Chin v. Koryo Corporation, et als
Feb 12, 2015OUTCOME: The jury returned a total damage award of $2,846,613.03 that was molded by the court to $1,992,629.12 to reflect the plaintiff's 30 percent comparative negligence.
On July 26, 2011, plaintiff Han Su Chin, 48, was injured at a construction site at a professional building on Lemoine Avenue in Fort Lee when the makeshift rope bosun chair he was sitting in broke and ... he fell. Chin suffered extreme injuries, particularly to his right leg that required amputation above the knee. Chin sued the two general contractors involved in the construction project, Koryo Corporation and Dong Y. Jo d/b//a Seo Interior Inc. Also named were Tae W. Han as principal of EZ Construction, the plaintiff's ostensive employer. The case proceeded against the contractors and the owner of the property. The lawsuit alleged that Chin was hired by Tae Warn Han at the behest of Koryo Corporation to work on the exterior of the building adjacent to another building. The two buildings were separated by a narrow alley. In conjunction with his work, Chin was placed in a jury rigged bosun's chair, made of rope, and lowered from the top of the building along the side where he was applying stucco to the exterior surface. The rope broke and Chin fell three stories into the alley way below. Chin admitted he made the bosun chair himself, assisted by Han. It was the plaintiff's contention that he was not provided a safe work place and specifically should have been provided the appropriate equipment to perform the elivated work required of him. OSHA investigated the accident and extracted a plea-bargain type admission of violation from Korvo Corp. The defendants collectively blamed the comparative negligence of the plaintiff for the accident.
