The Wall Came Tumbling Down: $15 Million Wrongful Death Verdict

The Wall Came Tumbling Down: $15 Million Wrongful Death Verdict

From Trial Lawyers University by Dan Ambrose, Trial Lawyers University

May 28, 2026 · 41 min · Episode 114

About this episode

Al Foeckler discusses his $15 million wrongful death case involving a woman who was buried alive when a retaining wall collapsed.

“Walking into Ozaukee County and telling the jury that it was worth $40 million was completely unheard of. I mean, people thought I was crazy.” In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose , Al Foeckler sets the stage for his wrongful death case on behalf of the family of a woman who was buried alive when a retaining wall collapsed on her. In addition to the conservative nature of the jurisdiction, Al also faced Wisconsin’s rules on damages in wrongful death cases: They are capped at $350,000 for adults and $500,000 for children, so value comes through showing pain and suffering. The case turned on a counterintuitive pre-trial decision: dropping the adult children's wrongful death claims after Big Data studies predicted doing so would nearly double the pain and suffering damages. Tune in to hear how Al won $15 million. Train and Connect with the Titans ☑️ Al Foeckler | LinkedIn ☑️ Cannon & Dunphy S.C | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X ☑️ 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…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Ambrose

Guest: Al Foeckler

Topics covered

  • wrongful death
  • jury verdict
  • damages
  • legal strategy
  • pain and suffering

Keywords

  • wrongful death
  • jury
  • damages
  • pain and suffering
  • legal case
  • Big Data
  • retaining wall

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cannon & Dunphy S.C

Places: Wisconsin, Ozaukee County

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