Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP (WSHB) successfully defended a complex, high-profile lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where the plaintiff — a former investigative journalist known for undercover work on terrorism, Chinese espionage, and political scandals — claimed his archive, allegedly worth more than $30 million, was wrongfully destroyed by an apartment complex.
The case was tried before Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga, who issued a verdict awarding the plaintiff only $225,000, rejecting plaintiff’s request for millions in compensatory damages and denying punitive damages entirely.
WSHB Partners Chris Brown (Tennessee) and Clay Goris (North Carolina) served as trial counsel, with Partner Ashley Bane (Louisiana) serving as appellate counsel. The defense team faced a barrage of expert and fact witnesses, including national media figures, news correspondents, and a Defense Intelligence Agency officer.
Despite the plaintiff’s dramatic narrative and high-profile background, the WSHB team methodically dismantled the evidentiary foundation of the claim. Partner Chris Brown’s two-hour cross-examination of the plaintiff proved pivotal, exposing multiple inconsistencies and underscoring the absence of proof regarding the alleged contents of the storage unit.
“Our focus from day one was simple — evidence matters,” said Chris Brown, lead trial counsel. “You can’t claim $30 million in damages without being able to show what was actually destroyed. When the story and the facts diverge, the facts win. And they did here.”
Clay Goris, who handled key witness examinations and trial strategy, added, “This case had all the elements of a Hollywood script — espionage, national security, and international intrigue — but at its core, it came down to proof. The court saw through speculation and sided with the evidence.”
The plaintiff’s experts had testified to damages between $7–$30 million, while the WSHB defense team argued that any recovery should be limited to the actual cash value of physical materials, such as tapes, paper, and storage media. The court agreed, finding that speculative valuations could not support the plaintiff’s extraordinary claims.
WSHB’s final pretrial offer of $350,000 was met with dismissal by opposing counsel, who scoffed at the proposal. The ultimate verdict — less than that offer and a fraction of the plaintiff’s demands — marks a decisive win for the defense.
Ashley Bane, who advised on appellate preservation and trial motions, noted, “This verdict underscores WSHB’s strength in high-stakes litigation — blending precise legal analysis with disciplined trial execution. The result reflects the power of preparation and teamwork.”
“This outcome is a testament to our trial lawyers’ ability to simplify complex narratives, expose weaknesses in inflated claims, and deliver results in the courtroom,” said Brown.
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