LABOR LAW VERDICT: $ 2.19 million
New York Law Journal
March 30, 2001
Tiziano Sozzi v. Gramercy Realty Company No. 2 LP 22523/98 March
15
Kings Supreme
JUDGE: Ira B. Harkavy
ATTORNEYS: Andy F. Alonso of Parker Waichman Alonso LLP,
Great Neck.
Elsa Rodriguez Preston of McDonald, Carroll, Cohen & Rayhill,
Manhattan.
FACTS: Tiziano Sozzi, a 38-year-old painter and plasterer, was injured
on March 26, 1998 at 2 p.m. when the ladder he was working on collapsed
and he fell 4 to 6 feet to the ground. At the time he was painting
an apartment at 240 East 21st Street in Manhattan. He was granted
summary judgment on liability, pursuant to Labor Law @ 240(1), and
the trial proceeded on damages.
Injuries: Herniated cervical and lumbar discs; laceration to the right cheek, resulting in a 2.5-inch scar. Gramercy Realty claimed he was exaggerating his injuries, which, it claimed, were degenerative in nature.
Disbursements: $ 160,000 for past pain and suffering; $ 98,000 for past lost earnings; $ 19,531 for past medical expenses (stipulated); $ 958,000 for future pain and suffering; $ 800,000 for future lost earnings; $ 150,000 for future medical expenses.
April 10, 2001
