On May 4, 2026, Holland & Hart's clients Aaran Transport, LLC and the estate of the company's driver Nur Abdi won a full defense verdict in a $21 million personal injury case in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. During the six-day jury trial, the firm's litigation and appellate partners Paul Swanson and Chris Jackson teamed with trial counsel from Dewhirst Dolven & Parker LLC, Miles Dewhirst and George Parker.
The trial addressed a 2019 tractor-trailer accident during a snowstorm on Interstate-70. The defense team successfully excluded prejudicial court records related to a designated nonparty-at-fault who had settled with the plaintiff prior to trial. The team likewise defeated a late-breaking motion to add a claim for punitive damages on top of the plaintiff's claim for $21 million in compensatory damages.
The case implicated unresolved questions about Colorado's rescue doctrine, as well as the application of comparative fault and assumption-of-risk principles in the context of an act of rescue. The jury deliberated for approximately five hours before returning a full defense verdict, finding that Holland & Hart's clients had not caused the plaintiff's injuries.
The case is McKeon v. Aaran Transport, LLC, et al., No. 21-cv-3264 (D. Colo.). Judge Kato Crews presided at trial.
Holland & Hart's Business Litigation attorneys represent clients in complex commercial disputes, from trial and arbitration to appellate proceedings. The team works collaboratively with clients to develop litigation strategy aligned with their business and financial priorities, with the goal of minimizing economic impact and operational disruption while protecting what matters most.