$937,000
Attorney Peter Rigelhaupt of The Perecman Firm, settled a case at private mediation for a client who suffered significant injuries when the bathroom ceiling of her apartment collapsed onto her as she was getting into the shower.
The lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court, was brought against two companies that owned and managed the apartment building and a contractor that had been performing renovation work in the unit directly above our client’s apartment.
About the Case
Our client, who was 47 years of age at the time of the accident, had been in the bathroom of her apartment when a portion of the bathroom ceiling collapsed and fell on top of her.
In the claim brought by our firm, it was alleged that the accident was caused by the negligence of the companies that owned and maintained the building and / or the negligence of a third party company which had been performing renovation work in the apartment directly above our client’s unit.
Defendants contended that there were no prior complaints from our client regarding the condition of her bathroom ceiling. The defendant contractor working on the apartment above our client’s argued that it had completed its work in the upstairs unit as of the date of the accident and that its work could not have caused the ceiling collapse in our client’s apartment.
As a result of being struck by the collapsing ceiling in her bathroom, our client sustained significant injuries to her cervical and lumbar spine. She was ultimately required to undergo a lumbar fusion surgery.
Despite denials of liability from Defendants, Attorney Rigelhaupt was able to secure a $937,500 settlement following mediation in January 2020. The settlement included $562,500 from the two Defendants that owned and maintained the building and $375,000 from the third defendant that had been performing work in the upstairs apartment. The recovery will compensate our client for her medical bills, future medical needs, pain and suffering, and other damages arising from the accident.
The Perecman Firm, is a proven NYC trial practice that has recovered over half a billion dollars in compensation in claims involving
premises liability, workplace accidents, and serious personal injury. We’re passionate about fighting for victims across the City and have the tools to secure successful outcomes at trial, the settlement table, and mediation.