Episode Details

This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Armen Akaragian and Garo Mardirossian of Mardirossian & Associates, Inc. (https://www.garolaw.com/)

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Episode Details:

Los Angeles trial lawyers Armen Akaragian and Garo Mardirossian of Mardirossian & Associates, Inc. explain how they represented the family of Nonki Uno, a 66-year-old restaurant owner who was killed after the accelerator pedal in her 2006 Toyota Camry got stuck following a crash caused by another driver who ran a stop sign. In August 2009, 86-year-old Olga Bello broadsided Nonki Uno's car, sending it spinning and uncontrollably accelerating, crossing the center median curb and striking multiple telephone poles and trees. Nonki was found dead at the scene with her foot broken and mangled under the brake pedal and her emergency brake activated. Originally tried in 2013, this was a bellwether case for nearly 300 unintended acceleration cases involving Toyota vehicles. Toyota failed to include a Brake Override Safety System (B.O.S.S.) in the American model of the Toyota Camry until 2007 and failed to warn consumers about the fact that solid accelerator pedals can get stuck and cause sudden acceleration. Despite Armen and Garo's argument that Toyota and Olga Bello were to blame for Nonki's death, the Los Angeles jury ultimately found Olga 100% responsible and awarded $10,000,000 in noneconomic damages to Nonki's husband and son. 

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Guest Bios:

Armen Akaragian

Armen Akaragian is an attorney with the firm of Mardirossian & Associates, in Los Angeles, California. He has been with the firm since 1999.

Admitted to practice in 2006, Armen has arbitrated, tried, and settled several cases that have resulted in multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Some of the largest entities Armen has represented the firm’s clients against include Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Toyota Motor Corporation, Marriott International, Inc., Kiewit Construction, Continental Tire, Land Rover, State of California, Chrysler Motors, Emerson Electric, and Honeywell International.

In 2009, he was nominated for the coveted Consumer Trial Attorney of the Year Award by the Consumer Attorneys of California, a statewide organization, following his involvement in the case of Pannu vs. Land Rover. This complex product liability case, which was litigated for more than seven years, tried over eight weeks and underwent a two-year appellate process, ultimately resulted in a fully affirmed judgment in excess of $25,000,000.00. Most notably, the published Court of Appeal opinion set precedent in the State of California excluding from evidence crucial testing that automobile manufacturers have relied upon in defending complex product liability cases for decades.

In 2011, Armen again was recognized for his accomplishments by the Armenian Bar Association as one of the top 20 lawyers under 40. This was the first time this award had been given out by the Bar Association.

In 2013, Armen was one of the trial attorneys in the first bellwether case tried to verdict, Uno v. Toyota, in the about 300 coordinated cases against Toyota arising from unintended acceleration incidents. The trial lasted for more than three months and resulted in a jury verdict in the amount of $10,000,000.00 for the untimely death of a 66-year-old wife and mother. The case ultimately settled in 2015 at the Appellate Court steps. At that time, the judgment which also included costs and interest exceeded $13,000,000.00.

During the trial in Uno v. Toyota, the California Court of Appeal published its opinion in