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Negligently maintained property can lead to some of
the most horrendous injuries imaginable, including brain
damage, cognitive loss, quadriplegia, and even death.
Building and construction codes, engineering in a variety
of areas, and principles of safety and physics make
these some of the most interesting and difficult cases
to successfully resolve.
At Golomb & Honik we take pride in tackling these challenging
cases. We have extensive experience and a nationwide
network of the most experienced and respected experts
whose testimony can be essential to proving your case.
Read more about our premises liability success stories:
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A Philadelphia jury returned a $2.5 million verdict
against the Philadelphia Phillies Baseball Club after
finding that its mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, negligently
"hugged" the manager of a paint store while the Phanatic
was performing at the store's opening. Because the
Phanatic took the store manager by surprise, the manager
twisted his back severely, resulting in the herniation
of a cervical disc. As a result, the store manager
required a number of spine surgeries and suffers from
chronic, severe pain that prevents him from working
as the store manager.
- On September
11, 2001, a motivational speaker giving a speech
in the World Trade Center was one of the thousands
who lost his life after airplanes struck the twin
towers in a terrorist attack. In response to that
tragic day, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America
created Trial Lawyers Care (TLC). TLC was a group
of more than 2,000 lawyers from across the country
who, on a pro bono basis, represented the victims
of 9/11 and their families as they negotiated a complicated
compensation system established by Congress. Golomb
& Honik lawyers had the privilege of representing
the motivational speaker's family in this process—compiling
hundreds of pages of documents, completing the extensive
forms necessary to obtain an "award" through the compensation
system, hiring economic experts, and attending a hearing
in New York. His family received more than $1.5 million.
- A business
hired a "handyman" to change bulbs in their electric
sign. Before doing so, he turned off the main power
supply. While he was on a ladder changing the bulb,
an employee of the business turned the power back
on, killing the handyman by electrocution. The defendant
business claimed that the handyman never turned the
power off at all, blaming him for his own death. Golomb
& Honik attorneys produced evidence from the power
company's metering service that demonstrated that
the power had been turned off and back on again within
the relevant time frame. The trial ended in a plaintiff's
verdict and an award of $850,000 for the estate of
the deceased.
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The general manager of a popular Philadelphia restaurant
was closing an awning during a windstorm when the
awning was struck by a gust, came loose from its base,
and threw him more than 50 feet, causing severe and
debilitating injuries. In a lawsuit against the awning
installer and the manufacturer of the faulty hinges,
Golomb & Honik attorneys were able to demonstrate
that a different design of hinge would have prevented
the accident. The case settled on the eve of trial
for $750,000. The hinge company subsequently changed
their design to the specification of Golomb & Honik's
case, thus reducing the likelihood of similar accidents
happening again.
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The "kitchen utility man" at a national chain restaurant
was considered an exemplary employee. Part of his
job was to receive and inventory food that was delivered
from the defendant vendor on metal food carts manufactured
by the defendant manufacturer. The food carts were
approximately seven feet high and had three spring-hinged
shelves that could be folded for stacking when not
in use. On a brisk December day in 2000, this employee
received and inventoried a food delivery. In violation
of the defendant company's policy, the deliverer failed
to wait for the inventory to be completed so that
the food carts could be gathered and taken away. Rather,
the kitchen utility man completed receiving the deliveries,
then folded and stacked the food carts in the corner
of a small, enclosed bay area. Later that day, as
he walked through the bay area to dump garbage, a
gust of wind rattled the stacked food carts; one opened
up at the hinges and, in a domino-like effect, caused
a number of food carts to fall on top of the employee.
He fell to the ground and struck his head directly
on the pavement. He went into shock and had epileptic-type
seizures, injured his back and shoulder, and became
totally disabled. He had little recollection of what
occurred due to his head injury, and there were no
witnesses. After extensive research, Golomb and Honik
lawyers discovered a paper trail detailing a history
of the defendant vendor's leaving carts behind even
after being notified of the problem. The case was
settled for a confidential amount.
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