Robert Clifford Gets $15.8 Million Verdict Against YMCA on Behalf of Injured Young Girl

Robert A. Clifford on Thursday, Oct. 12 received a $15.8 million verdict in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of a young Harvey girl who was severely injured when a YMCA van struck her at an intersection in that southern suburban in 2001.

Roe Ann Lockhart,12 years old at the time, was crossing the street after school on Jan. 8, 2001, when a Plymouth Voyager minivan driven by Terrell Sanderson of Chicago struck her as she attempted to cross the street at Dixie Highway and 150^th Street.

Clifford, partner at Clifford, had retried a previous verdict of May, 2004, when a not guilty verdict was reached but then overturned because of defense counsel’s misconduct during that trial.

Roe Ann is now 17 and living in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with her mother and two sisters. She suffered permanent brain damage after the minivan struck her; her head hit the windshield and she then was thrown 25 feet hitting the pavement. She has since required a wheelchair in order to get around.

The seven-man-five-woman jury deliberated for about five hours before reaching the unanimous verdict before Judge Daniel Locallo at the Daley Center late Thursday. Clifford Law Offices’ partner Matthew L. Willens and associate Sean Driscoll assisted Clifford at trial.

"We are most gratified that this jury was able to understand and properly evaluate the negligence of the driver here and the permanent life-changing injuries that he caused this young girl," Clifford said after the verdict. "She will need a lifetime of care which this verdict will allow her to achieve."

Willie Mae Lockhart, her adoptive mother, is 68 years old and the legal guardian for Roe Ann. The mother and daughter testified at trial as to how the elder Lockhart had taught her daughter how to properly cross the street. Roe Ann told the jury that she had one day dreamed of being a pediatrician.