In January 2019, our client was walking her dog in a snow-covered parking lot outside a Family Video store in the Holly Hills neighborhood of St. Louis when she stepped into a large crack concealed by snow and ice. The fall left her with a broken ankle requiring three surgeries, including hardware insertion, removal, and infection debridement.
We brought claims against both the store’s corporate owner and the property owner, showing that they failed to maintain the lot in a safe condition and had policies that allowed dangerous snow accumulation before plowing. After a hard-fought trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the jury awarded $2 million, apportioning 85% of the fault to the defendants.
The defense challenged the verdict and filed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. While the appeal was pending, we successfully negotiated a $1.5 million settlement.
