Salt Lake City, UT — The Utah Court of Appeals upheld a $2 million jury verdict for Amy Herzog, who suffered a serious hand injury during a Vail Resorts-sponsored bowling event.

The injury occurred in 2022 at the company-sponsored bowling party in Kimball Junction. While Herzog, an employee of the bowling alley, was retrieving a stuck bowling ball, a Vail Resorts employee did a reckless 360-degree spin move and released a ball in the adjacent lane. The ball crossed into Herzog’s Lane and struck her left hand, causing severe injuries requiring three surgeries. She has permanently lost much of the function in her hand.

A jury in Utah’s Third District Court found the employee and his employer, Vail Resorts, responsible. The jury awarded over $2 million in damages, more than twice the amount Herzog’s attorneys had requested. The event had been paid for using a Vail Resorts company credit card, and the jury concluded the company was liable for its employee’s conduct.

Vail Resorts appealed the verdict, arguing the damages were excessive and that it was entitled to a new trial. The Appeals Court rejected those claims, finding that the original verdict was well-supported by the evidence.

“This is a meaningful result for Ms. Herzog and a strong affirmation of the jury’s decision,” said Herzog’s Attorney, William J. Hansen. “She has endured a life-changing injury, and we’re proud to have helped her obtain justice.”

It is not yet known whether Vail Resorts will appeal to the Utah Supreme Court.

A link to the full Court of Appeals opinion is available here.

Immersed in Education, Not Tourism
From April 24–26, 2025, four of the business attorneys at Christensen & Jensen attended the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Business Law Spring Meeting in New Orleans. Despite the city’s historic nickname as the “Big Easy,” attorneys Trevor Lang, Sean Leonard, Jon Parry, and Barry Scholl had little time to visit the area’s celebrated museums, restaurants, and historic sites. Instead, they faithfully participated in numerous sessions focused on family businesses, source code review, trends in corporate litigation, mergers and acquisitions, business bankruptcy, privacy and security data, and other business-related subjects.

A Full Agenda of Insightful Sessions
Classes ran from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. “It was a great event, and honestly a bit overwhelming at times, but I learned several good ideas for my practice,” said Leonard, who attended a mix of classes emphasizing commercial litigation and intellectual property. “The panelists and presenters included judges, law professors, attorneys, and non-lawyer business experts. We were definitely getting insights from some of today’s most accomplished business leaders and legal practitioners.”

Strategic Collaboration Among Colleagues
Scholl added, “As tempting as it was to go out for crawfish étouffée every day at lunch, the quality of the presentations kept us inside the hotel so that we didn’t miss anything. There were multiple sessions each hour, and we figured out in advance who was best suited in terms of their practice areas to attend which session. We generally caught up in the evenings and shared summaries of what we had learned that day.”

Notable Takeaways and Professional Development
According to all attendees, they came away with invaluable information on new developments in the law—from the use of artificial intelligence in legal research to current trends in mergers and acquisitions. “In a way, it reminded me of law school,” said Lang. “I was taking lots of notes and then going back and reviewing what I’d learned that day in the evenings after I got back to the hotel.”

Ongoing Engagement Through ABA Committees
In addition to classes and evening dinners with fellow participants, C&J’s business lawyers also volunteered to serve on several of the ABA’s standing committees, which advance business law principles and practice. These committees focus on specific areas of business law, offer resources and initiatives, and contribute to the development of the Model Business Corporation Act. Scholl is now a member of the Cyber and Technology Law, Gaming, and LLC, Partnerships and Unincorporated Entities committees, and Parry is a member of the subcommittee pertaining to family-owned businesses. Both predict that the opportunity to interact with fellow lawyers from across the U.S. and abroad will prove fruitful.

Commitment to Excellence for Clients
“Participation in the ABA’s Business Law Section’s programs and working with our peers from around the country, and even throughout the world, helps us to continue delivering innovative, high-quality legal services to Christensen & Jensen’s business clients,” Parry concluded.

Christensen & Jensen is excited to welcome back Anna Christiansen, an experienced attorney specializing in civil litigation, civil rights, insurance defense, and personal injury.

A former member of our firm, Anna returns with expanded expertise and a proven track record of success. Her ability to handle complex cases and advocate for clients makes her a valuable asset to our team.

