Corporate Verdicts Go Thermonuclear: 2026 Edition

Download the report to uncover the forces behind record-breaking corporate verdicts, the sectors most at risk, and what’s ahead – then explore the data below.

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Nuclear Verdicts Reach Record Highs

Corporate defendants faced a record-breaking surge in nuclear verdicts in 2025, with nearly 200 jury awards of $10 million or more totaling over $25.6 billion—a 40.7% increase from 2024 and the highest annual total Marathon has recorded since 2009. More than 40 “thermonuclear” verdicts exceeded $100 million for the second consecutive year, including four awards over $1 billion, affecting a record 68 industries and spanning 28 states. Products liability remained the primary driver, while trade secret, workplace negligence, and intellectual property cases also grew significantly. Marathon’s research points to increasing corporate mistrust, evolving jury demographics, expanding attorney advertising, and emerging legal risks such as AI, climate litigation, and PFAS as key forces fueling the continued rise of these landmark verdicts.

Background

In 2024, The Wall Street Journal observed that nuclear jury verdicts were rising “alongside American anger” at corporations. Since that time, that anger reached a crescendo.

New research by Marathon Strategies found that 2025 was the biggest year yet for supersized verdicts against companies – breaking records set in 2024. The findings suggest that as juries trend toward punishing defendants for alleged wrongdoing and become increasingly desensitized to large numbers, this wave of litigation remains unlikely to abate.

In 2025, 190 lawsuits against a corporate defendant resulted in a nuclear verdict, the largest number of such cases Marathon has identified in a single year since 2009, and a 40.7% increase over 2024. The total sum of these verdicts was over $25.6 billion.

This sharp upward turn began after the COVID-19 pandemic, when public health measures forced court closures and a subsequent decline in litigation filings. Since 2020, nuclear verdicts have drastically increased in number (476%), in overall sum (422%), and in median (51%).

Top States and Courts

Juries in 28 states ordered a nuclear verdict against corporate defendants in 2025, down six over the prior year.

The top state was Georgia ($4.9 billion in 10 cases), which surged back into the upper tier of rankings after dipping the prior year. This was driven by two blockbuster products liability cases of over $2 billion against Ford Motor Co. and Bayer AG. The most marked decline was in Pennsylvania, which only saw two verdicts against corporate defendants totaling $29.3 million. In 2024, the state saw 12 verdicts for $3.4 billion.

Last year was the first time Nevada ranked among the top states for nuclear verdicts, largely due to an extraordinary series of verdicts against the now-defunct Real Water, whose products were found to have been contaminated with a chemical from rocket fuel. Another $3.8 billion award for victims of the company propelled Nevada into the number two slot in 2025.

When reputation takes a hit, so does corporate value.

Reputation accounts for up to 60% of market value. Organizations that elevate communications as a core part of litigation strategy are far better positioned to protect reputation, maintain stakeholder trust, and preserve value when scrutiny intensifies.

Prepare for what’s next.
Explore the data and download the report.