Favorable Verdict, Plaintiff Demanded $1,000,000 - Plaintiff 90% Comparative Fault
On March 14, 2025, Senior Partner Nora Bailey and Stuart Managing Partner Ben Pahl obtained a favorable verdict in a premises liability matter styled Plaintiff v. Caddy’s Bradenton d/b/a JWC FL, LLC. Plaintiff alleged that defendant failed to properly maintain, inspect, repair, and warn of a dangerous condition – specifically, a bench attached to a picnic table surrounding the outdoor bar, adjacent to the river. The Plaintiff claimed that while she was sitting on the bench, the bench separated from the legs of the table and the tabletop came apart simultaneously, causing her to fall backwards, striking the back of her head on an adjacent table.
The Plaintiff alleged a subdural hematoma; multiple bulges and herniations in her cervical and lumbar spine; and an alleged compression fracture at C7. She underwent multiple rounds of spinal injections, physical therapy, and chiropractic treatment, and was recommended for a sacroiliac joint fusion and a C4-C5 disc replacement surgery. Her Life Care Plan, after a defense motion argued by Ms. Bailey, was presented to the jury at a cost of $311,827 - $382,653 (previously, it was valued at $875,588 - $1,300,907). Plaintiff asked for $802,000 in closing; the Defense anchored at the ER bills and 12 weeks of chiropractic care at $36,017.
The CEO of Caddy’s testified that managers would complete daily walkthroughs, with a checklist, every day; weekly walkthroughs with the director of operations, who at the time was him; weekly Zoom meetings to discuss any issues; and quarterly safety inspections by an independent third party specifically to identify any hazards, including furniture hazards, which Caddy’s would promptly correct.
Defense expert testified that the procedures and policies of Caddy’s were more than reasonable for industry expectations.
