LANDMARK CASES

Mr. Zhang had put his time into the workforce, and at 51, was a maintenance supervisor for Grandland International, Inc. On April 4, 2012, he fell several feet from a ladder, sustaining injuries to his skull, back, neck, shoulders, and upper extremities. Instead of looking forward to retirement, Mr. Zhang’s severe injuries called into question whether he would even live through the next 48 hours.

Immediately after his fall, Mr. Zhang was transported to the hospital where he underwent an emergency craniotomy due to numerous brain bleeds. After his two week hospital recovery from the craniotomy, Mr. Zhang then had to endure a cervical spinal surgery. His list of injuries included spinal cord hemorrhage, cord compression, drug-induced hyperglycemia, hypotension, epidural hematoma, urinary and bowel dysfunction, right arm weakness, right leg weakness, the inability to balance and walk, as well significant personality changes, cognitive deficits, depression, anxiety, and vestibular dysfunction.

Unfortunately, due to Mr. Zhang’s age and the serious nature of his injury, defendants adopted a “wait-and-see” strategy rather than pursuing settlement, betting that Mr. Zhang would succumb to his injuries before long. They didn’t count on Odjaghian Law Group being retained. Tina Odjaghian and her legal team were able to secure the assistance of physiatry and neuropsychology experts in order to provide Mr. Zhang with the inpatient neuro-rehabilitation he needed. Odjaghian Law Group tirelessly developed the medical record, despite significant resistance from defendants, and ultimately was able to establish that Mr. Zhang required lifelong care in a structured living environment as well as treatment in multiple specialties.

Odjaghian Law Group secured a $5,000,000.00 structured settlement for Mr. Zhang, ensuring that he has the necessary care he needs to not only survive, but to thrive.

For Marco, a twenty-something cable installer and father of two, it seemed like an ordinary day on the job. But October 28, 2011 was anything but that, seeing Marco fall a frightening thirty feet to the ground in the course of his duties and sustain a fracture of his skull, broken femur, and collapsed lung. From there, Marco suffered amnesia, cognitive impairment, memory loss, vertigo, tinnitus, vestibular dysfunction, depression, and anxiety, necessitating significant emergency treatment and neurorehabilitation.

Despite such a list of severe injuries, Defendants initially disputed the nature and extent of Marco’s injuries, delaying his ongoing neurorehabilitation, and with it his chances of some semblance of a return to normalcy. At one point, Defendants’ actions resulted in Marco being discharged prematurely to his house, where he had no access to the significant and necessary daily care and therapy someone in his position desperately needed.

After retaining Tina Odjaghian as new counsel in 2013, Marco’s case took a significant turn for the better. Physiatry and neuropsychology experts were instrumental in Ms. Odjaghian’s aggressive strategy to significantly strengthen the medical record with respect to Marco’s injuries. These experts all agreed that Marco was permanently and 100% disabled as a result of his fall, which gave Defendants no choice but to settle.

Odjaghian Law Group takes pride in getting what an injured worker truly needs in terms of treatment. To that end, a negotiated settlement was reached of $7,000,000.00, with $340,000.00 going to Marco upfront, and the remainder placed in a structured settlement guaranteeing Marco $21,000.00 per month for twenty years. To ensure that Marco would not be taken advantage of, Ms. Odjaghian also secured a professional fiduciary as conservator for Marco’s estate, thus seeing to it that Marco was well looked after subsequent to the settlement documents being signed.

Before his accident, Michael Noxon was a smart, attractive man who worked hard and enjoyed life. As a motorcycle repairman and salesperson for Larry Lilley Motorcycles, he was well-compensated for his work, which included test driving new motorcycles.

On March 14, 2012, however, Michael’s promising life took an unexpected turn during a scheduled test drive of a newly assembled motorcycle when the motorcycle got out of control and Michael was injured. Due to injury-related amnesia, Michael has never been able to relay exactly what happened during the accident. What is known is that he sustained a traumatic brain injury which caused post-concussive symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, depression, anxiety, left clavicular fracture, and emotional and physical difficulties.

Unfortunately, as with some types of brain trauma, the extent of Michael’s injuries was not fully discernable, and therefore Michael himself didn’t receive the rehabilitation he needed. Michael’s brain injuries were such that he didn’t realize how bad he was, and kept trying to find work. Unfortunately, his injuries had so impacted his cognitive function that he was unable to hold more basic jobs such as a cashier.

Even after securing counsel, Michael’s case was an uphill battle. Defendants refused to acknowledge the nature and extent of Michael’s injuries and thus no productive settlement negotiations occurred. Michael’s counsel, Odjaghian Law Group, therefore had to push for a trial on all issues. Due to their extensive preparation and aggressive trial strategy, the judge issued a 100% disability Finding and Award. Subsequent to that, Odjaghian Law Group was able to negotiate at $2,750,000.00 settlement to ensure that Michael would be able to live the rest of his life without financial worries, and with the ongoing medical care he needed. Odjaghian Law Group also facilitated the purchase of an annuity so that Michael’s cognitive impairments would not be taken advantage of by unscrupulous people in the future.

On July 29, 2015, applicant Terry Richey, 56, an employee of Olive Crest Treatment Center, was in the course and scope of his employment as a special education teacher who was helping teach his behavioral student how to ride a bicycle, when unbeknownst to him the student rammed into him and he was ejected over the handlebars landing on his head on to the concrete road. Richey sought workers' compensation benefits and filed a workers' compensation claim against Olive Crest Treatment Center. Richey brought a claim against Olive Crest Treatment Center to collect workers' compensation benefits. He felt his prematurely ending when he and his wife sought the counsel of Odjaghian Law Group.

Richey was rushed to Riverside Community Hospital. He lost consciousness for an unknown period of time. A CT of the head taken upon admission revealed subdural and subarachnoid hematomas in the right temporal and right parietal lobes. The bleeds resolved on their own and did not require surgical evacuation. Richey was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury; right frontal subdural hematoma; right temporal and parietal subarachnoid hemorrhage; post-traumatic headaches; depression; insomnia; obstructive sleep apnea; obesity related to decreased ability to exercise; and tinnitus. Richey was released from the hospital approximately a week later at which time he underwent physical and occupational therapy on an outpatient basis. Richey was eventually admitted to a neurorehabilitation facility for multidisciplinary neuro-rehabilitation. On May 2, 2018, Richey was declared permanent and stationary meaning his medical condition had reached a stable plateau.

Applicant’s counsel asserted that based on the medical findings in the experts reports Richey should be considered 100% totally permanently disabled and would require long-term care in a structured living environment or some level of home attendant care for the foreseeable future. Defendants disputed the nature and extent of Richey's injuries.

Applicant ultimately prevailed in their contentions and arrived at a settlement amount predicated on their position to make provision for the care during the course of Richey’s life.