Silver Golub & Teitell LLP Settles Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Hurlock v. Rodriguez-Boulan for $5.4 Million

January 19, 2018

STAMFORD, CT (January 19, 2018) – Partner Ernie Teitell and attorney Marco A. Allocca of the Stamford law firm of Silver Golub & Teitell LLP recently settled the personal injury and wrongful death lawsuit captioned Margaret Holding Hurlock, Executor of the Estate of James B. Hurlock, et al. v. Sebastian Rodriguez-Boulan et al., stemming from an automobile accident, for $5.4 million.

[Read in the coverage in the Stamford Advocate and Connecticut Law Tribune/Law.com.]

On February 15, 2016, plaintiff Margaret Holding Hurlock and her decedent husband, James B. Hurlock, were passengers in a sport utility vehicle (SUV) heading northeast on Echo Lane, a two lane public road in Greenwich, CT. Plaintiffs elicited evidence that defendant Rodriguez-Boulan was driving southwest on Echo Lane and that rather than maneuvering properly and safely around a curve in the road, he caused his vehicle to enter the Hurlocks’ SUV’s lane of travel. Plaintiffs also presented evidence that Rodriguez-Boulan failed to stop, slow down or turn prior to colliding with the front of the Hurlocks’ SUV.

As a result of the collision, Mr. Hurlock suffered significant head trauma and spinal injury, causing paralysis and ultimately his death two months after the collision. Mrs. Hurlock suffered a permanent injury to her neck during the incident, necessitating a spinal fusion, as well as multiple fractured ribs and a broken thumb.

Mr. Hurlock, who was 82 at the time, led a distinguished 41-year career at the law firm of White & Case in New York, where he served for 20 years as Managing Partner overseeing the firm’s global expansion. He was a Director and Chairman of Orient Express Hotels (now Belmond Ltd.) and a Trustee of the Corporation of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law at Columbia University, where he served as Chairman. In 2010, the New York State Bar Association bestowed on him its Root/Stimson Award for exemplary commitment to community service. James and Margaret Hurlock were married for 55 years and had 3 sons together and 8 grandchildren.

Although Rodriguez-Boulan and his attorneys denied, and continue to deny, liability, in settling this case Rodriguez-Boulan exhausted the full limits of his insurance policies.

“An important element in this case was our refusal to take the police record and incident report at face value,” said Teitell. “We meticulously examined all the evidence available to us to determine whether the facts and conclusions contained in the police report were accurate, including multiple in-person inspections of the incident site itself, as well as reviewing available photographs and video of the vehicles and incident site taken just after the incident.

“Our accident reconstructionist’s review of the evidence and inspection of the incident site confirmed our belief that there were errors in the police report, including the misidentification of the two vehicles involved in the incident and inaccurate measurements and miscalculations,” he continued. “This was also confirmed during the deposition of one of the police officers involved in investigating the incident and preparing the police report.

“Sadly, the truth cannot bring back James Hurlock. However, with the truth we discovered, we can hold those responsible for his death. We can also hold those responsible for both the permanent physical injuries Margaret Hurlock (his widow) suffered and for her continued grief over the loss of the love of her life.”

About Silver Golub & Teitell LLP
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Silver Golub & Teitell LLP is one of the leading medical malpractice, serious personal injury and complex civil litigation law firms in Connecticut. The firm’s philosophy is simple: to provide its clients with the best legal representation possible, regardless of the effort and expense required.  The Connecticut Law Tribune noted that the firm “… has earned some of the largest verdicts and settlements in state history.”  At the same time, these cases have had a significant impact on diverse areas of both state and national law. www.sgtlaw.com

Contact
Randy Savicky
Silver Golub & Teitell LLP
203-325-4491 ext. 174
rsavicky@sgtlaw.com