News & Insights

Chandler Bailey, Rachel Lary and Tatum Jackson Successfully Defend U-Haul Against Multimillion-Dollar Personal Injury Lawsuit

May 6, 2024

A Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC trial team led by partner Rachel M. Lary, along with partner  J. Chandler Bailey and associate Tatum Jackson, recently secured a favorable result for U-Haul Co. of the District of Columbia in a multimillion-dollar personal injury lawsuit in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. 

The plaintiff, a U.S. Capitol Police officer at the time of the accident, sued U-Haul after its employee caused a motor vehicle accident resulting in her alleged injuries. The plaintiff claimed her injuries forced her to medically retire and sought approximately $3.5 million in economic damages and millions more in non-economic damages. 

While U-Haul acknowledged fault for the underlying accident, the Lightfoot trial team contested the cause and extent of damages, arguing that the accident had not resulted in all the plaintiff’s alleged injuries and damages. The jury sided with Lightfoot and awarded the plaintiff a fraction of her claimed damages, awarding a total of $661,000, less than 10% of the plaintiff’s last demand. 

Behind this significant courtroom victory, the efforts of partner Amaobi J. Enyinnia and Director of Litigation Technology Sam McAllister were pivotal. Their behind-the-scenes work was instrumental in bringing the case to trial, and ultimately securing a favorable outcome for our client.

Bailey has more than 25 years of experience representing product manufacturers and suppliers around the country in high-stakes cases involving catastrophic injuries and wrongful death. He has served as national and regional trial counsel for several of the largest companies in the U.S. and is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council.

Lary leads Lightfoot’s product liability team for one of the largest automotive manufacturers, defending it against claims in 10 Southeastern states and beyond. Her product liability work includes defending a Fortune 500 company in high-stakes litigation across the country. She is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council and also serves as chair of the firm's Associate Committee.

Jackson focuses her practice on white-collar criminal and product liability cases. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law.

Enyinnia’s practice focuses on commercial litigation, transportation, personal injury and product liability. In addition, he defends physicians confronting medical malpractice claims. Enyinnia applies his previous experience working in business, government, e-discovery and clinical settings to advance a client’s goals and develop efficient solutions that “move the ball forward.” 

McAllister has been with the firm for 15 years and is an integral part of expanding innovation into all aspects of Lightfoot’s work. McAllister leads the firm’s Case Clarity group, which provides cutting-edge technology to clients, e-discovery collaboration for Lightfoot lawyers and adaptive evidence models to make complex ideas simple.