Jiujitsu student gets $56m payout after he's paralyzed from neck down by instructor who 'crushed him'
A beginner jiujitsu student has been awarded $56million after an in-class accident he attended left him paralyzed from the neck down.
In 2018, white-belt Jack Greener, 30, was sparring with second-degree black-belt teacher Francisco Iturralde when his cervical vertebrae was crushed during a terrifying move.
Greener sued the Del Mar Jiu-Jitsu Club in California, owned by Michael Phelps, on the grounds that the premises was responsible for the fractured neck and spinal cord injury he received that he claimed forever altered his life.
Greener underwent surgery soon after the accident and, over the course of the next seven years, recovered.
He's now a mountain climber and motivational speaker.
In 2023, an appellate district court awarded Greener $46million in damages, which the jiu-jitsu studio appealed at the California Supreme Court - but it declined to overturn the judgement.
Now, with interest, the studio's been ordered to pay a total of $56million.
Greener previously attended classes at a different school but stopped because it was too far from his home, according to the court judgement.
The student then started classes at the Del Mar Jiu-Jitsu Club in early November 2018, and he sparred with his instructor at the end of a class later than month.
Greener was in the 'turtle position' with his elbows and knees on the floor when, he claimed, Iturralde 'lost control and injured' him.
Iturralde testified that Greener seemed highly experienced for a white belt and had expressed a desire to be competitive. He admitted that the move was 'dangerous' and he wouldn't execute it if he 'could not safely' do so.
Owner Phelps and instructor Iturralde pushed back and said students should assume risk when participating in combat sports, but the court maintained that the black-belt instructors should be held to a higher standard than their student counterparts.
When they appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court, it recently declined to review the case.
Greener's used his story to motivate others and documented his journey to become one of only two people with his disability to go above 14,000ft on foot when he climbed Mount Bross in Colorado, according to his website.
In January 2019, he started to regain movement and could walk with the help of a cane. He then set out to be the first with his condition to ascend Mount Whitney in California, with its elevation of 14,505ft.
Last November, Greener posted a reflection on his Instagram about the six years since he was paralyzed.
He said: 'Six years to infinity. The PTSD of the actual situation has all but healed. Having spent April 23 to now mending the prior four years. Which, to be honest, is pretty cool. And I'm left to mend the remaining pieces as it pertains to courtrooms, suits, and ties.
'Honestly, I've not achieved much of anything in 2024 and have seemingly regressed in career, finances, etc. Much of it out of my control. But that's OK, progress and growth isn't linear.
'The good news is I have a few doors in front of me and, relatively speaking, I'm happy and secure. So here's to hoping the right doors open.'
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