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

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trial-lawyers-university-6449144/the-wall-came-tumbling-down-15-million-wrongful-death-verdict
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trial-lawyers-university-6449144/the-wall-came-tumbling-down-15-million-wrongful-death-verdict.md
Podcast: [Trial Lawyers University](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trial-lawyers-university-6449144)
Published: 2026-05-28T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://tlu.captivate.fm/episode/114-al-foeckler
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/b0491d22-c1d7-44eb-b710-8c248931d350.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/trial-lawyers-university-6449144/episodes/the-wall-came-tumbling-down-15-million-wrongful-death-verdict
Duration seconds: 2471

## Resource

“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 , June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA Episode Snapshot In Wisconsin, wrongful death damages for adults are capped at $350,000 and for children at $500,000, so case value is built on establishing non-economic pain and suffering damages. Al’s wrongful death case centered on a woman who died from injuries sustained after a retaining wall at the senior community where she lived collapsed on her. Six weeks before trial, the defense offered $176,000 each to the decedent’s two adult children — just over the $350,000 wrongful death cap. But if accepted, the children couldn’t testify about their loss. Reject…

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