The vast majority of cases settle before trial or arbitration. The attorneys at Buchanan, Jurdem & Cederberg, P.C. have successfully handled hundreds of cases for injured persons over the years.
The following is a short list of our successful results.
Some of Mr. Buchanan's past results include:
Ross Buchanan represented an insurance salesman whose employer attempted to severely reduce his commission structure and apply it retroactively to his sales of three of the biggest accounts in the company's history. A Jefferson County jury returned a verdict of nearly $2 million in Ross' client's favor, to which the Court added interest, costs, a statutory penalty and attorney's fees. The result was substantially affirmed on appeal.
Ross Buchanan represented an intensive-care nurse who suffered a severely herniated disc as the result of a negligent chiropractic manipulation. The injury required two surgeries, prevented her from working and functioning fully as a wife and mother, caused severe pain and disability, and plunged her into deep depression. In August of 1997, a Denver District Court jury returned a verdict in Ross' client's favor, which, together with interest and costs totaled approximately $ 1.2 million. The case settled for the chiropractor's policy limits shortly following the verdict.
Ross Buchanan represented a highly successful businessman and lawyer who was rendered a permanent quadriplegic and ultimately died when the roof of his Chevy Tahoe collapsed during a rollover accident near Vail. The case settled just weeks before trial for a confidential sum.
Ross Buchanan and Robert Schuetze represented an eighteen year old girl who was rendered a permanent quadriplegic when her family's Subaru automobile rolled over due to a defectively designed accelerator system, which the manufacturer had failed to recall. The case was settled for a substantial sum of money just prior to trial, and has paid out over time to provide for the client's massive medical costs and replace her lost income.
While practicing in California, Ross Buchanan and Browne Greene represented an eight year old girl who was severely injured at birth as a result of the negligence of a physician and hospital. At the time of the trial, the plaintiff could not walk, talk, or care for herself and had an estimated LQ, of 41. After a three week trial in El Centro, California, the jury returned a verdict of $4.8 million for Ross1 client, which, with pretrial interest and costs, amounted to approximately $6.3 million.
Jim Buchanan, Bob Schuetze and Ross Buchanan successfully led a team of plaintiffs1 attorneys from several Denver law firms representing those who were injured, and the families of those who perished, in the tragic Keystone Teller Lift accident which occurred in December, 1985. Cases were presented on behalf of these clients in both state and federal courts- The case involved a complex product defect in the ski lift mechanism, as well as the negligence of the ski area and the Colorado Passenger Tramway Board. All of the cases were successfully resolved, several resulting in settlements in seven figures.
Ross Buchanan, John Purvis and Bob Schuetze represented a young woman who was severely injured when her 1968 Volkswagen Beetle was struck from the rear, causing her driver's seat track and runner to fail, resulting in severe spinal and head injuries. In the lawsuit against Volkswagen, they were success fill in obtaining a very substantial settlement on her behalf, the details of which are confidential The client was Erin Peterson, whose battle to recover from her injuries was the subject of an award-winning documentary series on Channel 4 entitled "Erin's Life".
Ross Buchanan, Jim Cederberg and Mark Simon represented a dental assistant who suffered horribly disfiguring burn injuries to her face when a beer distribution truck slammed into a line of cars in a fogbank alongside the Colorado River near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The case settled for a confidential seven figure sum.
Ross Buchanan represented the parents of a University of Colorado student who was killed when she was struck by an automobile operated by an exotic dancer who had become drunk during her shift at a Boulder adult entertainment establishment. The case settled shortly before trial for a confidential amount which was nearly double the amount of the wrongful death damages cap in Colorado.
Ross Buchanan represented the victim of a police shooting which occurred during an unconsented search of his home in a federal civil rights suit. After Mr, Buchanan's client survived a motion for summary judgment in the district court, see Strachan v. City of Federal Heights, 837 F.Supp. 1086 (D. Colo. 1993), and while an appeal was pending in the Tenth Circuit, the case settled for a confidential six figure amount.
Ross Buchanan and Jordan Levine represented a 28 year old developmentally disabled man who was rendered a permanent quadriplegic when he dove into an above-ground swimming pool The case involved claims against the manufacturer and distributor of the pool, the community center wrhich negligently supervised him, and the landowners. The case settled against all defendants for a seven figure sum which is to be paid over the lifetime of Ross' client, and will allow him to live independently and provide for his substantial medical and rehabilitation needs. The claim against the landowners was appealed all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court, which ruled in Ross' client's favort abrogating the antiquated "open and obvious danger" doctrine under Colorado's premises liability statute. See Vigil v. Franklin, 103 P.3d 322 (Colo. 2004).
