TRIALS, VERDICTS & APPEALS #Ada County

Featured on the “TRIALS & VERDICTS” page of the Bill Smith - Idaho Trial Lawyer website, this article details a personal injury case in which an Ada County, Idaho jury returned a $980,000 verdict, including $800,000 for noneconomic damages. The narrative emphasizes that economic damages can be calculated, but losses such as pain, reduced independence, and diminished quality of life require careful proof and clear storytelling at trial. The article concludes with a broader point: when defendants or insurers refuse to fairly acknowledge an injury’s real-world impact, a jury may be the appropriate forum to determine value.

In March 2026, Bill Smith tried a hospital security and use-of-force case to an Ada County jury. After four days of trial, the jury returned a 9–3 defense verdict on the fifth day. Although the case did not end with the result we sought, it gave our client the opportunity to tell her story, challenge an institutional account of what happened, and have her evidence heard by a jury. The trial reinforced an important lesson: sometimes the value of a courtroom is giving a person the opportunity to finally be heard.

In May 2024, Bill Smith served as first-chair trial counsel in McCrady, a personal injury jury trial in Ada County, Boise, Idaho, before District Judge Steven Hippler. Joe Horras and Ellen Smith assisted at trial. The case involved a low-speed motor-vehicle impact and primarily chiropractic treatment. The jury returned a verdict consistent with the nature and extent of the injuries presented.