Castilla Successfully Represents DUI Insured
In 2010, Hilliard Castilla successfully represented an insurance agency owner convicted of DUI after registering a 0.179 on a blood alcohol test. The plaintiff claimed TMJ injuries as well as a rotator cuff tear and other injuries from the collision which the plaintiff, a minister at a prominent Atlanta area church, claimed prevented him from effectively performing his ministerial duties. The prominent plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury for $1,800,000 dollars plus punitive damages and refused to negotiate after an offer of $300,000 which was extended by the insurer providing coverage for Mr. Castilla’s client. Mr. Castilla told the jury that the plaintiff should receive $15,000 to $20,000 for the rear end collision and, much to the chagrin of the plaintiff and plaintiff’s counsel, the jury returned with a verdict of $16,543 plus $5,000 in punitive damages. The trial was featured on the front page of the October 4, 2010 edition of the Daily Report.