Biography
Since 1991, Mr. Burnett has handled medical malpractice, wrongful death and personal injury cases. He has worked on “both sides of the fence,” representing doctors and corporations accused of negligence resulting in catastrophic injury and wrongful death, as well as plaintiffs for these same types of claims. A skilled trial advocate, Mr. Burnett has taken 46 cases to verdict. He has obtained a number of verdicts in excess of one million dollars.
Mr. Burnett has a very client-centric approach to his practice. He is skilled at explaining complex legal and medical issues to his clients so that they are well informed about their case.
Mr. Burnett’s understanding of the law and medicine is likewise a great asset when he is in trial, effectively communicating often complex matters to juries.
Mr. Burnett began his legal career as a Marine Judge Advocate. He spent the majority of his active-duty years as a criminal defense attorney attached to the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California. In the very first case assigned to him, instead of negotiating a plea agreement, he took the case to trial, obtaining a “not guilty” verdict from a Marine jury for his client accused of illegal drug use. Within a short period of time, Mr. Burnett began to handle the most serious cases at Camp Pendleton, including a national security case for which he needed to obtain a top-secret security clearance before he could even speak with his client about the charges. He left active duty holding the rank of Captain and attained the rank of Major during his service as a reservist.
Mr. Burnett is active in the Cleveland veteran’s community, participating in Project Healing Waters events as well as providing pro bono legal representation to veterans.
Education
Mr. Burnett is a cum laude graduate of Knox College, where he was on the Dean’s List and a co-recipient of the departmental prize in History. He earned his law degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He is licensed in both Ohio and Illinois.
Practice Highlights
Birth/Brain Injury/Medical Malpractice Verdict – $17,000,000
John prosecuted a medical malpractice – cerebral palsy trial against an obstetrician and a hospital for failure to timely detect placental abruption/fetal distress and timely intervene via C-section, resulting in cerebral palsy and moderate mental impairment. The jury awarded $15,000,000 for the child and $2,000,000 for the parents. A post-trial Motion for Pre-Judgment Interest resulted in a judgment of $32,000,000. The case resolved for a confidential amount after oral argument in the appellate court.
Brain Injury/medical Malpractice Settlement – $3,600,000
John represented a woman whose neurosurgeon failed to detect evidence that an aneurysm in her brain was about to burst, which resulted in a catastrophic brain bleed. The matter was resolved for $3,600,000.
Truck Accident Verdict – $2,368,000
John represented a commercial truck driver for post-traumatic stress disorder sustained when a motorist intruded into his lane of travel, causing him to veer to his left to avoid a collision and then attempt to get his rig back into his lane of travel. After avoiding the collision, the driver was unable to prevent the rig from tuning onto its side and sliding into a wall adjacent to the highway. After the rig collided with the wall, the driver was trapped in his seat for about ninety minutes. During this time, the driver smelled the overpowering odor of diesel fuel, which had spilled onto the highway. Aware of the very real threat of a fire from the spilled diesel fuel, he valiantly and steadfastly maintained his composure until rescued. A previously highly active, bold man, the driver became virtually housebound secondary to post-traumatic stress disorder. The jury awarded him $2,368,000.
Wrongful Death Settlement – $1,650,000
John represented the estate for the death of a 60-year-old woman with sickle cell disease as a result of her doctor’s failure to recognize and treat her sickle cell pain crisis.
Wrongful Death Settlement – $1,450,000
John represented the estate for the prescription overdose death of a 36-year-old man on inappropriate long term opioid therapy leading to addiction and use of street fentanyl.
Motor Vehicle Accident – $1,025,000
John represented the plaintiff in a motor vehicle accident lawsuit. CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT
Medical Malpractice Settlement – $750,000
John represented plaintiff for a physician’s failure to monitor his patient’s response to chronic opioid therapy leading to the patient becoming addicted to the prescribed narcotics.
Motor Vehicle Accident Settlement – $284,000
John represented plaintiff for soft tissue injuries sustained by a passenger in a commercial truck as a result of the truck hitting low hanging telephone wires, causing a telephone pole to snap and fall onto the truck.
Current Employment Position
- Attorney