Court Affirms $10.3 Million Jury Verdict in Case of Malfunctioning Elevator
A New Jersey court has affirmed a $10.3 million jury verdict in the case of a man injured when the elevator he was in malfunctioned and fell two stories. Richard Tufaro was working as a master carpenter at Morristown, NJ’s Headquarters Plaza when the elevator malfunctioned. As a result of falling two stories in the elevator, Mr. Tufaro suffered permanent injuries to his spinal cord and has been unable to return to work since the accident happened a decade ago.
Schindler Elevator Corporation requested a new trial, but the court denied the motion. Tufaro and his wife initially filed the lawsuit against the company for failing to maintain the elevator.
In 2012, a court awarded the Tufaros over $3 million, but the Appellate Division overturned the verdict the following year. A second trial in 2014 awarded the couple $7.75 million, an amount that now exceeds $10 million because of accrued interest.