A defense attorney’s “shushing” of his own client at trial may not have been the only factor that landed a pair of doctors with a $1.65 million verdict against them, but it certainly bolstered the plaintiff’s case, according to Zajac & Padilla partner Eric Zajac.

Zajac, who represented the estate of Faith Dixon, said two moments of friction between defendant Mohammad Sayeed and his attorney, McGilvery & Juliana partner Michael McGilvery, gave the plaintiffs fodder for a more impactful closing argument.