Pete DeMahy of DLD Lawyers was recognized for his defense in the recent trial in McCorkle, et al. v. Milliken and Company, et al. by Courtroom View Network (CVN) as one of the top 10 most impressive defense verdicts of 2018. The defendant, Milliken and Company, a global textile manufacturer, was sued for the wrongful death of five passengers of a private jet that crashed into a utility pole on its property. The first of the five plaintiffs who proceeded to trial sought $18 million in damages. According to CVN, in defending this case, Mr. DeMahy maintained throughout the trial that pilot error was the actual cause of the crash. With testimony and detailed calculations of the collision, Mr. DeMahy argued that the additional height of the pole did not cause the crash because the aircraft impacted the pole below 50 feet and not within the airport’s easement above the 50-foot height. This strategy resulted in a defense verdict and affirmed that Milliken and Company was not at fault. We are proud of Mr. DeMahy and the recognition of his work on CVN.
