HOUSTON – A visitor to The Galleria claims she was hit by a wood panel last year and has pursued legal action, recent Harris County District Court records show.
Lauren Durbin filed a lawsuit against Simon Property Group (Texas), L.P. and others on Aug. 14 in the Harris County 334th District Court, stating the incident happened on Jan. 6, 2017 as she was taking a break from ice skating in the bleachers.
“While she sat there, a 4’ X 8’ wood panel fell from the ceiling and struck her head and neck,” the suit says. “The panel was heavy and fell about twenty feet.”
Durbin, who teaches fourth grade in the Alief Independent School District, says the panel “knocked her out cold.” The suit asserts the object was not properly secured and there were no warnings about it.
Consequently, the plaintiff seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
She is represented by Michael D. Matthews, Jr. and Robert P. Debelak, III of the law firm McDowell and Hetherington LLP in Houston.
Harris County 334th District Court Case No. 2018-54341