A San Diego jury awarded $56 million to a former beginner jiu-jitsu student who was seriously injured during a sparring session with his black-belt instructor. The 2018 case at Del Mar Jiu-Jitsu Club centers on 30-year-old Jack Greener, who joined the gym as a white belt to learn the sport but instead endured a life-altering spinal cord injury and a gruelling seven-year recovery.

The incident occurred on November 29, 2018, during a routine class. Greener was paired with Francisco “Sinistro” Iturralde, a veteran second-degree black belt and IBJJF champion. While Greener was in the “turtle position”—knees and elbows on the mat, defensively tucked—Iturralde attempted a rolling back-take manoeuvre designed to flip the grounded opponent and secure control of the back. The court found that Iturralde did not provide any demonstration or active instruction before engaging in the move and treated the session as if he were sparring with a peer rather than training a novice.

CCTV footage circulated online as the case gained attention within martial arts communities. In the video, Iturralde aggressively flips Greener, who resists and twists his back under force. The result was catastrophic: Greener’s cervical vertebrae were crushed, he suffered a fractured neck and spinal cord damage, and he became paralyzed from the neck down, experiencing multiple strokes. He required immediate, extensive medical intervention, including a nine-hour emergency surgery to remove neck blood clots.

Greener filed suit against the gym and its owner, alleging that the facility bore responsibility for his injuries. In 2023, an California appellate court ruled in his favor, awarding $46 million to cover past and future medical expenses, potential lost earnings, and a substantial amount for pain and suffering.

 testified as an expert witness for the plaintiff, Rener Gracie noted that while he did not believe Iturralde’s actions were malicious, the move was performed improperly and had never been taught or practiced at the academy, leaving Greener as a “guinea pig” under a trainer’s care. The jury’s latest $56 million verdict reflects the court’s determination of the instructor’s duty of care and the consequences of breaching it.