Latest news with #DavidLoree
Globe and Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
The Buzbee Law Firm Urges National Push for Corporate Accountability
Texas firm behind $640M verdict says real change starts with citizen action and jury service The Buzbee Law Firm, a nationally recognized litigation firm based in Texas, is calling on citizens, business leaders, and jurors to take a more active role in holding corporations accountable for negligence and misconduct. In a newly featured article titled 'How Landmark Verdicts Like the $640M Loree Case Are Reshaping Corporate Accountability in America,' the firm reflects on the implications of the historic wrongful death verdict they secured earlier this year—and what it means for everyday people. 'When a jury delivers a $640 million verdict, it's not just about compensation—it's about consequences,' a firm representative said. 'It's about signaling that companies can't ignore safety without facing serious repercussions.' The firm's message is clear: meaningful accountability starts in communities—not just in courtrooms, but in workplaces, homes, and on juries. A Wake-Up Call for Corporate America The Loree v. TNT Crane & Rigging case captured national attention when a Houston jury awarded $640 million—including $480 million in punitive damages—after David Lester Loree II was killed during a crane operation. The defendant's initial settlement offer was just $6.9 million. The jury's decision sent a powerful message. 'The jury didn't just want to make the family whole,' The Buzbee Law Firm stated. 'They wanted to tell every company watching: if you cut corners and someone gets hurt, you will be held accountable.' According to the National Center for State Courts, civil juries now return verdicts in favor of plaintiffs nearly 60% of the time in workplace injury and wrongful death cases—up from 52% just a few years ago. Meanwhile, the average jury award in these cases has increased 40% since 2015. What You Can Do Right Now The Buzbee Law Firm isn't asking for donations or proposing legislation. Instead, they are encouraging everyday Americans to take five simple actions that can drive systemic change: Serve When Called: 'Jury duty isn't a burden—it's a responsibility. Jurors are the last line of defense when corporations fail the public.' Speak Up in the Workplace: Identify and report unsafe conditions. Encourage transparency and accountability at every level. Vote for Oversight: Elect officials who prioritize consumer safety and corporate regulation. Support Transparency: Elevate stories of corporate misconduct and legal reform. Awareness breeds action. Audit Internally: Business leaders should review safety protocols and training now—before a verdict forces their hand. 'You don't need to be in a courtroom to protect your community,' the firm noted. 'You just need to care enough to act—wherever you are.' Making Negligence Too Expensive to Ignore The firm believes large verdicts like the one in Loree are key to real change—not because they destroy companies, but because they force decision-makers to rethink how they measure risk. 'After a major verdict, we often see companies overhaul training programs, replace leadership, and install new safety systems,' The Buzbee Law Firm said. 'Not because they want to—but because they have to.' A Texas Case with National Consequences The Loree verdict is already influencing how corporations and attorneys approach risk management and trial strategy nationwide. But for The Buzbee Law Firm, the broader takeaway is about community power. 'This case wasn't just about Texas. It was about what happens when ordinary people—jurors, workers, voters—demand better. That's how real accountability begins.' To read more, visit the website here. About The Buzbee Law Firm The Buzbee Law Firm is a Houston-based trial firm with a national reputation for high-impact litigation. With billions recovered in verdicts and settlements, the firm handles cases involving catastrophic injury, commercial disputes, and corporate negligence. They are dedicated to protecting the public and holding powerful entities accountable. Contact: info@ Media Contact Company Name: The Buzbee Law Firm Contact Person: Tony Buzbee Email: Send Email Country: United States Website:
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Family awarded over $600MILLION after man died in workplace accident
The family of a construction worker who was crushed to death by a falling air-conditioner has been awarded $640million in damages. David Loree, 56, was killed when a massive air handling unit tipped off a crane and fell 10ft on top of him at 1.59pm on September 22, 2021. The father-of-two was working at the Texas A&M University-San Antonio College of Business And Library building for the subcontractor Way Engineering. Loree's family sued TNT Cranes & Rigging as well as main contractor Byrne Construction Services and two other firms, claiming that negligent worksite practices caused his death. The lawsuit read: '[Loree's] death was not immediate. He bled to death while his coworkers watched him die slowly. 'David Loree languished for almost an hour, suffering beyond description until he passed away later on the way to the hospital' at 2.47pm. On Monday a Harris County District Court jury in Houston ruled in favor of Loree's family after a three-week trial and awarded them $160million in compensation. Then on Tuesday, they awarded another $480million in punitive damages after just an hour of deliberation. Loree's wife Milena, 61, burst into tears when the amount was read out, and buried her face in the table while clutching one of her lawyers's hands. Her sons Cody, 34, and Zackary Loree, 37, who were seated behind her, kept their composure and Loree's mother Mary, 78, was present for the hearing but not for the judgement. Milena, Cody, Zackary, and Mary will each receive a roughly equal share of the payout. TNT Crane will have to pay 68 per cent of the judgement, mechanical and electrical subcontractor Way Mechanical 27 per cent, and the others five per cent. 