Joe, 51, a self-employed plastics fabricator, was a guest at the Ritz Carlton in Lake Tahoe. He was with his girlfriend watching a meteor shower near the outside fire pit around 1:00 am. When entering the hotel lobby, they walked toward the elevator, Joe slipped on a wet floor that had just been mopped. Joe was observed by witnesses to hyper-extend his knee and was transported to the ER.
Defendant argued that Joe had been drinking and should have seen the "wet floor" sign. Also, Joe had 6 prior knee surgeries when he was a teenager. Plus Joe had other slip and fall workers comp claims.
Joe had to get a total knee replacement due to this accident. His total medical bills were $83,553.
Defendant denied liability and claimed Joe's knee problem was degenerative and unrelated to this slip and fall.
The jury in conservative Placer County awarded $208,553 plus attorney fees and costs. They found Joe was 1% at fault.
Borowski vs. Ritz-Carlton - Friday January 6, 2017. Judge Jeffrey Penney. SCV 003 4735. Placer Superior Court.
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