Results from Remillard Huynh & Barbour



VERDICTS AND RECOVERIES

When it comes to protecting victims' rights, our efforts have resulted in successful recoveries for our clients.  Among these successful cases are those against multi-national corporations and the State of Hawaii, as well as cases filed against employers and other individuals whose unlawful conduct caused significant injuries and losses to their victims. 

While at the law firm Park Park & Remillard, Laurent (“Larry”) Remillard, Jr. successfully litigated the following cases, among many others, with the assistance of Don Huynh on many of these cases.  It is noteworthy that the majority of the settlements and recoveries discussed below were in excess of $1,000,000.


PREMISES LIABILITY / MASS TORT

Larry handled virtually all pretrial discovery and the great majority of trial presentation, including the great majority of witness examinations and closing argument, in the lawsuit against the State of Hawaii for the May 9, 1999 rock fall disaster at Sacred Falls State Park.  The trial resulted in a liability verdict for the plaintiffs and ultimately resulted in a $6.8 million settlement for the plaintiffs.

CATASTROPHIC INJURY

Larry handled substantially all depositions and the majority of trial preparation in a case against the State of Hawaii in which its employees failed to comply with their obligations as "mandated reporters" regarding instances of known or suspected child abuse.  The case settled before trial for approximately $5 million. 

Larry conducted and managed a major portion of trial preparation in a case on behalf of a 12 year old boy who sustained severe burns from contact with an electrical distribution line that had been erected in violation of applicable regulations.  A confidential settlement with an electric company was achieved before trial, which provided compensation for the child's medical and other needs. 


AUTOMOBILE COLLISION / ACCIDENT INJURY

In 1994, Larry was one of the attorneys representing a man who suffered back injuries in an automobile collision on the freeway.  The case went to trial and Larry handled the majority of witness examinations and delivered the closing argument.  The jury returned a verdict of $104,979 on behalf of the automobile accident victim and his wife. In the 1994 - 1995 time frame, this was the largest jury verdict in Hawaii for "soft tissue injuries" sustained in an automobile accident.  

In 1996, Larry was one of the attorneys representing two men who suffered neck and back injuries in an automobile collision on the highway.  The case went to trial and Larry handled jury selection, the majority of witness examinations and closing argument.  The jury returned a verdict of $457,090 to the automobile accident victims.  In the 1996 - 1997 time frame, this was the largest jury verdict in Hawaii for back injuries sustained in an automobile accident.


PRODUCT DEFECT / PRODUCT LIABILITY

With Don’s assistance, Larry represented a plaintiff who suffered a severe injury due to the reckless conduct of a co-worker and the defective design of a conveyor belt system.  The seller and manufacturer of the conveyor belt system were among the defendants in the case.  The case was taken to trial and was settled on a confidential basis while trial was underway.

Larry represented a plaintiff in a product defect case against a well-known automobile manufacturer.  The plaintiff in this case suffered permanent paralyzing injuries when the sports utility vehicle she was driving rolled over and sustained severe crush damage to its roof.  Don assisted Larry on this case, and their efforts resulted in a confidential settlement on behalf of the plaintiff before trial commenced.

Larry also worked on defective product cases which resulted in successful recoveries for the plaintiffs involving the following products:
    •   Vehicle mounted aerial basket (defective latch mechanism) 
    •   Forklift (lack of occupant restraints)
    •   Hydraulic lift gate (insufficient slip resistance)
    •   Foam plate manufacturing press (lack of machine guarding)


MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

Larry represented the surviving wife and children of a man who passed away due to the negligent medical care of a local cardiologist and a local hospital.  Don assisted Larry on this case, and their efforts resulted in a confidential settlement on behalf of the surviving family members.

Larry represented a woman who suffered disfigurement following cosmetic surgery due to an infection and achieved a settlement on her behalf from the surgeon who neglected the infection.


INSURANCE BAD FAITH AND IMPROPER PRACTICES

Larry was one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs in a bad faith insurance case against a well-known automobile insurance company.  In this case, the lead plaintiff suffered injuries in an automobile collision, so he made a claim for coverage under the automobile insurance policies available to him.  While one of his insurers paid the benefits he was entitled to, another one refused to do so, even though documentation established that he was entitled to coverage.  The case eventually went to private arbitration, and the plaintiffs received a confidential arbitration award.

In a case against a well known local insurance company, Larry represented a group of insurance consumers who had not been provided proper information when purchasing their automobile insurance coverage and as a result had insufficient insurance coverage when involved in subsequent automobile collisions.  Larry handled all aspects of discovery and trial preparation and before trial achieved a $750,000 settlement on behalf of the plaintiffs.


SEXUAL HARASSMENT / GENDER DISCRIMINATION

Larry represented the plaintiff in Aoki v. Tactical Affairs Corporation, dba H.I.S. Hawaii, et al.  The plaintiff was the victim of sexual harassment while she was an employee of H.I.S. Hawaii.  Larry was assisted by Don and co-counsel Micky Yamatani on this case.  Larry handled virtually all of the trial presentation in this case.  Following Larry's closing argument, the jury returned a verdict of over $1,235,000.  This case remains the largest sexual harassment verdict on behalf of a single plaintiff in the history of Hawaii.  This case later settled on a confidential basis.