Attorney Mike Pierce

Arnold & Itkin is proud to say that they have secured over $250 million in verdicts and settlements in 2011. They have continually fought to defend the legal rights of their clients and continue to apply a creative approach with a hard work ethic to help their clients with whatever obstacles that they find themselves facing. With an unwavering dedication, Attorneys Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin continue to raise the bar and fight to defend the best interests of their clients – both inside and outside of the courtroom.

Arnold & Itkin, LLP successfully tried a case on behalf of the victim of a severe ambulance accident. The plaintiff had been seven months pregnant and experiencing stomach pain when she called Acadian Ambulances to pick her up and transport her to the hospital in December 2010. The driver of the ambulance who picked her up had a history of bad driving and poor vision. When driving down LA-1 North, he dropped his RSI device onto the floor. Without reducing speed, he leaned down to locate and grab it – completely looking away from the road. During this time, he drove the ambulance into the back of a sugar cane truck. The plaintiff's spine was severed at T4 during the accident and she sustained serious brain injuries. There is no chance of a full recovery and she will be in a wheel chair for the rest of her life.

At the time of the verdict, she had already sustained medical bills in excess of $1.4 million, with an estimated cost of $30 million for her future care plan. After the accident, her unborn daughter was prematurely delivered; since then, both the infant and the plaintiff's other daughter have gone to live with their grandmother.

Arnold & Itkin, LLP was able to successfully prove fault on behalf of the ambulance driver and succeeded in obtaining a $117 million verdict for the mother, as well as her two daughters.

Kurt Arnold, Jason Itkin, and Mike Pierce resolved a Jones Act seaman case for $14 million two days before trial. Arnold & Itkin LLP represented the seaman after he suffered a head injury on the Hercules 15 inland barge. The Hercules 15 was located in Lake Washington, Louisiana at the time of the incident. Hercules employees tack welded a three foot pipe to the derrick and then forgot to remove it before starting drilling operations. The pipe was jarred loose and hit Plaintiff in the head. The case was filed in Galveston County Court in March 2008. The case was set for trial February 2, 2009. Hercules settled the entire case for $14 million on the eve of trial.

Arnold & Itkin, LLP won a $4.5 million jury verdict on behalf of an offshore contractor who was injured during a basket transfer that went wrong. The injured worker was from Jeanerette, Louisiana and was hurt while attempting to transfer from a crew boat to a jack up rig in rough seas. Arnold & Itkin's client eventually needed surgery on his back and neck to treat his injuries. The crew boat company argued that the accident never even occurred and that the man's surgeries were unnecessary. Arnold & Itkin proved these allegations were wrong. Before trial, the defendant only offered $200,000 to settle the case, but settled after the trial for $3 million to help the client and his family move on with their lives. The case was tried in St. Mary's Parish, Louisiana with the Honorable John E. Conery presiding.

Arnold & Itkin LLP attorneys Mike Pierce and Kurt Arnold obtained a $2.5 million verdict in a products liability case involving a defectively manufactured tiller handle steering mechanism for an outboard motor. The defective tiller handle broke after the bottom of the outboard motor struck a submerged object. The boat spun out of control as a direct result of the handle breaking. The plaintiff suffered a severe injury to his right arm necessitating amputation of the arm. Several law firms declined to take the case due to the difficulty in proving a manufacturing defect without the defective handle, which was discarded by a third party shortly after the accident. Arnold & Itkin LLP aggressively prosecuted the case. Defendant made no pretrial settlement offers. Mike Pierce and Kurt Arnold obtained a favorable verdict in the Sixteenth Judicial District Court of Cameron Parish Louisiana.

After a one week trial in Vermillion Parish, Arnold & Itkin LLP attorneys won a jury verdict and accompanying judgment for $1.95 million in a claim against Moncla Well Service, Inc. The case was brought on behalf of a former nurse injured when an improperly secured piece of oilfield equipment fell from the back of a truck and struck her car. As a result of this accident, the plaintiff suffered severe injuries to her head, jaw, and back. Defendants argued that her back injuries and headaches were not related to the accident but the jury disagreed. The verdict was one of the largest awards in a personal injury matter in Vermillion Parish, Louisiana. A portion of the verdict was placed in a structured settlement for net recovery to the client of $1,328,111.