Mr. Buchanan and John Purvis represented an 18 year old high school student who suffered severe injuries in the rollover of a Jeep CJ-7. The case involved claims against the driver, the owner of the negligently designed roadway where the accident occurred, and the manufacturer of the Jeep. The case settled before trial for a confidential high six figure amount which was paid out over the lifetime of Ross' client, allowing her to attend a top private college and to receive a monthly income and needed medical care for the restof her life.
Ross Buchanan and Scott Jurdem represented the husband and son of a 30 year old secretary who was killed in a low speed intersection collision. They sued the Japanese manufacturer of the automobile in which she had been a passenger, and demonstrated that her passive restraint seatbelt was defective and unreasonably dangerous in design and lacked adequate warnings. The case settled shortly before trial for a substantial confidential amount.
Ross Buchanan represented a young man from New Zealand who was rendered a quadriplegic in a rugby game. Claims were asserted against the young man's coach and the referee of the match in which he was injured for having allowed a particularly rough and illegal tactic known as "barging" to continue unabated, despite the existence of rules and procedures to prevent it, The claims were settled for a confidential but substantial figure which will provide for the young man's significant medical and rehabilitation needs for the rest of his life.
Ross Buchanan has also successfully teamed with nationally-renowned Arkansas products liability lawyer, Tab Turner, in representing clients injured in rollover accidents involving SUVs against Ford and GM. The cases have settled for confidential amounts.
Ross Buchanan also represented Colorado Common Cause in a lawsuit against the Colorado Secretary of State in which it was established that corporations must report their campaign contributions under Colorado's Campaign Reform Act. Colorado Common Cause v. Meyer, 758 P.2d 153 (Colo. 199B).
Some of Mr. Jurdem's past results include:
In Wiese v. Linkous and Parker, a Boulder County jury on August 23, 2006, returned a verdict worth approximately $215,000.00 in favor of Mr. Jurdem’s clients, the Wiese family. The State Farm Insurance Company had offered $31,500.00 to settle the claim in response to Mr. Jurdem’s $50,000.00 policy limits demand. State Farm, as insurer of the defendant driver that caused the collision paid out more than four times the insurance policy limits as a result of the jury’s verdict following it’s failure to accept Mr. Jurdem’s $50,000.00 insurance policy limits demand. State Farm paid the full value of the verdict and did not pursue an appeal.
In Wattnem v. Burman, an Arapahoe County jury on May 12, 2006, returned a verdict worth in excess of $619,733.30 in favor of Mr. Jurdem’s client, Ms. Wattnem. The State Farm Insurance Company had offered only $55,000.00 to settle the claim brought by Mr. Jurdem’s client following an automobile collision caused by the defendant Mr. Burman. State Farm paid the full value of the verdict and did not pursue an appeal.
In United States v. Cruthers, a criminal case tried in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado in June and July 2006. The Government failed in its effort to convict Mr. Jurdem’s client on a charge of conspiracy to distribute large quantities of cocaine base. The jury deadlocked after four days of deliberations, despite the testimony of four cooperating Government alleged eyewitnesses and a videotape allegedly implicating Mr. Jurdem’s client in the conspiracy.
In Belmarez v. Hart, an Adams County Jury on March 18, 2004 returned a verdict worth in excess of $475,000, in favor of Mr. Jurdem's clients, the Belmarez family. Colorado Farm Bureau Insurance had offered only $12,500 to settle the claim brought by the family following a collision with the Defendant's horse on a state highway. The jury found that the defendant was negligent in failing to keep the horse out of the roadway.
In Pinter v. Krause, Inc., Mr. Jurdem represented a man that had been injured after purchasing a ladder from Defendant for use in his business. When Mr. Pinter was on the ladder, the locking bolt on the right side of the middle hinge sheared off, throwing him to the ground. Defendant Krause, Inc. did not think the case had much value and made a final offer to settle in the amount of $5,000.00. A verdict was returned in the case in favor of Mr. Jurdem's client in the amount of $896,796.03 (including pre-judgment interest). The decision was affirmed on appeal eventually requiring the defendant to pay out nearly one million dollars, including post-judgment interest and costs in favor of Mr. Jurdem’s client.
In Dunning v. Pioneer General Insurance Company, Mr. Dunning fell from a second floor balcony onto concrete below when a 30 year old hand railing gave way. Defendant Pioneer General initially offered only $5,000.00 to settle the case. A verdict was returned in favor of Mr. Jurdem's client in the amount of $1,070,000.00 plus statutory interest.
In Reed v. William Street Center, Mr. Jurdem represented a mother and three children whose father had been murdered by an escapee from a Denver halfway house. Despite initially denying liability, the case settled for $1,000,000.00 after a one week jury trial.
