The Nuance of Likability Versus Credibility
Meredith Stephens, Art Young, and Kendall Griesse
In a world changing as rapidly as the concept of liability is evolving, you need a firm with an approach anchored in strategy, a stellar track record, and unmatched commitment to your success. That’s us. And we delivered on this promise in a recent liability defense case.
In the case in question, Rissman attorneys Meredith Stephens, Art Young, and Kendall Griesse secured a defense verdict for a national supermarket chain following a three-day trial.
The plaintiff claimed she choked on a shard of bone from frozen meat prepared by the butcher at the grocery store. Two days after the alleged ingestion, the plaintiff underwent surgery to repair an abdominal perforation where a fragment resembling a bone shard was removed.
Our defense team focused on the credibility issues of the plaintiff and her family members, who provided inconsistent versions of the description of the purchase and preparation of the ribs. The plaintiff was a very sympathetic witness, so we focused on the distinction between likeability and credibility.
The plaintiff asked the jury for a large sum in damages—but the jury rendered a defense verdict after less than a half-hour of deliberation.
Quick. Focused. Effective. This is how our Rissman team operates and how we’ve continued to garner these sorts of outcomes for clients for so many years.
Our Rissman Victories Series showcases some of the most relevant and timely examples of our expertise and highly practiced approach. We consider the interests of our clients as paramount, and take pride in delivering consistent and meaningful results time and again.
