Even though Key West has a reputation for modest or low verdicts in wrongful death cases, this “hometown effect” didn’t prevent Coral Gables lawyers and their Spanish-tourist clients from securing a nearly $12 million verdict for the families of four victims of a fatal crash.

Paul Layne and Carlos Silva, who are partners at Silva & Silva in Coral Gables, represented the estate of the four victims against Discount Rock & Sand Inc. and one of its drivers, Carlos Blanco, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Key West.