Randall Scarlett is the definition of trial-tested. Over the past three decades, he has built the reputation of his firm (renowned plaintiffs’ practice Scarlett Law Group) on convincing juries to side with his clients in large-scale personal injury cases, particularly those involving traumatic brain injuries. In the process, he has obtained some of the most significant results in the field, with multiple verdicts that range from $10 million to close to $50 million. But with the COVID-19 pandemic causing courts around the country to postpone trials, Scarlett and his team are facing unprecedented challenges.
“This year, COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in the legal system—many courts in Northern California have postponed cases, and there remains significant uncertainty about when these trials will move forward,” Scarlett says. “A lot of courts just aren’t equipped to handle jury trials during this time; virtual trials may have had varying degrees of success, but ultimately a certain dynamic gets lost when you’re trying a case virtually.”
Still, Scarlett Law Group continues to secure justice for its injured clients, implementing new strategies and working diligently to move each case forward. The firm has secured multimillion-dollar settlements in several cases involving traumatic brain injuries and is also handling a number of cases in states outside of California (Scarlett is licensed in California and the District of Columbia and has been admitted pro hac vice in such states as Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii, among others).
Scarlett Law Group continues to secure justice for its injured clients, implementing new strategies and working diligently to move each case forward.
“We have a case in Arizona involving a 23-year-old man who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident and couldn’t care for himself following the surgery,” Scarlett notes. “It was a challenge during the pandemic to move him to his parents’ home in Minnesota and secure in-person appointments with the appropriate rehabilitation physicians, but we were able to ensure that he is receiving the proper treatment and that his case is moving forward in the Arizona court system.”
Currently, Scarlett has an upcoming mediation in a case involving a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hurt by a non-code-compliant elevator. He notes that despite the pandemic, Scarlett Law Group has been able to conduct inspections and virtual depositions in the case—working it up as if it will go to trial (as the firm does for all its cases). “Though many courts are closed, our decades-long history of taking cases to trial in the face of inadequate settlement offers ensures that we will obtain just resolutions for our clients,” Scarlett says.
