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San Antonio, TX — September 22, 2025 — Womble Bond Dickinson proudly announces a significant trial victory achieved by its Houston-based complex business litigation team. On Friday, September 19, 2025, a Bexar County jury returned a defense verdict in favor of firm client Chick-fil-A at the Rim, a franchise operated by Cinnic Chicas, Inc., following a two-week trial before the 438th Judicial District Court (Hon. Rosie Alvarado presiding).

The case arose from a storefront vehicle crash on November 17, 2022, in which plaintiff Ricardo Mata, Jr., a customer seated inside the restaurant, claimed catastrophic spinal injuries. Mata sued Chick-fil-A, the vehicle driver, and the franchisor, asserting claims of negligence, gross negligence, negligence per se, and premises liability, alleging the restaurant failed to install protective barriers such as bollards. He sought $2.5 million in damages. After hearing testimony from 21 witnesses over two weeks, the jury found no liability against Chick-fil-A, returning a 10-2 verdict that placed fault solely on the vehicle’s driver. 

In its successful defense, Womble Bond Dickinson demonstrated that the restaurant's design met all applicable codes, had no history of similar incidents over its 15-year operation serving over 7.5 million customers, and that the event was unforeseeable. Expert testimony also disputed the severity and causation of the plaintiff’s alleged injuries. The legal team representing Chick-fil-A included Partner R. Kyle Hawes, Associate Ragan J. Robichaux, and Paralegal Rosa Reyes. Notably, this was the team’s first jury trial since joining Womble Bond Dickinson in May 2025.

"We are grateful for the jury’s thoughtful deliberations of the facts and the law,” said R. Kyle Hawes, partner at Womble Bond Dickinson. “We maintained from the beginning that our client bore no legal responsibility, and we’re pleased the jury agreed. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s dedication and hard work in securing this outcome."

This result underscores Womble Bond Dickinson’s deep litigation capabilities and commitment to delivering strong results for clients facing complex, high-exposure claims.