Judge Awards $44,316.53 in Motor Vehicle Negligence
One driver's vehicle collided with another driver's vehicle. The owner of the first vehicle sued the second driver, alleging the collision was caused by the second driver's failure to pay attention. The owner also sued the second driver's vehicle owner, claiming negligent entrustment. The second driver denied responsibility and raised several defenses. The case proceeded to a bench trial, and the court ruled in favor of the first vehicle's owner, awarding damages.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $44,316
- County
- Harris County, TX
- Resolved
- 2019
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Other
- Accident Type
- Other
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence
Settlement Context
This verdict-plaintiff of $44,316 is above the median of $14,473 for other cases resolved by verdict-plaintiff. The typical range is $4,770 to $42,056, based on 190 cases in our database.
Case Overview
On July 2, 2016, a vehicle owned by the plaintiff, Auto Club Enterprises, was damaged in a collision with a vehicle operated by the driver defendant. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit on June 27, 2018, alleging the driver defendant failed to maintain a proper lookout, which caused the collision. The plaintiff also initially named the vehicle owner defendant, claiming negligent entrustment, asserting she knew or should have known the driver defendant was incompetent or unlicensed.
The driver defendant filed an answer with a general denial and raised several affirmative defenses, including a denial of conditions precedent, laches, failure of consideration, lack of consideration, failure to mitigate, waiver, and estoppel. No counterclaims were filed. On September 9, 2018, the court granted the plaintiff's motion for partial nonsuit, dismissing the claims against the vehicle owner defendant without prejudice.
The case proceeded to a bench trial, and on October 28, 2019, the court rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff. The court awarded the plaintiff a total of $44,316.53, which included $41,409.14 in damages and $2,907.39 in prejudgment interest, along with court costs and post-judgment interest at 5.25% per year. The judgment was entered solely against the driver defendant.
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 2019, 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 differs from typical similar cases
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