Harris County Judge Awards $12,447 in Auto Negligence Default Judgment
One driver's vehicle was struck from behind by another driver. The insurance company for the damaged vehicle paid for the repairs and then sued the at-fault driver and the vehicle owner. The court entered a default judgment against the defendants, awarding the insurance company the cost of repairs plus interest and court costs.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Defense
- Amount
- $12,447
- County
- Harris County, TX
- Resolved
- 2020
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Other
- Accident Type
- Rear-end
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence
Settlement Context
This verdict-defense of $12,447 is above the median of Undisclosed for other cases resolved by verdict-defense. The typical range is Undisclosed to Undisclosed, based on 144 cases in our database.
Case Overview
On October 18, 2017, a vehicle owner's car was damaged in a collision with a vehicle operated by a defendant driver in Harris County, Texas. The plaintiff insurer compensated the owner for the $12,447.88 loss, becoming subrogated. On January 31, 2019, the insurer filed suit against the driver for negligence and against a co-defendant, alleging she owned the vehicle, negligently entrusted it, and was vicariously liable for the driver's actions.
The defendants contested the claims. The co-defendant denied vehicle ownership, and the defense asserted the driver was licensed and insured. They also claimed a broken-down tow truck, not negligent driving, caused the accident, and that a police report did not find the driver at fault. They also noted a prior accident case was dismissed and disputed vehicle damage.
On August 7, 2019, the plaintiff insurer moved for summary judgment against the defendant driver after the driver failed to respond to Requests for Admissions, leading to the insurer's claims being deemed admitted. The Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4 ruled for the plaintiff insurer against the driver on August 26, 2019. On January 31, 2020, the court entered a default judgment against both the driver and the co-defendant, awarding the insurer $12,447.88 in damages, plus interest and court costs.
Understanding This Case
- This case went to trial and resulted in a jury verdict. Verdicts can yield higher awards but carry the risk of receiving nothing if the jury rules against the plaintiff.
- This case was resolved in Harris County, Texas. Local jury tendencies, judge assignments, and regional economic conditions all influence case outcomes in this jurisdiction.
- Resolved in 2020, this case reflects the legal and economic conditions of that period, including medical costs, insurance practices, and jury award trends at the time.
VerdictlyTM Score
This outcome is within expected ranges
This score is calculated by analyzing injury type, accident details, geographic location, temporal trends, and comparing against 2,000+ similar cases in our database.
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