Sari Swears Podcast: Trial Debrief: Matthew Wilson on Turning Down $400K and Winning $1.8 Million

Sari Swears Podcast: Trial Debrief: Matthew Wilson on Turning Down $400K and Winning $1.8 Million

From Sari Swears by Sari de la Motte

June 19, 2026 · 38 min · Season 8 · Episode 39

About this episode

Matthew Wilson discusses his decision to turn down a $400,000 settlement and successfully win $1.8 million at trial by changing his approach to jury selection.

Most lawyers would have taken the $400,000… The plaintiff had healed. No surgery. Relatively modest medical bills. Plenty of risk heading into trial. But attorney Matthew Wilson saw something bigger . In this episode of Sari Swears, Matthew breaks down how he turned down the highest offer in the case, took it to verdict, and watched a jury return $1.8 million. More importantly, he shares what changed his approach in the courtroom. For years, voir dire was the part of trial that terrified him most . Then he started doing something different—having real conversations with jurors instead of relying on the same old script. In this episode, you'll hear: How a "small" injury case became a seven-figure verdict The overlooked damages that resonated with jurors What focus groups revealed about suing a city How authenticity changed Matthew's entire approach to voir dire The moment he realized jurors don't need perfection—they need a real person And perhaps the most powerful part of the story isn't the verdict itself. 😉 Love, Sari

People in this episode

Host: Sari de la Motte

Guest: Matthew Wilson

Topics covered

Keywords

More episodes of Sari Swears

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Sari Swears podcast page.