Maria Hedger v. Lisa Groeschell And John Doe Groeschell

¶1 Maria Hedger sued Lisa Groeschell for personal injuries sustained in an automobile accident. After Hedger prevailed at mandatory arbitration, Groeschell sought a jury trial de novo. During the litigation, the court imposed several thousand dollars in sanctions against Groeschell.

¶2 The jury awarded Hedger less in damages than the arbitrator had awarded. The trial court then determined that Groeschell had not improved her position from the arbitration because the amount of sanctions ordered against her combined with Hedger’s damages were greater than the arbitration award. Accordingly, the…