We’re glad to have her back and look forward to her continued impact. Join us in welcoming Anna!

For more information, contact us at cjlaw.com

About Christensen & Jensen

Christensen & Jensen, P.C., founded in 1949, is a full-service law firm based in Salt Lake City that is dedicated to putting clients first in all aspects of legal advocacy. The firm consistently achieves landmark victories and develops innovative legal strategies that prioritize client needs and goals. As a member of ALFA International, Christensen & Jensen leverages local expertise and global resources to deliver high-quality, cost-effective legal solutions tailored to each client.

Salt Lake City, UT – February 3, 2025 – Christensen & Jensen Law Firm is proud to announce that, as of January 1, 2025, Kevin Tanner, Zachary Myers, Matthew Strout, and Lucas Adams have been named shareholders. Their hard work, legal expertise, and dedication to clients have earned them this leadership role, strengthening the firm’s future.

“These attorneys have proven their commitment to our clients and our firm’s values,” said Karra J. Porter, President of Christensen & Jensen. “We are excited to see them step into these new roles and help lead Christensen & Jensen forward.”

Each new shareholder brings experience across various practice areas, strengthening the firm’s ability to serve clients with skill and integrity. This transition reflects Christensen & Jensen’s ongoing commitment to strong leadership and excellent legal representation.

For more information about Christensen & Jensen and its legal services, visit www.chrisjen.com.

About Christensen & Jensen

Christensen & Jensen, P.C., founded in 1949, is a full-service law firm based in Salt Lake City that is dedicated to putting clients first in all aspects of legal advocacy. The firm consistently achieves landmark victories and develops innovative legal strategies that prioritize client needs and goals. As a member of ALFA International, Christensen & Jensen leverages local expertise and global resources to deliver high-quality, cost-effective legal solutions tailored to each client.

On Thursday, November 2nd, 2023 Best Lawyers announced their 14th edition of Best Law Firms® rankings.

Christensen & Jensen was included by Best Lawyers in nine different practice areas:

Metropolitan Tier 1

  • Utah
    • Commercial Litigation
    • Insurance Law
    • Litigation – Insurance
    • Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Metropolitan Tier 2

  • Utah
    • Family Law
    • Mediation

Metropolitan Tier 3

  • Utah
    • Family Law Mediation
    • Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
    • Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

More information from the Best Lawyers’ press release:

Best Lawyers®, the oldest and most respected Purely Peer Review® research and accolades company in the legal profession, today announced the release of the 14th edition of the United States Best Law Firms® rankings.

How rankings were based according to Best Law Firms:

The 2024 rankings, which are distributed to more than 30,000 C-Suite and in-house counsel through our standalone publication, were evaluated from the largest participation pool to date, which incorporate more than 97,000 client submissions, more than 2.8 million Best Law Firms votes on ballots and more than 13.7 million evaluations of more than 23,000 firms. The rankings highlight a unique combination of high-quality law practices and the full breadth of legal expertise that has always been differentiated by the credibility and transparent rankings process developed by Best Lawyers…

This year’s edition awarded national Best Law Firms recognitions to 2,202 firms and 16,324 firms received Best Law Firms regional recognitions.

Christensen & Jensen is honored to be recognized for our legal skillset, achievements, and client success in these practice areas. Christensen & Jensen has specialized in litigation and trial advocacy for more than sixty years throughout Utah and surrounding states. Christensen & Jensen represents both plaintiffs and defendants in most areas of civil litigation. While handling complicated matters for some of the largest corporations in the country.

This mixed practice allows Christensen & Jensen’s attorneys to understand from divergent perspectives, and the resulting broad experience provides insight and networks that benefit our clients.

Phillip S. FergusonCongratulations to Phil Ferguson for being awarded the Charlotte Miller Outstanding Mentor Award at the Utah State Bar Fall Forum.

Christensen & Jensen is a longstanding member of ALFA International, a preeminent, global network of law firms and attorneys. Sarah Elizabeth Spencer will be speaking at the ALFA International Product Liability and Complex Torts Seminar on June 2, 2022, in San Diego, California. Sarah will be speaking on the main stage during the “hot topics” presentation. Sarah will be speaking about cutting-edge trends in spoliation of evidence.