The Case

• Case Name: Daniel Chavez v. Simon Jihoon Sohng
• Court and Case Number: Los Angeles Superior Court / 22STCV38781
• Date of Verdict or Judgment: Thursday, November 13, 2025
• Date Action was Filed: Tuesday, December 13, 2022
• Type of Case: Vehicles - Intersection
• Judge or Arbitrator(s): Hon. Lawrence Cho
• Plaintiffs:
  Daniel Chavez
• Defendants:
  Simon Jihoon Sohng
• Type of Result: Jury Verdict

The Result

• Gross Verdict or Award: $5,729,080
• Contributory/Comparative Negligence: None.
• Economic Damages:Past medical expenses: $350,000
• Future medical expenses: $329,080
• Non-Economic Damages:Past: $2,250,000
• Future: $2,800,000 
• Trial or Arbitration Time: 10 days
• Jury Deliberation Time: 1 1/2 days

The Attorneys

• Attorney for the Plaintiff:

  SHK Law by Brian J. Kim and Maureen Hennessey, Encino.

• Attorney for the Defendant:

  Macdonald & Cody, LLP by Joseph Fitzgerald and Michael Moon, Riverside.

The Experts

• Plaintiff’s Medical Expert(s):

  Troy Mounts, M.D., spine surgery.

• Defendant's Medical Expert(s):Eric Lin, M.D., spine surgery.
• Defendant's Technical Expert(s):

  Victoria Wilkerson, MBA, CPA, economics.

Facts and Background

• Facts and Background:On December 16, 2020, plaintiff, a Los Angeles Fire Department employee, was involved in a motor vehicle collision while acting within the course and scope of his employment. The collision occurred at an intersection and involved an impact to the side of plaintiff's vehicle. There was no airbag deployment in plaintiff's vehicle.
• Liability for the collision was admitted prior to trial, leaving causation and damages as the sole issues for the jury. Plaintiff was 36 years old at the time of the collision and 40 years old at the time of trial. 
• Plaintiff's Contentions:Plaintiff contended that he sustained a cervical spine injury as a result of the motor vehicle collision. Believing initially that his symptoms were manageable and temporary, plaintiff treated through Workers' Compensation and returned to work approximately six weeks after the incident, expecting improvement and out of financial necessity, despite continuing neck discomfort.
• Plaintiff contended that his condition progressively worsened over time despite conservative treatment, ultimately requiring surgical intervention nearly four years after the collision. Plaintiff maintained that the artificial disc replacement surgery was reasonable and medically necessary and that the motor vehicle collision was the cause of his cervical spine injury. Plaintiff further contended that the nature and progression of his symptoms were consistent with a trauma-induced cervical injury rather than degenerative changes alone.
• Defendant's Contentions:Defendant disputed causation and damages, contending that plaintiff's cervical spine condition was not caused by the motor vehicle collision. Defendant contended that plaintiff was evaluated and released from the emergency department on the day of the incident after reporting minimal pain and declining prescription pain medication.Defendant also contended that imaging studies failed to demonstrate objective evidence of an acute traumatic cervical injury. Finally, defendant contended that the artificial disc replacement surgery was not reasonable or medically necessary and that the claimed medical expenses were excessive and inflated.
• Defendant further contended that plaintiff's return to work shortly after the incident and release to full duty within six weeks were inconsistent with a serious cervical spine injury. Defendant maintained that plaintiff treated through workers' compensation providers without documented evidence of cervical radiculopathy and did not report neck pain radiating into his arms or hands until several months later, when he first presented to an orthopedic spine surgeon. Defendant contended that plaintiff's later reported symptoms were attributable to pre-existing degenerative cervical findings or a subsequent workplace incident rather than the subject collision.

Injuries and Other Damages

• Physical Injuries claimed by Plaintiff:Cervical spine injury with cervical radiculopathy and neck pain radiating into his arms and hands. Plaintiff underwent artificial disk replacement.

Special Damages

• Special Damages Claimed - Past Medical: $350,000
• Special Damages Claimed - Future Medical: $539,050
• Special Damages Claimed - Past Lost Earnings: N/A
• Special Damages Claimed - Future Lost Earnings: N/A

Demands and Offers

• Plaintiff §998 Demand: $600,000