Case Results

We represented the mother of a new born who died at birth against a physician and hospital. A confidential settlement was reached on behalf of our client.

We represented the family of an infant who died while in the care of a day care center. A confidential settlement was reached on behalf of the family.

In the last several years we have represented numerous families whose children have been injured at birth through the negligence of the physicians or hospitals, often both. Because of the confidential agreements involved in these cases, we are not permitted to discuss the exact amounts of these settlements. These cases combined were in excess of Ten Million Dollars.

We represented two families against a local physician, who while performing a medical procedure, perforated the colons of both patients. A confidential settlement was secured on behalf of both families.

We represented an individual against a local physician. The physician mis-diagnosed his symptoms, and it was determined that the patient had cancer. A confidential settlement was received by the client.

We represented a married couple of over 50 years. The woman sustained massive brain injuries. During surgery, the anesthesiologist failed to appropriately monitor the machine providing the anesthetic, leaving her in a vegetative condition. A confidential settlement was reached on behalf of our clients.

We represented the parents and their minor child, Ashlee Anzaldua, against a local physician for misdiagnosis and treatment of H. Pylori. The jury returned its verdict in favor of the Plaintiffs in the amount of $475,000.

We represented a young lady who sustained massive facial injuries due to being kicked by a horse requiring massive reconstruction surgery. She was treated by a Plastic Surgeon and his failure to properly treat, required her to obtain further surgeries. A confidential settlement was reached on her behalf.

We represented a young lady who sustained massive facial injuries due to being kicked by a horse requiring massive reconstruction surgery. She was treated by a Plastic Surgeon and his failure to properly treat, required her to obtain further surgeries. A confidential settlement was reached on her behalf.

We represented the parents regarding the birth of their child against a local doctor for his failure to provide adequate pre-natal and immediate post natal care of the baby, which resulted in the baby sustaining massive brain injuries. A confidential settlement was reached on behalf of our clients.

In September 2011, during a State and County fire ban, a worker for Redlands Contracting, Inc. who was a sub-contractor to Bell Contracting, L.L.C. was welding and started a wild fire that ultimately consumed approximately 40 square miles of land, numerous residences and structures on and adjacent to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. A lawsuit was filed by forty-three Plaintiffs in Comanche County and ultimately a judgment was received in the amount of $6,200,000.

We represented minor children against a major retail corporation and a film processing company who allowed explicit photographs of those children to be developed contrary to the law. A confidential settlement was reached on the children’s’ behalf.

In July 2012, we represented nine individuals and their spouses in an action relating to their loss of thousands of acres of land from a wild fire caused by welding repairs during a fire ban. A multi-million dollar confidential settlement was received on their behalf.

Our client, Dr. Brett Boatsman, DVM, sued Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages for failure to properly advertise his services. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Brett in the amount of $105,000.00.

We represented the estate of a young man who was killed in a head-on night time collision by a drunken driver who was driving left of center. He left a young wife and two small children. A confidential settlement was obtained on their behalf.

Our client, W.E. Bill Henderson, a long time local farmer, was struck and hit by a tractor-trailer owned by Petro Energy Transport Co. hauling air fuel. Bill sustained massive injuries leading to a stroke. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Bill for $20,000,000 and granted his wife, Mary, a loss of consortium claim of $4,000,000.

Husband and wife retained our services to represent them. The husband was involved in a head-on automobile collision involving the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The husband sustained a brain injury and massive injuries. A trial was held before a Federal Judge, who granted a verdict in husband and wife’s favor in the amount of $7,200,000.

We represented the Estate of Jimmy Burns against Kincaid Coach Lines, Inc. A jury verdict was received in the amount of $4,500,000.00 in Logan County, Oklahoma. Mr. Burns’ vehicle was rear ended by a bus driver by an employee of the coach line causing his death. Mr. Zelbst was assisted in the prosecution of this case by Max C. Tuepker.

We represented the Estate of a young man who was working in the oil field industry. On the date of his death he was working on a pump jack unit which was equipped with a brake whose function it was to stop the operation of the pump jack unit. That on the day in question the brake was broken and/or otherwise not operational thereby causing the death by crushing the deceased. A confidential settlement was received on behalf of the Estate.

We represented two individuals who were involved in a vehicle/truck collision causing severe injuries to both. A confidential settlement was received on behalf of both clients.

We represented a mechanic who was run over by a farm truck while he lay on the ground working on a vehicle sustaining serious injuries to both legs. A confidential settlement was reached on behalf of our client.

We represented the estate of Jimmy Hill against J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. in a wrongful death action in the USDC Eastern District of Oklahoma. A jury verdict was received in the amount of $3,400,000.00. Mr. Hill was run over by a Moffett forklift and received a broken ankle which became infected and developed complications which led to his death.