'Make an example of them' Tony Buzbee, the family's primary lawyer, said on Monday that TNT Crane blamed Loree for his own death throughout the trial and took no responsibility, initially offering about $6.9million to settle the case. Buzbee said: 'The jury put 0% responsibility on David Loree and all on the corporate actors, with the lion's share placed on TNT Crane. 'I am so glad for this family. Not because of the enormous damages awarded. But because David Loree was completely vindicated. 'It is wrong to blame the victim who was killed. Life has value... I am very proud to speak for him and his family.' Buzbee, who is also the lawyer behind more than 100 sexual assault lawsuits against disgraced rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs, said the case was of 'enormous value'. He added that he was so motivated to 'make an example of this corporate wrongdoer' that he personally presented and cross-examined every witness. Buzbee told the jury he was frustrated that TNT Crane was still 'arguing technicalities' after already being exposed as liable, instead of apologizing. He said: 'They're trying to avoid justice, that's what's happening,' in his closing address on Tuesday as he asked for punitive damages. The lawyer argued the only way to make the company change its practices was by awarding massive punitive damages to Loree's family. Buzbee said: 'Let's make sure that they are sorry, the way you do that is... your message will be "your conduct was wrong your conduct will not be tolerated, period. You must change, figure it out." 'Because people were killed, someone was almost killed the day before!' The lawyer encouraged the jury to 'make an example' of TNT Crane to deter it, and other construction companies, from commiting worksite negligence. Speaking to the jury Buzbee said: 'This was a needless killing of a good man - and even after four weeks of this, you haven't heard any remorse from them.' After the jury awarded the enormous payout Buzbee completely unleashed on the company. He said: 'Will the family ever actually see $640 Million? Unlikely.' The scene: Loree was working at the Texas A&M University-San Antonio College of Business And Library building for subcontractor TNT Crane & Rigging Buzbee continued: 'What they did see was every piece of evidence, and heard all of the testimony, explaining how David Loree, their husband, father and son, was brutally killed. 'And they saw how this corporation was more interested in blaming the deceased or arguing technicalities rather than correcting systemic safety issues. 'That jury collectively declared that David Loree was needlessly killed due to clear and convincing gross negligence.' How David Loree was killed An Occupational Safety And Health Authority investigation completed on February 8, 2022, found Loree was 'crushed by an air handling unit'. Loree and his colleagues were moving three air handling units - the heart of a central air-conditioner weighing several tons - into the third floor of an unfinished building. The first unit was moved successfully but the second one 'tipped over' as it was raised into position. Citing other workers as witnesses the report read: 'The second unit was rigged on the ground and raised to the mechanical room. 'With the two [slings] on the back still on, a gust of wind supposedly picked the unit up and fell 10ft, crushing a worker.' Loree's arm and leg was partially severed, the suffered horrific crush injuries, and was declared dead at 2.47pm. His colleague Francisco Montelongo was rushed to hospital with body and head injuries, but survived the incident. The OSHA investigation did not issue any citations and found no safety or health violations during its inspection of the site in the hours after the accident. The lawsuit provided more information about the leadup to the accident, blaming a perfect storm of management incompetence and sloppy safety standards. First, the crane operator who arrived at the worksite was 'totally unqualified' and so inexperienced that an extra superintendent was called in to supervise. The operator admitted to never even looking at the plan that had been drawn up to lift the heavy load, and instead made up his own without telling anyone. The lawsuit read: 'In fact, he admitted the math on the approved lift plan was entirely incorrect.' TNT Crane's crew was also understaffed, and enlisted Loree and some of his colleagues to act as riggers and spotters. However, Loree and his Way Engineering coworkers were pipefitters, and had no training on how to do the job. At the time winds around the university were blowing at 45mph and were even faster inside the unfinished building, and the lift was supposed to be called off if it hit 25-30mph. However, TNT Crane pressed on despite its wind safety gauge being broken, and never told anyone about the defect or even tried to determine the wind speed. The ;lawsuit read: 'The wind was "rocking" the unit to the point that workers became concerned and were complaining that the lift should be called off.' Due to the pipefitters not knowing how to properly rig a load, two of the four cables holding the air handling unit came off, and it tipped over in the wind - falling on to Loree. His family remembers Loree's obituary praised his problem solving skills, which helped his career as a pipefitter in the construction industry. It read: 'He never gave up and was always a hard worker. If he could help you in any way, he was there for you. 'His technical skills made him great as a musician, playing guitar, also in his cooking and his BBQing skills. 'David fondness for high performance engines was legendary among those who knew him, but it was his love for music, even if it was just listening to his stereo system, putting on his treasured vinyl records, tapes and CDs that gave him joy.' Milena wrote that she 'knew she could always count on him, whether it was his physical strength, fearless heart, trustworthiness or forgiving manner as a family man. 'He was everyone's friend, the one you could always depend on when you were in need.'
