Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath
FLAGLER COUNTY, FL / ACCESS Newswire / November 11, 2025 / A Flagler County jury has awarded more than $35 million in damages to the families of two women who lost their lives in a tragic crash involving Apogee Integrations, LLC. The verdict, rendered in the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court, found Apogee Integrations and its driver, John Garrison, negligent in causing the deaths of Shirley Ann Burkett and Debra Ashrafi.
Document with title Wrongful Death on a wooden surface.
The consolidated cases - Burkett v. Apogee Integrations, LLC (Case No. 2022-CA-000545) and Ashrafi v. Apogee Integrations, LLC (Case No. 2022-CA-00532) - were presided over by the Honorable Christopher A. France.
Verdict Details
In the Burkett case, the jury determined that Garrison's negligence directly caused the death of Shirley Ann Burkett, awarding her estate a total of $7,552,459.11 in damages. This includes:
$52,459.11 for medical and funeral expenses
$5,000,000.00 for past loss of companionship and suffering
$2,500,000.00 for future loss and suffering
In the Ashrafi case, jurors found Garrison solely responsible for the death of Debra Ashrafi, awarding her estate a total of $28,000,000.00 in wrongful death damages. The award includes compensation for Darvish Ashrafi, her husband, and Marni Ashrafi, her daughter, for their mental anguish and loss of companionship:
$11,000,000.00 to Darvish Ashrafi for past and future loss
$17,000,000.00 to Marni Ashrafi for parental loss and suffering
Legal Representation and Reaction
Attorneys representing the Burkett and Ashrafi families praised the verdict as a powerful statement about accountability and corporate responsibility. The families were represented by Lake H. Lytal III, Kevin Smith, Trent Swift, and Marc Hernandez of Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath, a nationally recognized trial law firm based in Florida.
Apogee Integrations has not yet issued a statement regarding the ruling.
About the Case
The case stemmed from a fatal incident in which an Apogee Integrations vehicle, operated by employee John Garrison, was involved in a crash resulting in the deaths of the two women. The jury found that Garrison's negligent operation of the vehicle was the direct and legal cause of both fatalities.
Contact Information
Lake H. Lytal III
Partner
tlytal@foryourrights.com
(561) 820-2247
SOURCE: Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/jury-awards-35-million-in-wrongful-death-verdict-against-apogee-1099742