Chad Sjoquist Obtains Defense Verdict in a Bicycle Collision Case in Supreme Court, New York County

On June 29, 2018, Chad Sjoquist obtained a unanimous defense verdict on behalf of a Turkish restaurant and its employee in a lawsuit involving a collision of two bicycle riders in Manhattan. The case was tried before Justice Andrew Borrok in the Supreme Court, New York County.

The plaintiff was riding his bicycle home from work and was traveling north in a bicycle lane on the Upper East Side. He claimed that our client’s delivery person was illegally riding south in the same bicycle lane, and suddenly turned into the plaintiff. The employee denied this allegation and claimed that he was also riding north when the plaintiff tried to pass him and struck the employee’s bicycle.

The plaintiff sustained multiple fractures and dislocations in his left shoulder, elbow and forearm, and he underwent four separate surgeries. His counsel asked the jury to award at least $3.5 million in damages, and the plaintiff’s settlement demand was never below our clients’ primary policy limit.

During the trial, Mr. Sjoquist raised significant questions regarding the plaintiff’s credibility based on the plaintiff’s criminal history and inconsistent testimony regarding certain details of the accident. Mr. Sjoquist also called the customer who had ordered the food that the client was delivering at the time of the accident and who was north of the accident location, to corroborate the delivery person’s assertion that he was riding north at the time of the accident. After asking for various exhibits, the jury deliberated for less than fifteen minutes before reaching a unanimous defense verdict.