Morrison Mahoney Partner John Knight and Associate Gabriel Seabrook recently obtained a defense verdict after a four-day jury trial in Suffolk Superior Court concerning a slip and fall against a Boston restaurant.
Plaintiff allegedly slipped and fell on a slippery substance after stepping from a carpet runner onto laminate flooring inside the restaurant. She claimed that the defendant’s employees were responsible for creating the condition since the area she slipped in was located near the restaurant’s dish bus cart. She claimed substantial injuries, including a torn hamstring and meniscus, which required several surgeries. Her medical expert opined that the plaintiff would require a knee replacement, and the plaintiff claimed six figures in medical specials related to the accident.
The liability defense was focused upon the reasonableness of the defendant’s measures to address conditions on the restaurant floor, including the use of mats and carpet runners in strategic locations and a collective effort by all employees to identify and clean spills as soon as they were identified.
After an hour of deliberation, the jury returned a defense verdict, finding no negligence on the part of the restaurant.
