Caj Boatright

Attorneys Caj Boatright and Roland Christensen won a verdict of $209.2 million for the family of Karl Schneider, a company man in the drilling industry who died from a rare and preventable disease caused by corporate negligence and dishonesty.

While working as a company man for Terra Energy in Western Colorado, Karl lived and worked in company-owned facilities for two-week hitches. The facilities were riddled with mice, getting to the point where workers competed to see who could catch the most mice. In September 2019, Karl started a two-week hitch when he came down with flu symptoms. They seemed mild enough, so he kept doing his job.

What Terra Energy kept from Karl was that flu symptoms were an early sign of Hantavirus—a rare and fatal virus carried by mice droppings, urine, and saliva. Terra Energy had extensive safety documents about Hantavirus prevention and mitigation inherited from the facilities’ previous owner. Still, they’d not given Karl these documents for the two years he’d worked there.

Karl died within a week, and the CDC confirmed it: he’d died from a strain of Hantavirus only found in Western Colorado. From there, Karl’s family called Arnold & Itkin, and we uncovered the extent to which Terra Energy had kept Karl in the dark—ultimately causing his death.

After three years, we finally forced the company into court, where the jury saw the truth: Terra Energy caused the death of a good man because they hid the risks of living in remote Colorado. They awarded Karl’s family $103.6 million for their loss and hit the company with a punitive damage verdict of $105.6 million.

It’s a monumental result, but our firm is prouder still for having honored Karl’s memory by getting justice for his wife and children.

Attorneys Kurt Arnold, Jason Itkin, Noah Wexler, and Caj Boatright achieved a massive settlement on behalf of a large group of clients. Our attorneys took dozens of depositions to get to the bottom of the facts. After years of difficult, highly-contested litigation, they were finally able to overcome both procedural and legal hurdles. The defendants chose to settle with our clients shortly before trial was scheduled to begin.

Kurt Arnold, Caj Boatright, and Roland Christensen secured a $193 million settlement for two workers who were caught in a pipeline explosion offshore. One of the workers eventually passed away from his injuries. Once the families called us, Arnold & Itkin immediately put pressure on the at-fault company. We investigated the incident, took numerous depositions from key witnesses, and collected vital pieces of evidence. We steered the case through difficult obstacles unique to maritime law, ensuring that the case moved to trial quickly. Because the negligent company wanted to avoid facing a jury at all costs, our effort to push the case forward pressured the defendant to settle with both families to take care of them for generations. In the meantime, we made sure our clients got the best care possible. It was an honor and privilege to represent these hard-working families through the worst tragedy of their lives, and we were glad to deliver such an incredible result.

Offshore attorneys Kurt Arnold, Caj Boatright, and Roland Christensen secured a $125 million settlement for a woman who lost her husband in a dredge boat accident involving a pipeline explosion. Her husband was badly burned in the accident, eventually succumbing to his injuries. Our firm utilized every resource to aggressively investigate the accident, pushing the case toward a jury trial. Desperate to avoid a trial, the defendant settled with our client to take care of her and her family for the rest of her life. Arnold & Itkin was proud to have helped our client get the support she needed while getting justice for her husband, and we hope this result serves as an example to other companies to prevent future loss of life.

Attorneys from the Arnold & Itkin team helped reach a record settlement on behalf of individuals who had suffered from the use of defective, dangerous products. This will help ensure they are taken care of for life.

Attorneys from our legal team helped to represent those who had been seriously harmed by dangerous, defective products. In the end, we obtained a record settlement and recovered $105 million on their behalf.

Attorneys Kurt Arnold, Caj Boatright, and Roland Christensen secured a $77.5 million settlement for a Houston family man who was tragically paralyzed in a workplace incident. As soon as our firm was retained, we promptly enlisted the industry's top experts to investigate the incident and determine its cause. Armed with overwhelming evidence of the defendant's negligence, we compelled them to settle the case for a record-breaking amount rather than risk facing a jury trial. At Arnold & Itkin, we spare no effort to ensure that our clients and their families receive the support they need to recover from catastrophic circumstances.

Attorneys Kurt Arnold, Jason Itkin, Caj Boatright, and Noah Wexler settled a case for $75 million on behalf of multiple clients. Our team was able to secure the settlement after we defeated the defendant's attempt to keep the case from getting to trial. After winning a series of rulings that allowed our clients' case to come forward, the defendant settled for an eight-figure amount.

Kurt Arnold, Caj Boatright, and Roland Christensen fought for a $68 million settlement for a dredge worker from Texas who was badly injured in a pipeline explosion. Our first task was ensuring our client got the medical care and support he and his family needed. Meanwhile, our team immediately started collecting evidence and deposing key witnesses to investigate the incident and push the case toward a trial. Hoping to avoid a trial, the at-fault company settled with our client's family so they would be taken care of forever. It was our honor to help this family rebuild their future by ensuring they got the support and care they needed, and Arnold & Itkin was happy with the result we secured with our relentless advocacy.