After six days of trial, a jury found a defendant alarm company grossly negligent and awarded damages to Stutman Law’s clients in the amount of $2,202,541.55. The verdict is believed to be the largest subrogation verdict against an alarm company ever obtained in Georgia. Thomas Paolini and Michael Wallace from Stutman Law’s New Jersey office tried the case on behalf of the Plaintiffs.
The case arose from an undetected burglary, which resulted in an insured’s significant loss of electronic appliances. Prior to the burglary, the insured had contracted with the defendant to install and monitor a burglary alarm system. A jury of 12 determined that the defendant breached its contract with the insured and was grossly negligent. According to Thomas Paolini of Stutman Law, “there were a number of challenging issues in the case, but we believed the facts warranted a finding of gross negligence and the jury agreed.” The defendant appealed the verdict but agreed to a confidential settlement before the case was heard by the Georgia Court of Appeals.