In Mohrman v. Miller Brands, Mr. Jurdem and former partner Joe Branney represented a motorcyclist that had sustained a brain injury and other serious injuries when a Miller beer truck unlawfully took the right of way at an intersection in Denver, Colorado. A Denver jury awarded a verdict in excess of $2,000,000.00.
In Adler v. Centerline, Mr. Jurdem served as lead counsel representing residents of a Boulder neighborhood in which groundwater had become contaminated as the result of a circuit board manufacturer releasing toxic waste into its septic system. In a trial of 10 representative neighbors, a $4.1 million dollar verdict was returned in favor of Mr. Jurdem's clients. Later, judgment in excess of $13,000,000.00 was entered in favor of the entire homeowner group.
In Sieger v. Thomas Built Busses, Mr. Jurdem and partner Joe Branney represented an 11 year old boy that had received severe facial injuries after being ejected through a defectively designed emergency exit door during a rollover accident involving the Defendant's bus. The jury returned a verdict of $17.1 million dollars in the boy's favor after a 10 day trial.
In United States v. Michael Washington, a major criminal drug prosecution in the United States District Court, Mr. Jurdem's client, an alleged drug courier, was stopped in Denver International Airport holding a suitcase with in excess of 28 pounds of crack cocaine. The jury returned a verdict and acquitted Mr. Jurdem's client on all charges. Mr. Washington had been facing a life sentence.
In Smith v. Lynch Material Handling Company, Mr. Jurdem, along with partners Joe Branney and Neil Hillyard, represented a man whose arm had been severely cut by an extremely sharp and unprotected guardrail on a conveyor line at a beverage distribution plant. The jury awarded approximately $1.5 million dollars.
In Seckman v. McSparran, et al., Mr. Jurdem served as lead counsel for the four named Defendants in a complex commercial case. The Plaintiff had charged Mr. Jurdem's clients with breaching fiduciary duties and violating an employment contract and was seeking in excess of $20,000,000.00. During trial, Mr. Jurdem's clients were vindicated by a favorable settlement for a confidential amount.
In Noonan v. Royal Petroleum, Mr. Jurdem, Mr. Branney and other lawyers represented 21 Fort Collins families that experienced toxic contamination as the result of leaking underground gasoline tanks at a Diamond Shamrock station. The case settled successfully for a confidential amount after three weeks of trial.
In Writer v. Texaco, Mr. Jurdem and former partner Joe Branney represented the Writer Corporation in its claim against Texaco resulting from leaking underground gasoline storage tanks at a service station which had contaminated property Writer owned during the construction of its Riverfront Festival project. The judgment entered by the Court on the jury verdict in favor of Mr. Jurdem's clients, exceeded $1,000,000.00.
In Anderson v. Borquez Excavating, returned a verdict in the amount of $250,000.00 for Mr. Jurdem's client that had been injured in a low speed rear end automobile collision. The case was subsequently settled for a higher amount taking into account litigation expenses, interest and other considerations.
United States v. Holyfield, involved a federal criminal prosecution charging Mr. Jurdem's and co counsel Lisa Wayne's client with a murder in the course of a continuing criminal enterprise and also contained allegations that Mr. Holyfield was involved in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Mr. Holyfield was found not guilty and cleared of all charges in the murder/continuing criminal enterprise. He was convicted on lesser drug charges. We have been unable to identify any other Defendant that has been completely acquitted of homicide/criminal enterprise charges in the United States District Court in Denver, Colorado.
In Lull v. Columbia Health One d/b/a St. Luke's Medical Center, Mr. Jurdem, along with co counsel M. Susan Kudla, represented the wife of a 69 year old man with cerebral palsy that had died as the result of improper care during a hospitalization. The jury returned a substantial verdict in favor of the Plaintiff.
In Gaudet v. USAA Casualty Insurance Company, Mr. Jurdem represented a young woman and brought bad faith and breach of contract claims against her automobile insurance carrier for failure to pay reasonable and necessary benefits under Colorado's prior no fault law. A substantial verdict was returned in favor of Ms. Gaudet and against the insurance company.
In Garnet v. AS&D Construction, Mr. Jurdem successfully represented a young woman injured in an automobile accident caused by the defendant and received a verdict and eventual payment significantly in excess of the amount offered by the defendant’s insurance company before trial and well above the amount stated in the settlement demand tendered to the defendant’s insurer by Mr. Jurdem on behalf of his client.
In Meldahl v. Fonley, Mr. Jurdem successfully represented a Greeley Colorado court reporter injured in an automobile accident caused by the defendant and received a verdict and eventual payment significantly in excess of the amount offered by the defendant’s insurance company before trial and well above the amount stated in the settlement demand tendered to the defendant’s insurer by Mr. Jurdem on behalf of his client. The injuries sustained in the collision had made it difficult for Mr. Jurdem’s client to perform her job responsibilities without the assistance of expensive equipment she had not required prior to the collision.