We represented the estate of a mechanic who was performing routine maintenance on an industrial cooker. He was wearing a harness and lanyard which was attached to the cooker to allow him to perform the maintenance. The lanyard became caught on an unguarded rotating shaft of the cooker and our client was pulled into the cooker causing his death. A confidential settlement was obtained on their behalf.

We represented a 24 year old man whose leg was amputated above the knee due to a work-related injury. A confidential settlement was entered into on behalf of our client.

Our client, Dale Pence, a 22 year old security guard was driving his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol at an excessive speed when he had a collision with a semi-tractor trailer. He became a quadriplegic as a result of the collision. The trucking company and their insurance carrier would not offer a penny. An Oklahoma City jury returned a verdict in Dale’s favor in the amount of $8,000,000.

A young man and his passenger were killed in a head-on collision with a semi-trailer tractor on a rural county road. A confidential settlement was received on behalf of the heirs of our client.

We represented the estates of two individuals who were in a van traveling to work with five other men. Six of the seven passengers were killed in an early morning collision in Beaver County, Oklahoma. A confidential settlement was received on behalf of our two clients.

We represented a gentleman in Colorado who was severely injured while riding his motorcycle when a commercial daily delivery truck pulled in front of him. Our client sustained a catastrophic back injury. A confidential settlement was reached on his behalf.

We represented a banker/rancher in a tractor-trailer collision. He sustained massive injuries. After being hit by the tractor-trailer, the vehicle traveled 298 feet before coming to a stop. While attempting to stop, our client hit a traffic control signal, a parked vehicle, overturned, and during the rollover hit a parked vehicle, and while his vehicle was still in motion hit another parked vehicle before finally coming to a halt. A confidential settlement was entered into on behalf of our client.

We represented a gentleman in Colorado who was severely injured while riding his motorcycle when a commercial daily delivery truck pulled in front of him. Our client sustained a catastrophic back injury. A confidential settlement was reached on his behalf.

We represented a retired housewife who, during business hours, slipped and fell on an inclined walkway at a feed and seed store sustaining a spinal injury. A confidential settlement was reached on her behalf.

We represented a Drill Sergeant with the U.S. Army, who, in the early hours one morning, was leaving for work when he tripped on a nail protruding from the outside stairwell of his apartment complex. He sustained a broken ankle and leg injuries, causing him to be removed from the drill field and was later reassigned to a non-combative unit. A confidential settlement was received on his behalf.

We represented an elderly gentleman diagnosed with Alzheimer’s with delusion who was a resident at a local nursing home. During the early hours one morning he left the unit by an unsecured door and was later found on the grounds with severe injuries which ultimately caused his death. The facility had failed to secure the door to the unit allowing him to wander away. A confidential settlement was received on behalf of his estate.

We represented the estate of a professional individual who rented a bulldozer from a local rental agency. Upon delivery of the dozer he was given no instructions as to the operation of said dozer. As he was driving the bulldozer on his rural property moving dirt he was suddenly ejected from the compartment of the bulldozer causing him to be thrown into the path of the dozer. The bulldozer continued in a forward-moving trajectory, crushing and killing him. A confidential settlement was received on behalf of the heirs of his estate.

Mr. Zelbst and Mr. Butler appeared before Judge Joe H. Enos in April 2011 in the case of Arnold Bruce Gilley v. Board of County Commissioners of Stephens County. A jury returned a verdict for $125,000.00, the maximum amount allowed by statute. Mr. Gilley was at his residence when an illegal search was conducted by the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office. My. Gilley was wrongfully arrested, imprisoned, and injured by the officers.

We represented the parents and siblings of Zachary Nobile, a 19 year old boy who was shot through the heart in his own bedroom by the Broken Arrow Police department. The jury found recklessness, excessive force and deliberate indifference resulting in the case settling on appeal for $680,000.

We represented Javier Mendosa, a 22 year old boy who was repeatedly shot by a pepper ball gun by deputy sheriffs of Orange County, California. After a length jury trial, the jury returned a verdict for $300,000.

We represented a bakery owner who sued a multi-billion dollar international corporation for a fraud perpetrated upon him by the corporation in an attempt to resolve their disputes. The jury returned a verdict for $2,000,050 and a punitive aware in the amount of $1,425,000.

We represented a husband and wife in a breach of an unwritten promise in the sale of a horse ranch in Purcell. The jury returned a verdict in their favor for $825,000.00.

We represented John Gish, a local businessman in a small rural Western Oklahoma community, Hobart, Oklahoma, who sued the multi-billion dollar corporation, E.C.I., for inducement of fraud in the sale of his funeral home business. Mr. Gish was able to keep the purchase price paid to him plus the jury awarded him 4.5 million dollars for the fraudulent conduct of E.C.I.

Suit was filed against the United States Government for discrimination against the handicapped (failure to accommodate) resulted in a total judgment in excess of $80,000.00.

The verdicts and settlements listed above are illustrations only, and no guarantee can be made as to the value or outcome of any prospective client(s)’ case.