Case Results

Maginnis Howard is a civil litigation firm. We do not deal with traffic tickets, or handle real estate closings. We advocate for our clients’ rights in the Courtrooms of North Carolina. Whether it’s suing an insurance company that has wrongfully denied responsibility for a serious injury, defending a small business against a competitor, collecting funds owed to a company, fighting for the rights of an employee that has been unlawfully terminated or protecting individuals from unlawful actions by creditors, we’ll help guide you through the uncertainties and complexities of civil litigation.

The cases below are simply illustrations of the work we have done. Our success in previous cases does not mean that we will obtain a similar result for you or your business. Each case is its own battle and depends upon its facts, the parties involved, and any number of other considerations. The only thing we can promise is that we will work tirelessly to help you or your company.

• $2.9 million settlement on behalf of a 6-year-old girl killed by a drunk driver. The crash occurred in 2015 when a former UNC student drove the wrong way on Interstate 85 after consuming alcohol from private parties and Franklin Street bars. The settlement included over 15 other defendants charged with providing the underage defendant access to alcohol and marijuana. The crash claimed the lives of three people.
• $1.3 million settlement for the family of a Charlotte man killed by a drunk driver. The victim was transporting his elderly mother from Michigan when the crash occurred. She survived significant injuries, including bilateral ankle fractures. The drunk driver, whose blood alcohol concentration was .19, was traveling the wrong way on Interstate 77 near Statesville. Our attorneys conducted a thorough investigation of the drunk driver, including her phone and credit card records. Ultimately, we identified the establishment that served her 7 drinks over 2 hours. Read more.
• $1.36 million recovered for the family of child killed trying to board school bus. Read more.
• $1 million recovered for a child sexually abused at a day care center.
• $650,000 recovered for a Wake County client rear-ended by a logging-truck. He suffered from persistent post-percussive syndrome and no-surgical neck and back injuries as a result of the crash.
• $599,500 settlement on behalf of the Estate of a father of three. Our client, an electrician, was working in a manufacturing facility when he was knocked from an elevated scissor lift. We found that the facility's owners forced their employee to operate the crane with blind spots.
• $250,000 settlement for a motorists who sustained serious injuries in a motor vehicle collision.
• $250,000 pre-suit settlement for a Wake County boy attacked by his best friend's dog. The victim sustained two facial lacerations that resulted in permanent scars.
• $250,000 recovered for a Durham County man struck head-on by a drunk driver. Attorneys Shawn Howard and Karl Gwaltney recovered the maximum available insurance from both bodily-injury coverage and property damage coverage. The drunk driver had a previous record of driving under the influence.
• $200,000 recovered on behalf of two men killed in an Alamance County automobile crash.
• $200,000 tender of all available insurance on behalf of a Wake County passenger killed in a single vehicle drunk driving crash. Attorney Shawn Howard obtained the under insured motorist (UIM) policy limits.
• $200,000 settlement for a motorcyclist whose vehicle seized up during operation after it was left for repairs at a mechanic. Attorney Shawn Howard hired a forensic reconstruction engineer who determined the repair shop failed to adequately torque a bolt on the caliper.
• $200,000 recovered for a Raleigh boy attacked by a pit bull. The dog had already bitten one other person in the community. In addition, it was the third incident to which the Raleigh Animal Control Department responded. The insurer's original offer was only $30,000.
• $150,000 limit of insurance for Chatham County man who sustained brain and shoulder injuries in automobile collision.
• $150,000 settlement for the father of a young man killed in a drunk driving accident. The driver crossed the center line of the road and into a ditch. Many other firms rejected this case because our client's son voluntarily rode in a vehicle with an intoxicated driver. Attorneys Ed Maginnis and Shawn Howard successfully argued it was possible that the driver had not shown any signs of intoxication and therefore the passenger was not at fault.
• $147,000 recovered for a Chatham County boy who suffered a wrist fracture in a motor vehicle collision.
• $137,000 settlement for a Randolph County injured as a passenger in a car that was T-boned in an intersection. The defendant ran a red light and our client required neck surgery. Despite the insurance company claiming the injury was pre-existing, attorney Shawn Howard successfully argued the crash significantly aggrataved previous issues.
• $110,000 recovered for a firefighter injured at a training site. The trainee was pulling a hose over a railing when the railing broke and he fell to the ground.
• $110,000 litigation settlement for a 3 year old boy attacked by a neighbor's pit bull. The insurance company's original offer was only $30,000.

• $2 million jury verdict for fraud/trade secret business litigation.Read more.
• Attorneys Karl Gwaltney and Ed Maginnis successfully defended an employee against breach of agreement claims by a former employer. Read more.
• Lawsuit dismissed against Raleigh plumbing contractor sued for $282,000 relating to unpaid materials purchased in a credit account. Attorney Ed Maginnis filed and litigated a counterclaim alleging improper pricing methods by the supplier, and the matter settled for a mutual dismissal.
• $250,000 settlement for a Greenville man ousted from a small business he helped start.
• $113,563 trial verdict for a breach of non-compete contract interference and unfair and deceptive trade practices act. The award was more than 8 times the best settlement offered the defendants made.
• $96,961 judgement against a real estate developer on behalf of a Raleigh architect who was not paid for work on a residential complex.
• $75,000 obtained by attorney Garrett L. Davis for a small business for loss profits in a breach of contract case.
• $70,000 settlement for a North Carolina businessman who had been misled regarding the assets and value of a store he purchased.

• $7 million settlement for tenants of Southwood Realty Company who were charged unlawful eviction fees. Read more.
• $5 million settlement for unlawfully assessed eviction fees by Camden Property Trust. Read more.
• $4.75 million settlement for tenants charged unlawful eviction fees at Bell Partners properties. Read more
• $1.2 million settlement for a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act class action. Read more.
• $475,000 settlement for tenants who paid unlawful fees. Read more.
• Debt dismissal on behalf of a Raleigh couple sued by a bank for $500,000.

• $100,000 unpaid commissions settlement. A former sales employee alleged he was owed significant commissions associated with sales made in his territory.
• $66,250 settlement in a failure to pay overtime wage lawsuit.
• $65,000 failure to pay wages and benefits.
• $84,000 settlement for a Raleigh salesman defrauded of commissions.

• Attorneys Anthony Klish and Gordan Godwin assisted clients in receiving rightful inheritance from their deceased parents' estate. Read more.
• $109,750 benefits owed disbursed to the family of a deceased Raleigh man. Attorneys Ed Maginnis and Shawn Howard fought insurers who originally denied the payment of benefits claiming the deceased had been engaged in criminal activity.