Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP and Morris, Sullivan & Lemkul LLP Obtain a $46.475 Million Verdict for a Martial Arts Student Catastrophically Injured by Instructor at Del Mar Jiu-Jitsu Club
While practicing with Iturralde, Mr. Greener was placed in the turtle position -- a position where a person is balled up on all fours with his face down on the mat. If an opponent is in a turtle position, the goal should be to safely put that person on their side known as “taking the back.” Instead, while positioned on top of Mr. Greener, Iturralde crouched on the balls of feet, pinned Mr. Greener to the mat, immobilized Mr. Greener’s left arm, and then launched himself up and over his opponent placing his entire bodyweight on Mr. Greener’s neck. The extreme force of the maneuver crushed Mr. Greener’s cervical vertebrae causing the student to fall limp, paralyzed in all extremities.
- The verdict was rendered on Tuesday, March 28th at the San Diego County Hall of Justice before the Honorable James D. Mangione.
- “This is why, as an ambassador of the art and a member of its founding family, I chose to get involved in this case.
- The extreme force of the maneuver crushed Mr. Greener’s cervical vertebrae causing the student to fall limp, paralyzed in all extremities.
- Defendants were represented at trial by Robert T. Bergsten and Mary M. Campo, Esq, of Hosp, Gilbert & Bergsten.