On Dec. 25, 2015, plaintiff Patricio De La Paz, 93, was driving his pickup truck on Golden Hill Road, in Paso Robles, when he entered the intersection with State Route 46 and was struck by a Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle operated by Ashok Jayaraman, who was westbound on SR-46. De La Paz sustained to his right leg, left heel, back, and chest. De La Paz sued Jayaraman. The case was originally filed in San Luis Obispo County, but it was ultimately transferred to federal court on the grounds of diversity citizenship. De La Paz alleged that Jayaraman was negligent in the operation of his vehicle. Specifically, De La Paz claimed that Jayaraman ran a red light, causing the crash. Jayaraman did not dispute liability for the accident., De La Paz suffered a fractured right femur, a fractured rib, a punctured lung, a T7 vertebral fracture, and a left heel fracture. He was subsequently taken from the scene of the collision and brought to a hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair his broken femur the day after the collision. De la Paz remained hospitalized for a week and was then transferred to a skilled nursing facility for eight weeks. De La Paz’s medical bills were mostly covered by Medicare, which asserted a lien of $50,815.29. Defense counsel contended that De La Paz made a good recovery from his . Counsel also contended that De La Paz had pre-existing conditions, including a right knee replacement, a fractured left ankle, and diabetes. Thus, counsel asserted that De La Paz’s life expectancy was not shortened by the sustained in the 2015 collision. For the purposes of future non-economic damages, defense counsel asserted that De La Paz has a life expectancy of about four to five years, at most.