HOUSTON — On May 23, the law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner obtained a jury verdict for $9,864,571.54 in Leflore County, Mississippi for two clients who lost a loved one as a result of an alleged defective product manufactured and designed by Genie Industries, a press release states.
The trial team consisted of managing partner Benny Agosto, Jr., along with attorneys Lena Laurenzo, and Jon Agosto along with Edward Blackmon, Jr. of Blackmon & Blackmon.
The product that failed was a TZ-34/20 Trailer Mounted Boom Lift. This boom lift has a platform that can elevate workers up to 34 feet in the air. The boom lift arm broke at a critical assembly point while Leflore County worker, Leroy Anthony, was in the work platform over 30 feet in the air. The work platform then crashed down to the ground, causing Mr. Anthony to sustain fatal injuries, the press release states.
The Abraham Watkins trial team presented evidence that Genie Industries manufactured the boom lift without a critical safety part, a bushing that is supposed to prevent excessive friction at the critical assembly joint of the boom lift. As a result of the damage caused by the excessive friction, the upper and lower boom lift arms were able to separate and allow the work platform to fall.
The evidence revealed that Genie Industries defectively designed the boom lift and that there were safer design alternatives available which Genie Industries was aware of and would have prevented the product failure. Evidence also revealed that Genie Industries failed to provide adequate warnings or instructions about the boom lift hazards, especially with regard to the safety component parts of the critical assembly joint.
After seven days of trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict finding Genie Industries 90 percent at fault for the defective product and the damages claimed by the Anthony family. The verdict was returned after 1.5 hours of deliberation, a press release states.