Arnold & Itkin LLP industrial lawyers Cory Itkin and Michael Pierce are pleased to announce a $1.72 million jury verdict on behalf of Ernesto Tamez and his wife. Mr. Tamez was seriously injured in a crane accident at the BP refinery in Texas City, Texas on January 18, 2005 when a Maxim Crane Works crane operator negligently swung a heavy oil burner into him. Mr. Tamez was pinned between the burner and a nearby handrail and injured his back, neck, and shoulder. Prior to the trial, Maxim Crane Works made no settlement offer. The company argued that the accident was entirely Mr. Tamez's fault and that his injuries were not as serious as he claimed. They also claimed that some of his injuries could have been caused by simple wear and tear on the 60 year old Tamez's body. The case was made more complicated by the fact that Mr. Tamez and his wife do not speak English and had to testify with the aid of a translator. After a weeklong trial in Galveston, Texas, the jury found that Maxim Crane Works was 100% responsible for the accident and awarded Mr. Tamez and his wife $1.72 million. Arnold & Itkin LLP stood by their clients for 4 years and helped Mr. Tamez get the medical attention he needed and the compensation he deserved. The case was pending in Galveston County, Texas with the Honorable David E. Garner presiding.

Attorneys Jason Itkin and Mike Pierce obtained a $1.4 million settlement on behalf of a worker injured offshore. The client sustained a concussion, as well as suffering from a herniated disc as a result of the accident.

Attorneys Jason Itkin and Cory Itkin received an $850,000 verdict and an additional settlement for the plaintiff totaling almost $925,000. The client was injured when he fell off a ladder after his oxygen was cut off and he went unconscious. The attorneys carefully reviewed the case and determined a strategy that proved successful.

Plaintiffs retained a local funeral home to provide complete services for their mother's funeral. Unbeknownst to plaintiffs, the funeral home retained a fly-by-night limousine company to provide transportation from the funeral home to the cemetery. The limousine company had no insurance. The limousine driver failed to maintain control of his vehicle and struck a concrete support post at high speed. One of the plaintiffs suffered a fractured pelvis, which necessitated several painful surgeries. After months of extensive discovery and pretrial preparation, Mr. Arnold and Mr. Pierce were able to secure a $900,000 settlement against the funeral home.

Houston maritime lawyer Mike Pierce is pleased to announce that he has successfully reached a $770,000 settlement on behalf of a Danos & Curole employee injured while working aboard a Chevron platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The incident occurred when the employee fell down a stairway on the platform, seriously injuring his shoulder. A post-accident investigation revealed that the stairway in question did not have adequate slip protection, and the handrail of the stairway did not meet ANSI standards. The injured worker underwent three surgeries to correct the damage to his shoulder. The case settled three weeks before trial was set to begin in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

Michael Pierce recovered $650,000 on behalf of a Wood Group service technician who was injured when a third party failed to properly hang a blowout preventer on a land rig. His job was to cut through the casing to allow the rig to be moved. Because it was not secured properly, the 15 ton blowout preventer swung, pinned him up against the wall. He suffered broken ribs, internal injuries and injury to his back. The case was pending in Harris County.

The victim was travelling on BELTWAY 8 when a Chevy 2500 going about 60 mph hit her. Her brand new Avalon was totaled and she suffered injuries from her lower cervical to her upper thoracic. Attorneys Kurt Arnold, Mike Pierce and Paul Skrabanek won a $639,000 jury verdict. The case was appealed and later settled.

Mike Pierce solo-tried the case of a client who blew two cervical discs while working offshore. He was awarded a $636,000 verdict.

The plaintiff suffered severe injuries to his back, legs, and other parts of his body when he was slammed into a guardrail while being lowered onto a boat. He suffered further injury when he slipped and fell on the deck of the boat upon his landing. Attorneys Jason Itkin, Mike Pierce and Cory Itkin secured a $525,000 settlement on his behalf.

The plaintiff was on the Sea Spirit while it was tied off to Platform Vermillion 250. The Sea Spirit came too close to the platform, and a rope got caught up underneath the tire line. When the rope popped, it hit the client across the leg, causing him injury. The case was settled for $500,000.