Thirty-year-old Marcus Gustafsson of Philadelphia fell about 20 feet through the open manhole in 2004.
Lawyer Matthew Casey says Gustafsson suffered a broken back and other serious injuries and cannot return to medical school.
The defendant, the energy company Trigen-Philadelphia, says someone removed the 250-pound cover illegally.
A jury returned an $85 million verdict Monday, but the parties had agreed to cap the award.