In Poleschook v. Helphrey, Mr. Jurdem successfully represented a young woman injured in an automobile accident caused by the defendant and received a verdict and eventual payment significantly in excess of the amount offered by the defendant’s insurance company before trial and well above the amount stated in the settlement demand tendered to the defendant’s insurer by Mr. Jurdem on behalf of his client.
In Wolfe v. Currie, Mr. Jurdem successfully represented an attorney injured in an automobile accident caused by the defendant and received a verdict and eventual payment significantly in excess of the amount offered by the defendant’s insurance company before trial and well above the amount stated in the settlement demand tendered to the defendant’s insurer by Mr. Jurdem on behalf of his client.
Mr. Jurdem divides his time equally between civil litigation and criminal defense. He has an active state and federal criminal defense practice defending clients charged with everything from drug sales and possession, sex offenses, domestic violence cases, white collar fraud and homicide through driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and other traffic offenses.
Mr. Jurdem has successfully represented many other clients in the settlement of all types of personal injuries, automobile accidents, products liability, insurance bad faith, commercial and environmental litigation.
Some of Mr. Cederberg's past results include:
- Settlement against Chrysler for confidential amount for 15-year-old boy who suffered quadriplegia and catastrophic brain injury in rollover of Jeep CJ-7.
- Settled claims for families of two women who were killed in the Crested Butte State Bank Explosion, two injured bank employees and the Crested Butte State Bank as the result of March 1990 propane explosion which destroyed the bank building. Settlements totaling $2.9 million versus Empiregas. Served as lead counsel for plaintiffs' group.
- Settlement for young man who suffered disabling brain injury as result of failure of oilfield wellhead component.
- Represented victims of Columbine High School shootings.
- Settlement for young woman who suffered head, pelvic and other injuries in a motorcycle accident.
- Settlement for widow and four children of worker drowned in plastic-lined wastewater pond at Parachute Creek oil shale facility.
- Settlement against State of Colorado for motorcyclist injured when cow entered highway right-of-way and was struck by motorcycle.
- Settlement against Empiregas and Honeywell for man injured in propane explosion from leaking water heater control valve. Propane was delivered to empty tank without proper out-of-gas service procedures.
- Settlement against Emerson Electric for man burned in propane explosion due to defective water heater valve.
- Settlement for worker who suffered quadriplegia and brain injury when he fell from telescoping work platform.
- Medical malpractice settlement for young man who suffered collapse and catastrophic brain injury due to failure to diagnose heart arrythmia.
- Settlement for young girl who suffered facial fractures, scarring and loss of an eye when a camper shell detached from a pickup truck and went through the windshield of the car in which she was riding.
- Settlement against manufacturer of 40-year-old overhead shop crane for family of worker killed due to inadequate clearance.
- Settlement for department store sales clerk who suffered Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy after cashier stand cabinet door struck her foot.
- Settlement for man burned by explosion of alcohol-based fire starter product known as Ultra Lite or Eco Char.
- Settlement for motorcyclist who suffered fractures and dislocations to wrist and arm in collision with drunk driver on rural highway.
- Long-term disability claim versus Provident for insured lawyer who sustained a head injury.
- Settlement for female employee of United States Army for sexual harassment.
Co counsel for lady who suffered severe burns in propane explosion of recreational vehicle. Trial in Denver District Court. $1.5 Million verdict against Rego Valve, Manchester Tank, and propane supplier.
Co counsel for family of man and young boy who drowned in a paddle boat accident at a Colorado dude ranch. Trial in Denver Federal Court. $1.1 Million verdict against ranch owner and manager. Settlement against Pelican boat manufacturer.
Counsel for widow of helicopter pilot killed in crash. Trial in Denver Federal Court. $692,000 verdict against Turbomeca, S.A., manufacturer of helicopter engine. Upheld on appeal by Tenth Circuit.
Counsel for 23 year old lady with low back disc injury suffered in rear end collision. Trial in Denver District Court. $550,000 verdict.
Counsel for man struck by car in his driveway. Injury to disc in mid back. Trial in Denver District Court. $250,000 verdict.
Counsel for 38 year old lady who suffered thumb ligament injuries in low speed rear end collision. Trial in Denver District Court. $110,000 verdict.
Co Counsel for 23 year old lady who fractured and dislocated her ankle in a slip and fall on icy steps outsidea pool hall. Trial in Boulder District Court. $110,000 verdict.
Multiple other jury verdicts for injured persons in cases involving burns, automobile collisions, disputed life insurance benefits.
