Greene Broillet & Wheeler Attorneys Secure $7.3 Million Verdict for Man Injured After Falling Off Defective Ladder

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A jury awarded a Bakersfield man $7.3 million in damages for injuries he sustained after falling from a defective ladder while painting at a church pre-school.

The jury reached its decision late last month, which holds First Lutheran Church of Long Beach Inc. liable for serious injuries sustained by 36-year-old Shawn Kim, who had volunteered to help paint the church's pre-school.

Kim fell from a ladder supplied to him by the church in June 2011. The multipurpose ladder was set up as a scaffold. Kim was not trained on how to use this type of ladder and had never used one like it before. The ladder provided by the church was missing a critical safety device which lead to Mr. Kim's fall. The ladder should not have been in service.

After the accident, Kim was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Mr. Kim also had fusion surgery in his back. He has been out of work since 2011 and has also had to have a spinal cord stimulator installed in his back to attempt to try to reduce the constant pain.

"Our client suffered a life changing injury because of a preventable accident," said lead plaintiff attorney, Bruce Broillet, senior partner with the Santa Monica law firm, Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP. "Our hope is this verdict will provide Mr. Kim with the medical care he needs to make his life as comfortable as possible," said Broillet.

The $7.3 million broke down 55% economic and 45% non-economic. On allotment of fault 40% on the Church, 40% on Shawn Kim, and 20% on the employer and 0% on the retailer/designer. It took the jury a day and a half to reach its verdict following the 10-day trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. Shortly before trial, the plaintiff entered into a confidential settlement with the retailer of the ladder.

Kim's legal team included attorneys Bruce Broillet, Alan Van Gelder, and Scott Carr with Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP, one of the country's top plaintiffs' injury law firms, specializing in wrongful death, catastrophic injury, legal malpractice and product defect cases. The firm's website is www.greene-broillet.com.

SOURCE Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP

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