A $4,081,047 jury verdict secured by VB Attorneys against Phoenix Processor Limited Partnership has earned recognition in two of TopVerdict’s 2025 rankings: No. 41 among the 50 largest occupational injury verdicts in the United States and No. 20 among the largest plaintiff jury verdicts in Washington State.
The verdict, returned on June 16, 2025, in King County, Washington, arose from severe injuries suffered by a seafood processor aboard the commercial fishing vessel M/V Excellence in the Bering Sea.
The case, Boatright v. Phoenix Processor LP, was tried by VB Attorneys founding partner Vuk Vujasinovic and trial attorney Job Tennant, alongside Washington co-counsel Neil Lindquist. Its recognition in both a national workplace injury ranking and a statewide ranking reflects the significance of the verdict beyond maritime litigation alone.
For our client, however, the significance of the verdict was never about its place on a ranking. It was about holding an employer accountable for workplace safety failures and the consequences of delayed medical treatment.
A Preventable Injury, Followed by Nine Days at Sea
In January 2023, a seafood processor working aboard the M/V Excellence suffered a serious fracture-dislocation when a heavy tray of frozen fish fell onto his foot. The evidence established that Phoenix Processor had not made steel-toed safety boots available aboard the vessel, despite the risks associated with handling heavy, frozen cargo.
The injury should have prompted urgent medical attention. Instead, the vessel continued fishing for approximately nine days before the injured worker reached medical care ashore.
What began as a severe foot injury developed into a lasting medical ordeal involving multiple surgeries, joint fusion, and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a debilitating chronic pain condition. The consequences extended far beyond the initial accident, affecting the worker’s mobility, quality of life, and future.
Two weeks before trial, Phoenix Processor made a formal offer of judgment of $600,000. The jury ultimately awarded $4,081,047 — more than six and a half times that amount.
The jury also found that the injured worker had not reached maximum medical improvement, leaving the employer’s maintenance-and-cure obligations in place.
The full Boatright case study examines the evidence presented, the medical consequences, and the legal issues that shaped the verdict.
Why This Verdict Matters Beyond the Courtroom
Maritime workers perform demanding and frequently dangerous work, often far from the medical facilities and support systems available to employees on land. Federal maritime law recognizes those circumstances and imposes important obligations on employers.
Under the Jones Act, qualifying seamen may pursue negligence claims against their employers when a failure to exercise reasonable care contributes to a workplace injury. Separate maritime-law protections, including maintenance and cure, address an employer’s obligations to provide support and medical care to injured seamen.
These protections matter only when they are enforced.
In the Boatright case, the litigation examined not simply how a heavy object came to fall, but whether reasonable precautions could have prevented the injury and whether the employer’s response compounded the harm. Company records, testimony, medical evidence, and expert analysis were central to establishing what happened.
The case illustrates why a maritime injury cannot always be evaluated by the immediate medical diagnosis or the employer’s initial assessment. The circumstances of the accident, the decisions made afterward, and the long-term consequences of the injury all require careful investigation.
National Recognition That Reflects the Importance of Trial Preparation
The Boatright verdict’s inclusion among the nation’s 50 largest reported occupational injury verdicts of 2025, alongside its recognition among Washington State’s 20 largest plaintiff jury awards, places the result in a broader context. Workplace injury litigation spans industries ranging from construction and manufacturing to transportation and commercial fishing. Although the applicable laws differ, these cases often involve fundamental questions about workplace safety, employer responsibility, and the long-term consequences of preventable injuries.
For our firm, these distinctions reinforce a principle that has shaped our practice for decades: a case must be prepared on its evidence and its merits, with the willingness to present it to a jury when a fair resolution cannot be reached.
We deliberately accept a limited number of cases. This allows us to devote the time, attention, and resources necessary to investigate complex injuries, challenge disputed medical and liability evidence, and work directly with the people whose lives have been changed.
Not every case belongs in a courtroom, and a trial is never a guarantee of a particular outcome. But an injured worker should not have to accept an inadequate resolution simply because the opposing company has greater financial resources.
The Boatright verdict demonstrates what careful preparation and a full examination of the evidence can accomplish.
Experienced Representation for Injured Maritime Workers
Although VB Attorneys is headquartered in Houston, our maritime injury practice extends nationwide. The firm’s attorneys represent injured seamen and other qualifying maritime workers in complex cases involving commercial fishing vessels, offshore operations, tugboats, barges, and other working vessels.
Vuk Vujasinovic is a founding partner of VB Attorneys and is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. With more than 30 years of trial experience, he represents individuals and families in serious personal injury, wrongful death, and maritime litigation.
For workers who have suffered an injury at sea, understanding the applicable law, preserving evidence, and evaluating the full consequences of the injury are essential first steps.
Related Resources and Recognition
- Boatright v. Phoenix Processor LP — $4,081,047 Jury Verdict
- Jones Act Claims: Legal Rights of Injured Seamen
- Vuk Vujasinovic — Founding Partner
- TopVerdict: Top 50 Occupational Injury Verdicts in the United States in 2025
- TopVerdict: Top 20 Washington State Verdicts of 2025
Every case depends on its individual facts and applicable law. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.