Lunceford
A Jefferson County jury recently found that Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth was not responsible for a woman's alleged slip and fall injury.
Plaintiff Michelle Stansbury filed suit against Christus on Sept. 28, 2006, in Jefferson County District Court, alleging the Beaumont hospital failed to safeguard her from fabric softener near its parking garage.
Four years later, the case went to trial on Monday, Dec. 12, and ended two days later, with jurors declining to assign any negligence to Christus or Stansbury.
According to the charge of the court, jurors found that the hospital did not fail to use ordinary care in preventing the incident.
The original petition states that on Sept. 29, 2004, Stansbury was exiting Christus' north parking garage and approaching the hospital via the sidewalk when she slipped on fabric softener.
Stansbury alleged that Christus owed the public a duty to safeguard against unreasonably dangerous condition and warn her of its existence.
The case first went to trial in April 2010 but ended in a mistrial because a juror failed to follow a written instruction, a court official told the Southeast Texas Record.
Jurors declined to award Stansbury damages for her alleged past and future medical expenses and mental anguish.
Beaumont attorney Jonathan Juhan represents her.
Christus is represented in part by attorney Erin Lunceford of the Houston law firm Sprott, Rigby, Newsom, Robbins & Lunceford.
Judge Donald Floyd, 172nd District Court, is presiding over the case.
Case No. E177-827