A local attorney is celebrating an eye-popping jury award he received for an injured Union Pacific Railroad employee.

The judgment: $48.5 million.

"I'm told it's the largest ever against a railroad company" under the Federal Employers' Liability Act, says Donald Britt, president and lead trial counsel at the Crow Law Firm in Sacramento.

The case involved a 30-year-old UP worker, Eric Doi, who became a quadriplegic after a car accident last year. A Los Angeles-area resident, Doi was in Arizona for a work assignment and was being driven to the job when the accident occurred.

The railroad contended he was on "a personal errand," unrelated to work, says Britt, who specializes in rail-related cases. He maintained it was a work-related injury, and the jury agreed.

The judgment, awarded Oct. 31, might be appealed, says UP spokesman Tom Lange.

While the railroad sympathizes with Doi's injuries, "We respectfully disagree with the jury's conclusions," Lange says. "We expect to pursue further judicial review."

Britt says he thinks the judgment is fair and will stand. "When the verdict came in, I got teary-eyed," says Britt. "I cried." Although it's "nice to win," Britt says, "the real satisfaction is knowing your client is going to get … the best level of care."

Filling up

A cafe and catering company specializing in organic fare is going into the condo-retail complex at 14th and R streets in downtown Sacramento.

Magpie Caterers, now on Del Paso Boulevard, will relocate in February to the 95-year-old former Wonder Bread plant, where it will open a restaurant and specialty market.

Magpie will offer sit-down service and take-home meals – primarily made with local, organic produce and meats, says Ed Roehr, who owns the business with Janel Inouye.

The new Magpie Caterers – Market & Cafe also will sell gourmet cooking ingredients, like soup bases, sauces and herb mixes.

"I think we'll be a good complement to the other businesses on the block," Roehr says, including a Cafe Bernardo and the R15 bar.

Soon to arrive at the former Wonder Bread site: a Burgers and Brew outlet by the owners of Crepeville restaurants and a "speak-easy-style" bar and restaurant, says Bay Miry, an official with the project's builder, D&S Development.

Miry also reports that buyers have "reserved" nine of the 12 condos on the site's second floor. The units should be ready for occupancy in three months, he says.

On the move

We can finally identify the buyer of one of midtown's most impressive old mansions.

San Francisco attorney Chris Dolan and his wife, Julie, have closed escrow on the 5,000-square-foot home, at 2000 22nd St., where writer Joan Didion once lived. The price: $1.1 million.

"It's a beautiful home," says Chris. "In recognition of its historical significance, we're going to preserve and care for it like it's an elder statesman."

The couple are moving here next year with their toddler daughter because Dolan is incoming president of Consumer Attorneys of California. His 11-lawyer company, the San Francisco-based Dolan Law Firm, is doing more business in Sacramento so the new home will double as a satellite law office.

The couple plan one major renovation: updating the 98-year-old home's kitchen. Aside from that, the emphasis is on restoration, he says.

Chris says he and his wife fell in love with the three-story house, which is filled with ornate woodwork and still has its original velvet and simulated leather wallpaper. "We looked at a number of new houses," he says, "but none had the soul of this one."

Reach Bob Shallit at (916) 321-1049. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/ shallit.