Tried · Not just settled
37 jury verdicts in 8 years. Insurance carriers know which firms can take a case to a jury and which will settle on the courthouse steps. We are on the first list. That changes the offer before we ever file.
Recent verdict
$8.2M
Tractor-trailer · USDC-EDVA
2024 · jury verdict
37
verdicts
$42M
recovered '24
24h
response
37
Jury verdicts since 2017
$42M
Recovered last year
94%
Cases settled pre-trial
24h
Avg. response time
The firm
Insurance carriers know which firms can take a case to verdict and which will settle on the courthouse steps. We are on the first list. That changes the offer before we ever file.
Most of our cases still settle — but on numbers carriers do not give firms that flinch. We hire engineers within 24 hours of intake. We retain medical experts on every case. We try.
◆Board-certified trial advocates
◆24-hour engineer dispatch
◆Medical experts on retainer
◆Federal & state trial bar
◆DC · MD · VA · DE
◆Contingency · no recovery, no fee
Practice areas
Drivers, riders, pedestrians. Federal Motor Carrier cases against trucking carriers when applicable. Engineer on-site within 24 hours of intake when evidence has to be preserved.
Verdict / Settlement · 2024
$8.2M
Jury verdict · 2024 · NoVA tractor-trailer collision · catastrophic injury · contested liability.
Diagnostic and surgical malpractice, birth injury. We work with retained medical experts on every case — not the same name that shows up on the other side of every file.
Verdict / Settlement · 2024
$14M
Settlement · 2024 · birth injury · catastrophic neurological impairment · D.C. hospital system.
Slip-and-fall, inadequate security, fire-code violations. We hire engineers to inspect within 24 hours of intake — most plaintiffs lose these cases on spoliation, not merits.
Verdict / Settlement · 2024
$4.5M
Settlement · 2024 · DC commercial premises · inadequate security · contested duty.
Survivor advocacy, economic damages, loss-of-consortium claims. Compassionate but thorough. We coordinate with probate counsel and life-care planners.
Verdict / Settlement · 2023
$9.6M
Verdict · 2023 · DC truck-vs-pedestrian · wrongful death · two minor survivors.
Verdict history
Tractor-trailer collision
USDC-EDVA · catastrophic injury · contested liability
$8.2M
Birth injury
DC Superior · hospital system · settled at trial
$14M
Premises · inadequate security
DC Superior · commercial · settled pre-verdict
$4.5M
Surgical negligence
USDC-DMD · spine · jury verdict
$3.1M
Truck-vs-pedestrian
DC Superior · wrongful death · two survivors
$9.6M
Auto crash · UM/UIM bad faith
USDC-EDVA · bad-faith add-on
$2.4M
Industrial workplace
USDC-DMD · third-party · TBI
$5.8M
Diagnostic delay
DC Superior · oncology · settled at trial
$3.7M
Fire-code premises
USDC-EDVA · multi-plaintiff · jury verdict
$11.3M
Rideshare crash
DC Superior · primary + UM coverage
$1.9M
Anesthesia error
USDC-DMD · permanent impairment
$6.2M
Federal tort claim · USPS
USDC-DC · pedestrian · post-trial settlement
$1.4M
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Verdicts listed represent gross recoveries prior to costs, fees, and statutory offsets. Amounts on appeal noted separately in full verdict history.
The trial team
Theodore Ashford
Founding Partner · Trial
Lead counsel on 37 jury verdicts. Board-certified civil trial advocate. Tries cases other firms refer out — especially the contested-liability files.
Verdicts
37
Bar
DC · MD · VA · Federal
Maya Brooks
Trial Partner · Medical
Former hospital risk counsel. Tries six and seven-figure medical cases against carriers. Trained surgical nurses give her a quiet superpower in deposition.
Verdicts
14
Bar
DC · MD · Federal
Devon Castillo
Trial Partner · Trucking
Eleven years on federal motor-carrier cases. Engineers within 24 hours, ELD download within 48. Tries cases where the carrier wishes the case had been dismissed at MSJ.
Verdicts
9
Bar
DC · VA · DE · Federal
"They told me what my case was actually worth — twice what the carrier had offered. Then they got it."
B. Holloway · Verdict · 2024
Case calculator
Rough order-of-magnitude based on medical bills and injury severity. Not legal advice. Use it to know what you should not accept from a carrier on day one.
Contingency only
33 – 40%
33% of recovery if settled before suit · 40% if tried
No upfront fees
$0
We advance all litigation costs · reimbursed from recovery
Free review
< 24 hrs
Engineer dispatched within 24 hours of intake
Exhibit A · Worksheet
Estimated claim value
Surgical intervention or permanent impairment usually qualifies as serious or worse.
Rough estimate · Settlement value range
$257,250–$514,500
Not legal advice. Actual recovery depends on liability, coverage, comparative fault, and venue. Schedule a free case review for an attorney-prepared estimate.
Reach the firm
A 24-hour line for new matters. We answer the call ourselves — not a service. Engineer on-site within 24 hours of intake when evidence has to be preserved.
Office
601 13th Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
24-Hour line
(202) 555-0199
case@ashfordtrial.example
Trial courts
D.C. Superior · USDC-DC · USDC-DMD · USDC-EDVA