Pennsylvania Premises Liability Case Nets $200,000 Settlement

This case came to us from another personal injury lawyer who had taken it as far as he could. The case began when the client, whose delivery job required her to visit the premises of others, went to a commercial building in January 2001. The building owner previously had problems with ice dams and had done nothing to correct the problem. Massive ice formations hung from the roof.

What made this day different was that a large piece of ice broke free just as our client stood on the stoop. The ice fell and struck our client in the ankle, causing her to fall and sustain injuries whose severity would prove far more severe than they seemed at first blush.

The client was able to leave the scene, but follow-up medical care proved that she had suffered lasting injuries to the soft tissues of her ankle. She was limited in her ability to work and had to be reassigned to duties that did not require as much walking, lifting, or moving.

She went to a well-established Erie injury lawyer who began to work on her case. The case proceeded as many of these cases do, including pleadings, discovery, and the depositions of several witnesses. The defense hired its own medical expert who reviewed the medical records and examined the client and, not surprisingly, found that he disagreed with all of her treating physicians. She wasn’t badly injured at all, the defense doctor found.

The case stood out from the usual case in terms of its length. While it is not unusual for a case to take two years and sometimes even longer, this one continued for more than a decade. The first lawyer who took the case had determined that he’d done all he could. The case needed to be tried to a jury if the client was to obtain a recovery. The first lawyer decided that the best he could do for his client was to refer her to Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C. for trial.

We entered our appearance in the case in November 2010. We reviewed the voluminous file materials that the first lawyer sent us. He’d done a good job and there was little that needed to be done except to organize the file and get the case placed on the trial list.

Shortly after we entered our appearance in the case, we spoke with defense counsel. Was there an interest in trying to settle the case? Turns out that the level of interest in settlement was higher than anticipated. We started negotiations and, in May of this year, reached the settlement. The client was happy and so was the referring lawyer.

At Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C., we’re pleased to say that some of our best sources of work are other lawyers. We’re proud of our reputation among the local bar and we are committed to ensuring that lawyers who refer clients to us are able to trust that their clients will get the best possible attention and service.

Awarded: $200,000