$1.9 Million
Settlement · Premises Liability · 2019
Stairwell failure at a multi-unit property
Orange County, CA
Case summary
Deferred maintenance records and prior tenant complaints established notice. The ownership entity and its management company each contributed to the resolution.
Case at a glance
Injuries: Multiple fractures from a stairwell collapse.
- Defendants
- Ownership entity and management company
- Key issue
- Notice through prior tenant complaints
- Resolution
- Joint settlement
- Time to resolution
- 15 months
The challenge
Ownership claimed the management company alone handled maintenance and disclaimed knowledge.
How we built it
- Produced tenant complaint history predating the collapse
- Established the ownership entity approved the deferred-maintenance budget
- Structural expert documented the failure mechanism
The outcome
Both entities contributed to a joint resolution before trial setting.
How the case moved
Retained
Within two weeks
Discovery
Complaint logs produced
Settlement
Resolved at mediation
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is decided on its own facts, venue, and available insurance coverage.
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