Columnist Dean Juipe: Jury awards ref’s family $55 million

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, May 2, 2001 | 11:41 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

As a good man who routinely works with underprivileged kids and gives freely of his time to a number of worthy causes, Joe Cortez has an influence that far exceeds his role as boxing's finest referee.

He's a precious commodity, a doer with such extraordinary values that he has been invited to meet with President Bush this Friday in Washington.

He's also the father of a young woman, now 32, who five years ago was involved in a horrible one-car accident that damaged her spinal cord and left her a quadriplegic. But the financial burden to care for Cindy has just been made easier, the result of a jury in Los Angeles awarding the Cortez family of Las Vegas $55.4 million in compensatory damages.

"It's a hollow victory," Cortez said, the three-month trial finally at an end. "No matter what they give us, my daughter will never walk again."

That $55 million won't arrive in one lump sum, of course, and the defendant, Continental General Tire, may very well appeal. But Cortez, his wife and his daughter can take some comfort in knowing they're on the right track in exposing the manufacturing defect that led to a tire blowing on Cindy's Ford Taurus as she was traveling I-15 near San Bernardino back on June 26, 1996.

"We hired experts, the tire was repeatedly tested and it was even sent to London so chemists could look at it," Cortez said. "We had an offer from Continental General to settle (out of court) but we didn't want to settle and I'm glad we didn't.

"We want to get the message out there that they should be liable for defective tires, and if we'd have settled it would have all been swept under the rug."

Congratulations seem to be in order for the Cortez family, but the reality is that their life has been so drastically changed that no amount of money could ever sufficiently compensate them for what they've experienced.

"It gives us some relief," Cortez said. "Cindy can get some better care and it assures her that she'll be cared for if something happens to me or my wife.

"I felt like we were the underdogs in this case but the jury was very conscious of our situation. God was on our side and justice was served."

Represented by attorneys Brian Panish and Taras Kick of Los Angeles, the Cortez family was on edge during the eight days of jury deliberations. Only when the verdict was returned in their favor could they exhale and look promisingly ahead.

"She's glad it's finally over," Cortez said of his daughter. "She'll never be happy, but it puts some closure on the incident. It's a load off all of our backs."

While Cindy once attempted assisted rock climbing in spite of her handicap, she is now leading a more reserved life. She has, however, regained her driver's license and purchased a new van.

"It gives her a little independence," her father said with the same pride he has always exhibited when discussing the tremendous inner strength Cindy has shown in battling back from this imposing catastrophe.

Perhaps it was only Round 1, but for those who know the Cortez family this is welcome news and a happy day.

They're fighters, and in this case they fought the good fight and won.