Victor Montez, et al. v. Dennis Perez

Summary

A California state court jury heard opening statements Thursday in a lawsuit filed by a man claiming he suffered extensive injuries in a collision with a drunk driver, but the driver’s insurer which intervened in the case disputed the accuracy and severity of his claims.

Plaintiff Victor Montez was involved in a head-on collision with Dennis Perez in 2017, after Perez crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic. Perez later plead guilty to felony-level driving while intoxicated, but at the time of the crash blamed his swerving on hydroplaning on a wet road after extensive rain.

Outcome

After a directed verdict on liability, jurors awarded plaintiffs $8,887,730 in compensatory damages, which includes:

$8,862,730 for plaintiff Victor Montez and
$25,000 for plaintiff Lisa Montez.

Jurors also found against the defendant as to a claim for punitive damages, with the determination of potential punitives to be determined at a later date.