Lightfoot securing defense verdict in ladder product liability lawsuit.

Lightfoot, along with local counsel from Tampa, obtained a defense verdict for a ladder manufacturer in the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. The case was bifurcated so only liability was being tried. Had liability been found, the plaintiff was going to seek approximately $1,950,000 in past and future medicals, $714,000 in past and future lost wages, plus pain and suffering, in a subsequent damages-only trial. The plaintiff claimed he was standing on a wooden ladder made by our client when it suddenly collapsed, causing him to fall and suffer a head injury. The plaintiff tried to prove that the wood in the ladder had been improperly dried and that the improper drying had resulted in a loss of strength in the wood of the ladder. Lightfoot and our client proved that there was no problem with the wood in the ladder, but rather the accident was caused by the plaintiff tipping the ladder over and impacting the side of the ladder, causing the damage to the ladder.