Verdicts, Settlements And Appeals

• Micron Technology, Inc. v. Gao, 2001; Sam represented Minghui Gao, a Chinese national, in a lawsuit brought against him by Micron Technology, Inc. for an alleged breach of an employment contract; the jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Gao finding Micron had misrepresented the terms of the employment contract.
• Lemez and Merdanovic v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 2004; Sam and Jason represented Mr. Lemez and Mr. Merdonovic in a lawsuit against Wal-Mart for defamation of character; the jury returned a verdict in favor of both Mr. Lemez and Mr. Merdanovic, awarding them in excess of $100,000.00 for damage done to their good name and reputation in the community.
• Hall v. Farmers Alliance Mutual Insurance Company, 2005; Jury returned a verdict in favor of the Hall family in the amount of $18,650.00 for the willful breach of an homeowners’ insurance contract and then awarded $660,000.00 in punitive damages. The insurance company’s highest pretrial offer was approximately $30,000.00.
• Callow v. Riverview Marina, Inc., 2006; Sam and Jason tried this case to a federal jury which returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Callow for wrongful termination on the basis of age discrimination in the amount of $446,858.00 and further finding that the defendant’s conduct was willful thus doubling the jury’s award of damages.
• Mackay v. Four Rivers Packing, 2009; Washington County jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Mackay for breach of long-term employment contract in the amount of $100,000.00. Due to juror misconduct in the first trial, Sam was required to try this case twice with each jury returning nearly-identical verdicts.
• Farm Bureau Insurance Company v. Devin Strong, 2010; Farm Bureau sued Devon Strong alleging Mr. Strong caused property losses for causing a fire to ignite when he drove over an unmarked propane tank buried in the ground and destroying a partially completed residential home. Sam represented Mr. Strong in a counterclaim for personal injuries, who was badly burned when the truck he was driving caught on fire from the explosion. A Canyon County jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Strong in the amount of $638,272.36, though the highest, pretrial settlement offer was $25,000.00.
• Rodriguez v. Consolidated Farms, LLC, 2015 – 2017; Sam represented Mr. Rodriguez in his claim for worker’s compensation benefits. Mr. Rodriguez left school in Mexico after completing the fifth grade due to the death of his father, and began working the farm fields there until age 2. He then immigrated to the United States working the California fruit orchards before coming to ldaho in 1989, where he began working the hops fields in Northern ldaho. ln 2010, Mr. Rodriguez sustained a horribly debilitating injury to the bones, joints, and ligaments of his dominant arm and hand.
  ln 2015, Sam tried Mr. Rodriguez’s case before the ldaho lndustrial Commission. Sam ultimately convinced the ldaho lndustrial Commission that Mr. Rodriguez had been rendered totally and permanently disabled as a result of his on-the-job injuries. This entitled Mr. Rodriguez to recover a lifetime award of worker’s compensation benefits. The case was written about in FC&S Legal. The title to the article summed the case up quite well: AN IMMIGRANT’S STORY: FROM THE FIELDS OF MEXICO TO A LANDMARK IDAHO SUPREME COURT RULING ON A DISABLED WORKER’S COMPENSATION RIGHTS.
  The decision from the lndustrial Commission was upheld on appeal by the ldaho Supreme Court in
  January 2017 (see below).

Settlements

• Frates v. Donjack Enterprises, Inc. d/b/a Specialized Transport Services; settlement in the amount of $415,000.00 for personal injuries sustained in a trucking accident.
• Boeckel v. Washington Mutual, Inc., confidential settlement reached in claim for lender liability;
• Bo’Ero Group v. Riedesel Associates, confidential settlement reached in claim against engineering firm for breach of standard of care in field of engineering.
• Griffith v. Harrington Trucking, confidential settlement reached in trucking accident.
• Rainsdon as Chapter 7 Trustee v. Zions First Nat’l Bank, settlement valued at $1,750,000.00, in claim against Zions Bank for lender liability.
• U.S. ex rel. Davis v. Lincare, Inc.,
• Manion and Evenson v. St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, Ltd.
• Graff v. Dura-Flow Products, Inc.
• Erickson v. Rock Shox, Inc.
• Gross v. Montana Express, Inc.
• Eichmann v. Sawtooth Laboratories, Inc.
• Valpey v. Ford v. TA Operating Corp. d/b/a
• Travel Centers of America and Petro Truck Stops Sisk v. TA Operating Corp. d/b/a
• Travel Centers of America and Petro Truck Stops Huitt, et al. v. Peak Medical of Boise, Inc. d/b/a Capitol Care Center – confidential settlement for the wrongful death of a 64-year-old woman who resided in an assisted care facility.

Appellate Cases

• Bajrektarevic v. Lighthouse Loans, Inc., 143 Idaho 890, 155 P.3d 691 (2007); Sam successfully argued this matter before the Idaho Supreme Court.
• Hall v. Farmers Alliance, 145 Idaho 313, 179 P.3d 276 (2008); Sam convinced the Idaho Supreme Court to uphold the jury verdict returned on behalf of the Hall family. The Court did reduce the jury’s punitive damage award on due process grounds.
• Mackay v. Four Rivers Packing Co., (Mackay I)145 Idaho 408, 179; P.3d 1064 (2008): Sam convinced the Idaho Supreme Court to reverse a grant of summary judgment in a wrongful termination of employment case.
• Mackay v. Four Rivers Packing Co., (Mackay II), 151 Idaho 388, 257 P.3d 755 (2011): On this second appeal, Sam persuaded the Idaho Supreme Court to uphold the jury verdict rendered in favor of his client.
• Rodriguez v. Consolidated Farms, LLC, 161 ldaho 735, 390 P.3d 856 (2017); The ldaho Supreme Court in a unanimous decision upheld Sam’s client’s case on appeal. The decision from the ldaho Supreme Court solidified Mr. Rodriguez’s right to receive worker’s compensation benefits for the remainder of his lifetime. Attorney Bruce Bistline was instrumental in handling the appeal, and argued the case before the ldaho Supreme Court during the Court’s December 2016 Term.

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