9.5 Million Dollar Jury Verdict
N/AOUTCOME: $9,486,000 in damages awarded to plaintiff
Steiner Transocean Limited provided spa services on board a Norwegian Cruise Line ship. Plaintiff was employed as a fitness instructor in the spa. The plaintiff brought suit under the Jones Act, alle ... ging that an NCL cruise ship employee mopped the floor but failed to dry it. Twice the NCL employee told Plaintiff that she was “done,” implying the floor was dry and therefore safe to walk on. Plaintiff was walking in the wet area when his feet slipped out from under him, and he landed on his back. He then sued Steiner Transocean Limited under the Jones Act, which permits direct lawsuits by seamen against their employers. In the suit, he alleged the company breached its nondelegable duty to maintain the spa area in a reasonably safe condition for Steiner’s employees, including Plaintiff. Steiner denied negligence and argued that the Plaintiff’s symptoms were not related to the fall. Physicians for Plaintiff testified that he sustained permanent damage to the nerves in his spine, with resulting urinary and bowel incontinence and sexual impotence. The Plaintiff’s physician also testified that he will require a spinal fusion in the future. Plaintiff endured two penile implant surgeries to treat the sexual impotency, which he claimed was caused by the fall. Plaintiff was 42 years old at the time of trial. He testified that he is required to self-catheterize to urinate and to irrigate his bowels three times a week. Plaintiff was married with six children and was employed as a truck driver prior to becoming a fitness instructor. The plaintiff’s treating physician opined that the plaintiff is now limited to sedentary employment. The jury deliberated for only 42 minutes, finding the defendant 100% negligent and awarding the plaintiff $9,486,000 in damages.