Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz issued the following announcement on Aug. 24.
A jury awarded $2 million to a California man who suffered permanent spinal damage from an elevator malfunction. Before trial, the company-Schindler Elevator Corporation-offered to settle for $12,000.
The man was a passenger on an elevator in a Caesar's-owned hotel when the elevator suddenly dropped before coming to a violent stop. Caesar's contracted Schindler Elevator Corporation to perform service and maintenance of elevators and escalators at every property across the country. However, the company negligently maintained the elevator located in the busy Lake Tahoe hotel.
The repair records showed the elevator frequently broke down, but the company's mechanic did not identify why. Maintenance checks of the elevators were required to be done at least 24 times a year, yet Schindler only performed five inspections in the year before the malfunction. The company was paid $50,000 each month for preventative maintenance of the elevators. Under the contract, it received this flat fee regardless whether it performed maintenance five times or 24 times.
Original source can be found here.