2011-2012 “Best Law Firms” Recognition

/in /by
Hollingsworth Kelly recognized in the 2011-2012 “Best Law Firms” rankings by U.S. News and World Report-Best Lawyers.

November 8, 2011

Hollingsworth Kelly is pleased to announce it has been recognized in the 2011-2012 “Best Law Firms” rankings. These rankings, which are presented in tiers, showcase 9,633 different law firms ranked nationally in one or more of 75 major legal practice areas and in metropolitan or state rankings in one or more of 119 major legal practice areas. The rankings in their entirety are located online at http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com.

Hollingsworth Kelly Law Firm retained mention in the Tucson Tier 1 category for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs.

“Best Law Firms” was determined by surveying thousands of law firm clients, leading lawyers, law firm managers, partners, associates, marketing officers and recruiting officers. The U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers publication states that the “Best Law Firms” provides a comprehensive view of the U.S. legal profession that is unprecedented both in the range of firms represented and in the range of qualitative and quantitative data used to develop the rankings. Achieving a high ranking is a special distinction that signals a unique combination of excellence and breadth of expertise.

“It is an honor to be recognized by Best Lawyers as a top-tier law firm,” said Attorney Louis Hollingsworth. “We work hard to represent our clients, not for the purpose of receiving awards and commendations, but to try to make a significant difference in their lives.”

Combining decades of courtroom experience, the attorneys at Hollingsworth Kelly have successfully represented people who have suffered a personal injury from a car accident, wrongful death injury, or medical malpractice.

Arizona Court of Appeals Affirms $1.5 Million Verdict

/in /by
Arizona Court of Appeals affirms the $1.5 Million Verdict won by Tucson Attorneys against BCI Coca-Cola for a slip and fall accident.

April 15, 2011

A kindergarten teacher represented by Tucson personal injury attorneys Louis Hollingsworth and Michael Kelly, from the Hollingsworth Kelly Law Firm, was awarded $1.5 million in damages against BCI Coca-Cola for a slip and fall accident in a local grocery store. In August 2009, a jury found BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Company liable for the unsafe conditions that caused the accident. BCI Coca-Cola appealed the verdict. The Court of Appeals for the State of Arizona, Division Two, affirmed the jury award.

A Pima County Superior Court found that while shopping in a local Fry’s Food and Drug, the woman slipped and fell on water that had leaked from a refrigerator owned by BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Company. She suffered a herniated disk, which required surgery, and has experienced chronic pain since the injury. Although the defendant argued that the Fry’s grocery store, where the incident occurred, was 100 percent liable, service records revealed the refrigerator had a history of leaking for two years prior to the accident but was never replaced by BCI Coca-Cola.

According to Pima County Superior Court records, Hollingsworth Kelly Law Firm personal injury attorneys filed a slip and fall lawsuit on behalf of the kindergarten teacher after BCI Coca-Cola refused to settle for the requested amount of $149,000, instead countering with an offer of $30,000. A four-day trial ensued, during which the jury heard testimony from the plaintiff’s chiropractor and reviewed store surveillance tapes that recorded the incident.

The case of Metzler v BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc. (Pima County Superior Court Case No. 2007-2433) was handed to the jury to determine a fair and reasonable amount for the injury and permanent spinal pain the plaintiff will suffer; after three hours of deliberation the jury returned with the $1.5 million award. BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Company appealed the judgment, but the Court of Appeals upheld the jury’s decision on March 16, 2011.

Attorneys for the BCI Coca-Cola Company did not file a petition for review with the Arizona Supreme Court pursuant to Rule 23 of the Arizona Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure.

“We are very pleased that the jury in this case understood the true nature and extent of our client’s injury and the devastating effect it has had on our client’s life,” said Michael F. Kelly, attorney for the Firm. “We are equally pleased that the Court of Appeals chose to respect the jury’s decision.”