting the store with his receipt in hand. The security guard followed closely behind. As they reached the parking lot, the guard struck the Plaintiff forcefully in the back of the head, causing him to collapse onto the asphalt. A timer indicated that the Plaintiff was unresponsive for over two minutes, during which the guard's phone footage, showing him taunting the victim, was overlaid. The recreation of the assault followed, highlighting the initial blow and three kicks to the head with a semi-transparent skull to illustrate the coup-contrecoup effect. It concluded with a damages presentation featuring radiology images of facial fractures and an animated brain highlighting sections correlated with function loss, emphasizing the severity of the injuries.
The case was strengthened by the DK Global animation and the concessions obtained in deposition from Defense experts regarding the accuracy of the animation and the significant injuries suffered by plaintiff. This approach helped facilitate closure for plaintiff without trial.
Shahrad Milanfar is the founding partner of Milanfar Law Firm, PC His career has focused on catastrophic personal injury, product liability, nursing home abuse, police brutality / civil rights, and truck accident cases. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer from 2020 to 2024 and has been one of the national trial lawyers top 100 from 2022 to 2024. One of Shahrad's recent victories includes a $32,087,227 verdict. This verdict was ranked as the largest elder abuse verdict in California in 2023. It was also the 12th largest personal injury verdict and the 17th largest overall verdict in California in 2023 as reported by TopVerdict.com.
