An Atrium client, California attorney Scott Schutzman handles large grave desecration cases and recently served as legal editor for "Traversing the Minefield" an industry guide for cemetery managers.
In Terry Barnes et al. v. Angeles Abbey Memorial Park et al., Mr. Schutzman represented 257 plaintiffs in a grave desecration case resulting in a $5.1 million dollar verdict. The average plaintiff received $20,000 in damages. However, plaintiffs who retained psychological experts, on average, received awards in the range of $40,000.00.
"Attorney Schutzman states that "the variation in damages awards is directly attributable to the fact that the psychological experts were able to flesh out, in vivid detail, the emotional difficulties faced by these plaintiffs. Of equal importance, they supported their opinions with objective psychological test data. This deeply impressed the jury."Schutzman goes on to say that "even when the plaintiffs had profound pre-existing psychological problems, such as schizophrenia, the psychologists were able to specify how and why the cemetery's negligence caused and/or aggravated specific emotional problems."
Often, attorneys handling mass tort cases choose not to work-up the emotional distress damages component of their cases because they believe that the organizational and logistical hurdles involved are too great or simply not worth the investment. However, Atrium has nearly one-hundred forensic psychologists, psychiatrists and neuropsychologists, along with a robust administrative capacity. This allows us to evaluate many plaintiffs in a timely and cost efficient manner, often significantly increasing damages awards.
If you are an attorney developing a mass tort or class-action case, we invite you to contact us for an in-depth, complimentary consultation.
Atrium Psychological Group11500 Olympic Blvd, Suite 580
Los Angeles, CA 99064
(866) 446-0991
(310) 464-1165