Man wins $7.5 million suit in slip and fall

[JEDI]

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/23/man-wins-75-million-suit-against-starbucks/

A Vista Superior Court jury on Friday ordered Starbucks to pay a chiropractor and his family $7.5 million as compensation for a 2008 slip-and-fall accident that left him with a brain injury.

A Starbucks employee had just mopped the area, Gomez said. A store manager testified that she put out three “wet floor” cones, but other witnesses said they saw only one, the attorney said.


WTFBBQ?!

i thought slip and fall awards were done away with decades ago?!

looks like a new door opens for scammers

 

[drebo]

Personal responsibility is a thing of the past. Fucking moron slips and falls because he's not paying attention, and it's the store manager's fault because she didn't put out enough "wet floor" signs.

If I ran a store, I'd carpet the entire place with berber and make everyone wear velcro booties. Slip on that, bitch!

 

[Engineer]

The irony of a "Doctor" suing and winning (when most of them are whining about medical malpractice suits). :hmm:

 

[coldmeat]

If I ran a store, I'd carpet the entire place with berber and make everyone wear velcro booties. Slip on that, bitch!

Ya no slips, just broken ankles.

 

[drebo]

Ya no slips, just broken ankles.

If they're too stupid to walk properly, they shouldn't be in my store.

 

[Leros]

The irony of a "Doctor" suing and winning (when most of them are whining about medical malpractice suits). :hmm:

He only did it so he could pay for his malpractice insurance.

 

[guyver01]

i thought slip and fall awards were done away with decades ago?!

looks like a new door opens for scammers

new door?

that door never closed.

 

[SamQuint]

And of course all of you in the same situation would not sue. You would all say oops my fault I guess I just have to pay hundreds of thousands in medical bills by myself. Oh yeah I can't work and support my family any more but that is ok it was all my fault.

Yes the judgement was excessive but it does cover lost of income, and you know medical bills from head trauma would not be cheap and he probalbly has years of therapy to go through.

If it were me it would be a gamble but I would sue just to see what I could get. If I win I may be able to care for my family. If I lose I would be in financial ruin, but wait I already am ruined for life.

 

[drebo]

And of course all of you in the same situation would not sue. You would all say oops my fault I guess I just have to pay hundreds of thousands in medical bills by myself. Oh yeah I can't work and support my family any more but that is ok it was all my fault.

Yes the judgement was excessive but it does cover lost of income, and you know medical bills from head trauma would not be cheap and he probalbly has years of therapy to go through.

If it were me it would be a gamble but I would sue just to see what I could get. If I win I may be able to care for my family. If I lose I would be in financial ruin, but wait I already am ruined for life.

My wife's grandmother slipped and fell in a grocery store and broke her hip. Months of PT and recovery + a hip replacement surgery.

No lawsuit. Though they did give us a nice prime rib.

Believe it or not, some people DO still believe in personal responsibility...even if most of the world doesn't.

 

[SandEagle]

he's a chiropractor? sounds like he had the brain injury BEFORE the slip and fall :awe:

 

[SamQuint]

My wife's grandmother slipped and fell in a grocery store and broke her hip. Months of PT and recovery + a hip replacement surgery.

No lawsuit. Though they did give us a nice prime rib.

Believe it or not, some people DO still believe in personal responsibility...even if most of the world doesn't.

Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

I am just saying when you are buried under a mound of debt like that I think most people would try to see if the courts could help.

 

[Mike Gayner]

LOLAmerica, I love these stories.

 

[SKORPI0]

he's a chiropractor? sounds like he had the brain injury BEFORE the slip and fall :awe:

Well at least he isn't a brain surgeon.

 

[hdeck]

doubt he will get that much. those judgements never hold up to the full amount.

 

[grohl]

Couldn't the chiropractor adjust himself back to health?

 

[MarkXIX]

The irony of a "Doctor" suing and winning (when most of them are whining about medical malpractice suits). :hmm:

It wasn't a doctor, it was a chiropractor.

 

[MarkXIX]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

I am just saying when you are buried under a mound of debt like that I think most people would try to see if the courts could help.

Yes, but someone with some measure of personal responsibility is only looking to have their medical bills covered, not rake in millions above and beyond what's required to restore some level of normalcy to their life afterward.

 

[lxskllr]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

I am just saying when you are buried under a mound of debt like that I think most people would try to see if the courts could help.

I wouldn't. Our court system is a sham, and I won't be a part of it. I'd rather be broke and have my integrity, than rich and contribute to Americas' demise.

 

[eldorado99]

He slipped on peepee in Costco?

 

[dan4patriots]

$7.5 million for being an idiot and not watching his step

 

[Wyndru]

So at 51, this guys lost wages and quality of life equates to 7.5 million? What is he expected to live to 200 years old?

 

[CanOWorms]

They shouldn't leave wet a high-traffic area (between where you order and where you pick up) that customers are expected to move quickly through.

 

[lxskllr]

They shouldn't leave wet a high-traffic area (between where you order and where you pick up) that customers are expected to move quickly through.

People should watch where they're going, and anticipate changing conditions. If they fail to do that, and hurt themselves, they should consider it a hard lesson, and keep it in mind for the future.

 

[SamQuint]

I wouldn't. Our court system is a sham, and I won't be a part of it. I'd rather be broke and have my integrity, than rich and contribute to Americas' demise.

Well the man had a wife and kids. Integrity doesn't pay the bills. It is one thing to make that decision for yourself but to make your wife and kids pay for your mistake is not really fair.

I am not saying that he deserves the entire amount, I am just saying he deserves money to cover his bills and compensate for loss of income.

The problem is that none of us know the case. We don't really know how wet the floor was, how large of an area was wet, where in relation to the wet spot was the sign. Unless they rope off the wet area you may not know what is wet and what is not. A jury found that the Starbucks was in the wrong. The article does not give us much information to judge for ourselves.

It is like the McDonald's coffee lawsuit. It sounds silly at first but when you saw the damage that was done to that old lady you can understand why they wanted to be compensated.

 

[MotF Bane]

@ SamQuint - A jury is made up of people who usually aren't particularly wealthy, and then they look at a big company, and think "they have tons of money, this is no problem", and go right ahead.