Six Days in Austin: The Story Behind Our Clients' $6.5 Million Verdict

A case like this isn't won in the courtroom. It's won in the decisions made years before anyone sets foot in one — decisions that, at the time, felt routine, and turned out to matter more than anyone realized. This is the story of a negligent hiring lawsuit in Texas that ended with a Travis County jury awarding our client $6.5 million.

What Happened to Our Client

Our client was working a remote oil and gas site when a worker placed there by a staffing company attacked him. He was left with permanent eye and brain damage, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury — the kind of injuries that don't resolve when a case does.

Before trial, the staffing company offered $350,000 to settle.

For what our client and his wife were facing for the rest of their lives, $350,000 wasn't close — and we told them so.

What Is a Negligent Hiring Lawsuit in Texas?

Under Texas law, a company can be held directly liable — separate from its worker's own liability — when it fails to use reasonable care in hiring, screening, or supervising someone it places into a role where that person could foreseeably harm others. That's negligent hiring. A related theory, negligent undertaking, applies when a company takes on a responsibility, like running a background check before placing a worker on a jobsite, and then fails to carry it out properly.

Key takeaway: These theories are what let us hold the staffing company accountable, not just the individual who caused the harm. The jury agreed, placing 60% of the fault on the staffing company for failing to properly screen the worker it placed on that jobsite, and returning a verdict of $6.5 million.

What We Do From Day One

This is the part of a case clients don't always see, and it's the part we think matters most: from the day we take a case, we're already building for a trial we hope we never have to have. That means documenting everything early and thoroughly, staying in close contact with our clients as their lives and their case both move forward, and making decisions early that are built to hold up years later, not just to look good today.

In this case, that meant one decision, made long before trial was ever on the calendar, that ended up shaping the outcome: our team recorded every deposition taken over the life of the case. Nobody could have known in advance it would matter. But when the defense's own expert misspoke about a key contract term on video, years earlier, that recording is what let us hold them to it in front of the jury.

The work we do early is what gives us room to fight for the right outcome later, instead of settling for what's easy.

This isn't the first time that approach has paid off against a company that underestimated what it was up against. Charles has taken on large employers in arbitration too — including a warehouse worker's case against Amazon, which Amazon itself demanded go to arbitration, that ended in a $2.51 million award. Different forum, same pattern: build the record early, and don't blink when the other side has more resources than you do.

The Trial, and What Came After

The case went to trial in Travis County and lasted six days, with Kyle Sherman of Brandt & Sherman Injury Lawyers serving as co-counsel throughout. The jury deliberated for two days before reaching their decision: negligent hiring, negligent undertaking, and a verdict of $6.5 million, nearly nineteen times the pre-trial offer.

For us, the case doesn't end at the verdict. A.J. Nevitte, the paralegal who worked alongside this family from the very beginning, sat down with our clients afterward to walk through what this verdict actually means for their lives, not just that they'd won, but how to make sure the money protects them, rather than becoming its own kind of burden. Peter Kelly of Texas Appeals has since joined as appellate counsel, helping make sure the verdict holds up.

A verdict doesn't end the case for us. It starts a different kind of work: making sure it protects the people it's for.

Considering whether you have a case like this one? If a company's shortcut on hiring or safety changed your life or a loved one's, reach out for a free case evaluation — there's no cost to find out where you stand.

What to Expect If You File a Negligent Hiring Claim

If you're considering whether a company's hiring or screening failure caused you or a loved one's injury, here's what working with us looks like:

• We investigate the hiring relationship, not just the accident. Who placed the worker, what checks were supposed to happen, and where they broke down.
• We build the record early. Depositions, documents, and expert review start long before any trial date is set, so the case holds up no matter how long it takes.
• We tell you the truth about settlement offers. If an offer doesn't reflect what you've actually lost, we say so, and we're prepared to go to trial to prove it.
• We stay with you after the outcome. Whether that's a settlement or a verdict, our team works with you on what it means for your life going forward.

Sometimes this process takes years. Sometimes it means walking away from money on the table. It always means we're building toward the outcome you deserve, not the one that's easiest for us to close. You can see how this case and others were resolved on our case results page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sue a staffing company for an employee it placed with another business?

Yes, in many cases. If the staffing company failed to reasonably screen or supervise the worker it placed, it may be held liable under Texas negligent hiring and negligent undertaking law, separate from any claim against the worker or the site operator.

What kinds of injuries qualify for a negligent hiring claim?

Any injury caused by a worker the company should not have placed can qualify, including physical assault, workplace violence, and the resulting psychological and neurological harm, as in this case, which involved permanent brain injury, vertical heterophoria in his right eye, and PTSD.

If a company's shortcut on hiring or safety changed your life or the life of someone you love, we'd like to hear your story. Contact Bennett Legal for a free case evaluation, or learn more about how we handle workplace injury cases.

Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Every case is different, and this article is not legal advice.