Mr. Van Naarden played an integral part as co-counsel for this record setting verdict. A medical student fell into an open manhole...

Mr. Van Naarden played an integral part as co-counsel for this record setting verdict. A medical student fell into an open manhole vault shattering his spine. During the trial the manhole cover was brought into the courtroom for display by the defense to support their contention that the cover was just too heavy to lift making it unforeseeable that anyone could remove it. This contention was refuted when during the trial Mr. Van Naarden lifted the cover with one hand in front of the jury. During the course of the litigation, after the defendants were forced to produce of thousands of documents maintained by the defendants for each manhole vault, Mr. Van Naarden and a team of lawyers and staff spent weeks pouring through each document. The evidence contained in these files proved to be truly shocking as it was evident that people were actually living in these vaults for warmth and shelter. Ultimately the jury rejected the defense and returned a stunning $85 Million verdict. At the time, it was the largest single victim premises liability verdict in Pennsylvania history.

A group of workers were packed into a van to transport them to a factory in Delaware when their van lost control injuring many of...

A group of workers were packed into a van to transport them to a factory in Delaware when their van lost control injuring many of the occupants. This tragic accident was the result of a corporation's desire to obtain cheap labor in Philadelphia and transport that labor force to their factory without having properly trained their drivers. The inexperienced driver was required to transport employees to Delaware and was directed to pack as many occupants into the vehicle as possible. At the time of the accident the van was significantly over capacity further contributing to a hazardous condition and making the vehicle more difficult to control. Another significant legal hurdle that Mr. Van Naarden overcame was ensuring the litigation remained in Philadelphia County.

A young girl’s cervical cancer diagnosis was significantly delayed as a result of a variety of healthcare providers failing to wor...

A young girl’s cervical cancer diagnosis was significantly delayed as a result of a variety of healthcare providers failing to work up her complaints of persistent vaginal bleeding. Mr. Van Naarden obtained this record setting verdict in Reading County, PA. This very complicated medical malpractice matter involved multiple defendants who all maintained that it was appropriate to provide no testing to a then 11 year old girl that had constant vaginal bleeding. During the course of the trial several defendants eventually resolved their claims, however Reading Hospital refused to admit any fault. The matter then proceeded to verdict focusing on the culpability of Reading Hospital and ultimately a significant portion of the verdict was apportioned to them. This is another case where Mr. Van Naarden was able to defy the odds in an unfavorable forum where there had not been a medical malpractice plaintiff verdict in many years.

A new mother died just weeks after giving birth due to an inexperienced team of EMS workers failing to maintain her airway during...

A new mother died just weeks after giving birth due to an inexperienced team of EMS workers failing to maintain her airway during an emergency response. In New Jersey EMS workers are protected by immunities that require a showing of bad faith to recovery. Mr. Van Naarden was able to demonstrate this during the course of the 3 week trial by getting the workers to admit their conduct constituted bad faith. During the trial Mr. Van Naarden’s cross examination of the lead EMS worker resulted in his recanting his previous testimony and admitting that the failure to properly intubate the patient was due an inexperienced trainee being provided the opportunity to attempt the intubation process. The verdict was also significant as it represents one of the largest pain and suffering awards for an individual that had coded prior to the EMS arrival. This verdict is the only recorded verdict against EMS workers in Trenton’s history.

Father of two adult children died shortly after a routine knee surgery as a result of an aspiration event that was ignored. This i...

Father of two adult children died shortly after a routine knee surgery as a result of an aspiration event that was ignored. This is the largest recorded verdict for adult beneficiaries in the state. During the litigation the target surgeon defendant maintained that a nurse’s note indicated that he was never aware of the patient's condition thus placing blame on the nurse. After obtaining a settlement with the hospital, Mr. Van Naarden located the nurse and deposed her just days before trial. Her testimony revealed that her note actually confirmed that the surgeon was made aware of the patient’s condition. The surgeon in response to this damning testimony maintained that he was better at interpreting the nurse handwriting than the actual nurse that authored the note. This contention was rejected by the jury. The defense also hired a world renowned forensic pathologist to opine that the cause of death was different than what was initially thought. Mr. Van Naarden was able to get this expert to agree that it was just as likely that the initial cause of death was correct.

A young guitar musician was caused to have the tips of his index and middle fingers amputated as a result of mismanagement of a mi...

A young guitar musician was caused to have the tips of his index and middle fingers amputated as a result of mismanagement of a minor chemical burn. Mr. Van Naarden flew in a Billboard Top Ten recording artist who played with the man to explain to the jury the significance of the loss to such an accomplished guitarist. Mr. Van Naarden also was able to get the plaintiff’s treating physician to testify at trial against the defendants. Crucial evidence was also able to be extracted from Plaintiff’s phone that showed pictures in real time of the development of necrosis on his fingers after the inappropriate injections that were administered by the defendants.

A young man was murdered outside a Northeast Philadelphia bar as a result of overservice of alcohol and failure to adhere to routi...

A young man was murdered outside a Northeast Philadelphia bar as a result of overservice of alcohol and failure to adhere to routine bar procedures. During the course of investigating the matter it was determined that the bar had a liquor liability exclusion in their insurance liability policy. Instead of giving up, Mr. Van Naarden obtained a verdict and then got the bar to assign their right to sue their insurance broker to Plaintiff. Mr. Van Naarden was able to collect from the insurance broker under a theory that the broker was negligent in failing to advise the bar owner of the need for liquor liability coverage.

The loss of a baby after birth is devastating. This verdict is especially notable as the infant died seconds after life and the ve...

The loss of a baby after birth is devastating. This verdict is especially notable as the infant died seconds after life and the verdict represents a staggering $2 Million for the infant’s pain and suffering during that period. A simple surgical procedure called a cerclage was the difference between survival and death for this infant. During the trial the defendants contended that they do not offer the procedure as it did not have proven efficacy. Mr. Van Naarden was able to cross examine several defense witnesses with their own website where they promote the use of the cerclage and tout its effectiveness. The jury’s verdict proved that this evidence was critical in disproving the defense. This verdict is also a record setting verdict as it is the largest pain and suffering award for a stillbirth in Pennsylvania.