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Static Electricity Fires
Dixon & Truman recently obtained
a $4.4 million settlement in a fire/product defect case
just before trial. The plaintiff was burned by a static
electricity fire that ignited when he was filling gas
cans on a bed liner in the back of a pick up truck.
The bed liner insulated the static electricity that
builds up during the flow through the hose and the gas
nozzle. The build up of static charge on the gas can
grew so large that it jumped back to the nozzle, igniting
the gas fumes. Although the plaintiff lost no wages,
he suffered burns over 30 percent of his body and $160,000
in medical bills. The settlement was awarded because
Dixon & Truman's research showed that a major oil
company knew of this hazard but concealed it from consumers.
Bob Renkes, executive vice president of the Petroleum
Equipment Institute in Tulsa, Oklahoma was an expert
deposed in the case. He acknowledged that "Dixon
& Truman knows more about static electricity caused
fires than any law firm I know of." Dixon &
Truman is currently working on a static electricity
case in Montana, and surprisingly, there are hundreds
of these cases pending around the country.
Dental Malpractice
Mr. Dixon has probably handled more
dental malpractice cases in Nevada and Southern Utah
than any other lawyer. One grossly negligent dentist
was sued five times. These cases were the basis for
action by the state to revoke that dentist's license.
A dental malpractice case more than 10 years ago resulted
in a jury trial victory that was reported as the highest
verdict for dental malpractice in the state of Nevada
at the time.
Commercial Trucking Accidents
Mr. Dixon and the firm have substantial
experience with commercial trucking accidents involving
violations of federal law limiting the length of time
an operator can drive in a day. Recently, a truck accident
case involving this violation settled for nearly $1
million dollars.
Complex Commercial Cases
Complex commercial cases absorb
a significant amount of the firm's time. More than ten
years ago, Mr. Dixon achieved a one million dollar settlement
for Buddy Hacket in a suit against the Riviera Hotel.
Currently, Dixon & Truman represents
Engelbert Humperdinck in a partnership dissolution where
his partner commingled his personal property and assets
with those of the partnership in order to avoid paying
a huge tax lien. The partner's deposition, taken by
Dixon & Truman, lasted for 13 days and resulted
in a sanction against that partner of $15,500. Dixon
& Truman motioned for contempt sanctions against
Humperdink's partner that resulted in a 10-day prison
stay for the partner. This case alone has generated
nearly 50,000 documents that the firm manages on CD-ROM.
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