Brannock & Humphries Preserves $1.7 Million Personal Injury Verdict On Appeal

Just two weeks after the oral argument, Brannock & Humphries secured a per curiam affirmance from the Second District Court of Appeal today in a case involving an injured worker who fell through a skylight that was so covered with black mold that it was indistinguishable from the metal roof on which he was working.

The owner of the building, an industrial plant, took no precautions to protect the worker from the skylight, nor did the owner warn him or his supervisors that there were any skylights on the roof.  As a result, the worker fell thirty feet to the plant floor and suffered serious injuries.  He thereafter brought a negligence lawsuit and the jury awarded him $1.7 million.  

On appeal, the plant owner primarily challenged the verdict by arguing that it owed no duty to the worker because he was an independent contractor.  Following advocacy from Brannock & Humphries, the Second District rejected the owner’s arguments and upheld the jury’s award.