Attorneys Ken Rothweiler, Fred Eisenberg, and Todd Schoenhaus achieved a verdict in excess of $24.8 million for their clients, Michele Kalinowski and her husband Sean Kalinowski, who was severely and permanently injured after falling through a skylight while working on a roof in Delaware County. The nearly four-week trial was held in the Philadelphia Common Court of Common Pleas before the Honorable Lisa Rau. After two days of deliberations, the jury of twelve reached its verdict, which included approximately $19 million in economic damages and $6 million in non-economic damages.
In June of 2016, Mr. Kalinowski was working alone on the roof of an auto body shop in Aston when tragically he tripped and fell 25 feet through a skylight onto the concrete floor below. As a result of this accident, Mr. Kalinowski suffered severe and permanent brain damage. At trial, Ken, Fred, and Todd argued that the defendants (the landlord and tenant) were negligent because they were aware the skylights were dangerous and did nothing to remedy the situation. Furthermore, counsel argued that screens, which now cover the 8 skylights on the auto body roof, could have easily been installed and prevented the injuries to Mr. Kalinowski.
For more on this verdict, please read this article from the Legal Intelligencer.
