Congratulations to Mahaffey Pickens Tucker ("MPT") attorneys Wayne Tartline and Brian Easley on obtaining a complete defense verdict at the end of a week-long jury trial in Georgia's Barrow County State Court which began on July 20, 2026. 

Mr. Tartline, MPT's newest trial attorney, had litigated this matter for more than six (6) years and brought this case to MPT for trial when he came aboard in June.  The trial claims arose from a motor vehicle collision which occurred in 2017. The Plaintiff claimed that a local concrete company's driver's negligence caused an accident on Buford Dam Road and alleged that the resulting injuries led to a decade of back pain, painful injections, surgery and an implanted spinal cord stimulator.  The medical special damages were in excess of $680,000.00.  

Years of aggressive motion practice limited the plaintiff's claims to simple negligence and negligence per se for the driver of a Ford F550 pulling a 16 foot utility trailer, as the claims for negligent hiring, training, and supervision were dismissed prior to the trial.  The trial team did have to overcome the driver's citation for improper backing and a jury charge which permitted the jury to consider the payment of his fine as an "admission of guilt."  

Pursuant to Georgia's new tort reform bifurcation procedure (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-15), the jury first had to make a determination as to negligence by the Defendant driver and then make a determination as to whether or not that negligence caused an injury to the plaintiff. Given the driver's traffic citation, the jury found that the driver was negligent.  However, the jury found that, despite the claimed years of medical treatment, Plaintiff had not met her burden to show that her conditions were caused by this incident. The defense used medical records, an expert neurosurgeon, and RIMKUS expert biomechanical engineer Evan McConnell, to demonstrate that the mechanics of this collision were unlikely to have resulted in the serious medical conditions claimed.  The defense also exploited inconsistencies in the Plaintiff's reporting of injuries and pain at various times to show her lack of reliability as a witness and her motivations with respect to the lawsuit.  

MPT attorneys were assisted by summer associates Emma Thomes, Savannah Corbin and Yami Palacious, all of whom received a thorough education in tort litigation during the weeks leading up to the trial and through the trial week.  Special thanks to Ms. Thomes, a rising 3L at Belmont University, for her significant contributions. 

This is the rare case where MPT attorneys defend tort claims, as MPT remains committed to representing those who are seriously injured due to negligence or medical malpractice. Moving forward, Mr. Tartline will be utilizing his trial talents at MPT on behalf of those who have suffered significant and catastrophic injuries.