The State - News from Aug. 11, 1985

A moving company has agreed to pay up to $10 million to a man who suffered permanent brain damage in a 1983 traffic crash caused by a drunk company driver. The out-of-court settlement was approved by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge James Jennings. John Luis of Nipomo, now 20, sustained serious head injuries and fractured arms when the truck in which he was riding was struck on July 31, 1983, by a moving van owned by Lyon Van Lines of Washington state. The money will be paid by Action Van and Storage of Santa Maria, an agent of the Washington firm. Attorney Ken Moes of Santa Barbara, representing the moving companies, said the settlement “is not an admission of responsibility or fault,” but was made to avoid a possible higher award by a jury. The van was driven by Glen Jack Grigg, who pleaded no contest to charges of violating probation and driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to one year in Santa Barbara County Jail.