November 6, 2018 – Los Angeles, CA – A Los Angeles jury awarded a woman $760,000 for her pain and suffering after she was severely injured falling through a trap door left open as the result of her electrician’s negligence. Mike Arias, managing partner, Kate Harvey-Lee and Gene Feldman represented the plaintiff in the case.
Throughout litigation, the defense offered very little and then refused to budge from their last-minute pre-trial offer of $200,000 in spite of the severe injuries the plaintiff suffered and over $60,000 in recoverable medical bills.
“Our 998 was $273,999.99, which the defendant’s carrier let expire. “Throughout the litigation the defense refused to be reasonable and we made the decision to put this case in front of a jury,” said Mike Arias. “The axiom holds true that some cases just need to be tried. Had we accepted their first pre-trial offer, tempting as it may have been, our client would not be fully compensated. She’ll live with the impact of these injuries for years, and we tried this case with because the carrier refused to provide a reasonable offer.”
Facts of the Case
Theresa Worhach had hired Antonio Banuelos to do some outside electrical work on her home. On April 16 of 2015, during the course of the work, one of Banuelos’s two workers opened a trap door located in a hallway inside the house to access the underside of the home to reach some wiring. The trap door was left open without any warning, cones or caution tape in order to alert others that the door was open. Ms. Worhach walked into the hall, not knowing the trapped door was open, and she fell in and suffered severe injuries.
The case is Theresa Worhach v. Antonio Banuelos, Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC586344. The jury voted 10-2 on liability in favor of the plaintiff.
