Steinger, Greene & Feiner attorneys Neil P. Anthony and Brooke Grogan have won a momentous legal victory of a $3 Million Verdict in the case of Darrell Phillips, a hired handyman who suffered a debilitating injury while working on the premises of a convenience store. The incident occurred on March 14, 2020, when Phillips was called to fix the AC in the store’s beer cooler, which was seen as an emergency by the defendants, who urgently needed to prevent the sale of warm beer.
What Phillips was not made aware of, however, was the presence of hazardous wire mesh hidden in the grass behind the store. As he was cleaning up a little after 8pm, Phillips tripped and fell over the wire mesh, fracturing his humerus bone and damaging the radial nerve in his dominant hand, causing him to permanently lose almost complete use of his hand.
Despite the plaintiff’s clear suffering, the defendants denied all liability and made no attempt to take responsibility for the damage caused. The highest offer from the insurance company was a mere $500,000.
However, after a four-day trial, the jury found that the defendants were overwhelmingly negligent and were responsible for the damage caused to Phillips. The jury determined that the store operators were 75% negligent, while the landowner was 25% negligent, with no negligence on the part of the plaintiff. As a result, the jury awarded a staggering $3,000,000 verdict, a clear and resounding victory for justice.