John Demas’s $32,000,000 One Day Wrongful Death Speed Trial

About this episode

John Demas discusses his record $32 million verdict in a wrongful death trial against the City of Sacramento.

Two big-data studies predicted a verdict between $13 and $16 million. John Demas trusted his instincts and walked out of a Sacramento courtroom with $32 million. The case: An on-duty city detective swerved onto the freeway shoulder and killed two brothers, leaving two children without a father. John joins host Dan Ambrose to break down how he turned down a $15 million pre-close offer, spent 95% of voir dire on an "outside the box" damages framework, and opened with a Fleetwood Mac montage that had half the jury in tears. Train and Connect with the Titans ☑️ John Demas | LinkedIn ☑️ Demas Law Group | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube ☑️ Trial Lawyers University ☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos ☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 2026 Programming ☑️ TLU Beach , June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA Episode Snapshot ★ John’s family emigrated from Greece to Sacramento in the early '70s; his earliest memories are selling fruits and vegetables at flea markets every weekend and summer through law school. ★ His parents steered him toward dental school so he could…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Ambrose

Guest: John Demas

Topics covered

• wrongful death
• trial strategy
• jury dynamics
• legal insights
• personal story

Keywords

• wrongful death
• trial verdict
• jury
• damages framework
• legal strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Demas Law Group

Books & works: Fleetwood Mac

Places: Sacramento, Greece

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