Average Verdicts in Maine

I’ve struggled to find good numbers in Maine for personal injury verdicts in personal injury cases. I found some data that indicates that the average jury verdict in Maine is a little over $27,000 in personal injury case generally and $15,000. But these statistics are pretty old.

In a slightly more recent study, there were 222 personal injury verdicts in Maine in which the Plaintiff prevailed. These verdicts totaled about $45 million which comes about to an average that is approximately $200,000. What good is this data? Probably not much because the verdicts are self-reporting, which means lawyers eager to publish their successes – both plaintiffs’ and defendants’ lawyers – are unduly represented.

So, ultimately, I don’t have much to tell you about Maine verdicts.

Here is a sampling of some verdicts and settlements from the Pine Tree State:

2022, Maine: $10,000,000 Settlement. the lawsuit alleged that a federally funded medical center was negligent in failing to recognize and report red-flag symptoms of child abuse as required under state law. As a result of this failure to report the abuse, the minor plaintiff suffered a fractured skull, brain damage and permanent blindness after being physically abused by her boyfriend.
2021, Maine: $90,000 Verdict. the plaintiff brought a civil lawsuit against the local police department for false arrest and malicious prosecution after he was arrested based on false witness testimony. Jury awarded $90,000 in damages.
2019, Maine: $2,054,000 Verdict. A woman was a passenger on a motorcycle that was hit by a vehicle attempting a right turn. The impact threw her off the vehicle and she skidded 60 feet on the asphalt. She suffered road rash and left arm and hand fractures. The road rash covered over 50 percent of her body. She had permanent disfigurement and scarring. The woman was a professional dancer and athlete. Her injuries affected her ability to do both. The jury awarded her $2,054,000 in damages.
2017, Maine: $2,000,000 Verdict. A 40-year-old laborer underwent surgery to treat his fractured and fissured wrist cartilage. The surgeon left a protruding screw that caused his arthrosis in the joint space. The man sued the surgeon. He contended that the surgeon negligently left the screw in, failed to examine post-operative films, and failed to inform him. He received a $2,000,000 award.
2016, Maine: $2,100,000 Verdict. A man visited the emergency room and underwent a blood test. The results indicated an infection. He was not sent to a physician. The man continued feeling ill. He visited the doctor repeatedly, but never underwent another blood test. Eight months later, doctors diagnosed him with infective endocarditis that caused heart failure. He would need to emergency cardiac surgery to replace his damaged heart valve. The man contended that if doctors reviewed his blood tests, he could have avoided the whole situation. A jury awarded the man a $2,100,000 award. However, they found him partly liable for his injuries and reduced the award to $1,785,000.
2015, Maine: $610,000 Verdict. The apartment building’s second story deck collapsed. A 30-something tenant suffered chronic back syndrome and the irritation of his nerve root. His injuries required anterior plating, interbody fusion, and cervical corpectomy. He was unable to work, developed severe depression, and attempted suicide. The man contended that the apartment’s owner repeatedly assured them that the deck was safe for use. He further asserted that the owner also failed to properly maintain the deck and to provide safe premises. The jury awarded him $610,000 in damages.