Richard Gerry Named Arizona's "Outstanding Trial Lawyer for 2008"

On May 19, 2009, in recognition of his November 2008 $36 million jury award in Graham v. ValueOptions, Aiken Schenk's Richard Gerry was named "Outstanding Trial Lawyer for 2008" by the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association (recently renamed the Arizona Association for Justice).

The Graham award was the fifth-largest 2008 jury award in Arizona, and it was ranked 58th nationally in a survey by Verdict Search.

Graham involved the shooting of a Wal-Mart employee by a mentally ill man who, despite a doctor’s orders, did not receive necessary medical supervision or treatment from the health care provider that was responsible for treating the condition that caused his violent behavior. The $36 million award included punitive damages of $25 million.