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Wife's stunned reaction as family is awarded over $600 MILLION after her husband died in horrific incident
The family of a construction worker crushed to death by a falling air-conditioner has been awarded $640 million in damages. David Loree, 56, was killed when a massive air handling unit tipped off a crane and fell 10ft on top of him at 1.59pm on September 22, 2021. The father-of-two was working at the Texas A&M University-San Antonio College of Business and Library building for subcontractor TNT Crane & Rigging. His family sued TNT, along with main contractor Byrne Construction Services and two other firms, claiming negligent worksite practices caused his death. A Harris County District Court jury in Houston ruled in favor of Loree's family on Monday after a three-week trial and awarded $160 million in compensation. Then on Tuesday they awarded another $480 million in punitive damages after only about an hour of deliberation. Loree's wife Milena burst into tears when the amount was read out, and buried her face in the table while clutching one of her lawyer's hands. Her sons Cody and Zackary Loree, who were seated behind her, kept their composure. Loree's mother Mary was present for the hearing but not for the judgement. David Loree, 56, (pictured in the 1990s with his sons) was killed when a massive air handling unit tipped off a crane and fell 10ft on top of him at a construction site on September 22, 2021 Loree's wife Milena (pictured together) burst into tears when the amount was read out, and buried her face in the table while clutching one of her lawyer's hands Milena, Cody, Zackary, and Mary will each receive a roughly equal share of the payout. Tony Buzbee, the family's primary lawyer, said on Monday that TNT Crane blamed Loree for his own death throughout the trial and took no responsibility, offering about $6.9 million to settle the case. But the jury wholeheartedly disagreed. 'The jury put 0% responsibility on David Loree and all on the corporate actors, with the lion's share placed on TNT Crane,' Buzbee said. 'I am so glad for this family. Not because of the enormous damages awarded. But because David Loree was completely vindicated. 'It is wrong to blame the victim who was killed. Life has value... I am very proud to speak for him and his family.' Buzbee, who is also the lawyer behind more than 100 sexual assault lawsuits against disgraced rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs, said the case was of 'enormous value'. He said he was so motivated to 'make an example of this corporate wrongdoer' that he personally presented and cross-examined every witness. Buzbee told the jury he was frustrated TNT Crane was still 'arguing technicalities' after already being found liable, instead of apologizing. 'They're trying to avoid justice, that's what's happening,' he said in his closing address on Tuesday, asking for punitive damages. The lawyer argued the only way to make the company change its practices was awarding massive punitive damages to Loree's family. 'Let's make sure that they are sorry, the way you do that is... your message will be "your conduct was wrong your conduct will not be tolerated, period. You must change, figure it out". 'Because people were killed, someone was almost killed the day before!' Buzbee encouraged the jury to 'make an example' of TNT Crane to deter it, and other construction companies, from worksite negligence. 'This was a needless killing of a good man - and even after four weeks of this, you haven't heard any remorse from them,' he told the jury. Buzbee unleased on the company after the jury awarded the enormous payout. 'Will the family ever actually see $640 Million? Unlikely,' he claimed. 'What they did see was every piece of evidence, and heard all of the testimony, explaining how David Loree, their husband, father and son, was brutally killed. 'And they saw how this corporation was more interested in blaming the deceased or arguing technicalities rather than correcting systemic safety issues. 'That jury collectively declared that David Loree was needlessly killed due to clear and convincing gross negligence.' An Occupational Safety and Health Authority investigation completed on February 8, 2022, found Loree was 'crushed by an air handling unit'. Loree and his colleagues were moving three air handling units - the heart of a central air-conditioner weighing several tons - into the third floor of the unfinished building. The first unit was moved successfully, but the second one 'tipped over' as it was raised into position. 'The second unit was rigged on the ground and raised to the mechanical room,' the report read, citing other workers as witnesses. 'With the two [slings] on the back still on, a gust of wind supposedly picked the unit up and fell 10ft, crushing a worker.' Loree suffered a partially severed arm and leg, along with horrific crush injuries, and was declared dead at 2.47pm. His colleague Francisco Montelongo was rushed to hospital with body and head injuries, but survived. The OSHA investigation did not issue any citations and found no safety or health violations during its inspection of the site in the hours after the accident. Loree's obituary praised his problem solving skills, which helped his career as a pipefitter in the construction industry. 'He never gave up and was always a hard worker. If he could help you in any way, he was there for you,' it read. 'His technical skills made him great as a musician, playing guitar, also in his cooking and his BBQing skills. 'David fondness for high performance engines was legendary among those who knew him, but it was his love for music, even if it was just listening to his stereo system, putting on his treasured vinyl records, tapes and CDs that gave him joy.' Milena wrote that she 'knew she could always count on him, whether it was his physical strength, fearless heart, trustworthiness or forgiving manner as a family man'. 'He was everyone's friend, the one you could always depend on when you were in need.'
