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GBW’s Christine Spagnoli Obtains $25.9 Million Verdict in Deadly Church Van Rollover Trial
NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — As co-lead trial counsel,
Christine Spagnoli obtained a $25.9 million jury verdict against Ford Motor Company and the
First Baptist Church of New Port Richey for the wrongful death of a 44-year-old
wife and mother of four.
Michalanne Salliotte died on February 21, 2014 when a church van full of people heading to a youth camp in Georgia crashed in North Florida. Two people, including Salliotte, died and eight other people suffered injuries. While heading north on Interstate 75 in Lake City, the tread separated from the left rear tire, causing the 2002 E-350 Ford to rollover, ejecting four people.
Salliotte’s surviving husband, Jeff, and their four children sued Ford for defectively designing its vehicle with an extra row of seats without dual rear tires, making the van unstable and susceptible to loss of control.
Michalanne, who was unbelted, was ejected in the rollover. The plaintiffs
successfully argued that the seatbelts were defectively designed and were
inaccessible because the buckles fell under the bench seats. The attorneys
also argued that the First Baptist Church negligently maintained the van
and had a responsibility to ensure that the seatbelts were accessible
to van occupants.
On March 15, 2018, a Pasco County Florida jury returned the verdict against the defendants, determining that Ford put the E350 Passenger Van on the market with faulty seat belts and a defective rear-wheel bustleback design.
The plaintiffs’ legal team included Frank Melton and Richard Newsome with Newsome Melton Law Firm in Orlando, FL and Christine Spagnoli with the Santa Monica, CA plaintiff’s firm Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP.

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AWARDS & ASSOCIATIONS
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Named in U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms,” Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP ranks as Tier 1 Personal Injury firm in Los Angeles.
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Founding partners Browne Greene and Bruce A. Broillet are both members of the exclusive invite-only Inner Circle of Advocates, as two of the top 100 plaintiff trial lawyers in America.
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All of our attorneys are proud to be active members of the Los Angeles County Bar Association or LACBA.
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Many firm members have been honored by the Consumer Attorneys of California, including Browne Greene, Christine Spagnoli, and Bruce Broillet, recipients of the Marvin E. Lewis Award. In addition, attorneys Bruce Broillet, Scott Carr, Molly McKibben, and Tobin Lanzetta has been honored with the Consumer Attorney of the Year Award.
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All 15 of our attorneys have been selected to Best Lawyers® after an extensive peer review process.
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Our attorneys were featured in TopVerdict for having one of the Top 10 Wrongful Death Verdicts in California in 2019, with $15 million won for the plaintiff in Keck v. Bel-Air Bay Club.
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Our firm has more attorneys on the Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars lists than any other law firm in Southern California, with 15 members selected.
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Several partners are active members in the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, with attorneys Browne Greene, Bruce Broillet, and Christine Spagnoli named “Trial Lawyer of the Year."

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