Sklarsky Delivers for Clients as Lead Trial Counsel
On January 29, 2020, a Mercer County jury returned a verdict of $1.3 million against a subsidiary of Comcast in Scott v. Global Spectrum. Williams Cedar partners Alan Sklarsky, David Cedar, and Kevin Haverty handled the slip and fall case with Sklarsky serving as lead trial counsel. On his way from attending a concert on Valentine’s Day 2015, plaintiff Terrence Scott fell at the former Sun Bank Arena (now the Cure Arena) in Trenton on an icy, snow-covered area at the facility, managed by Global Spectrum. He suffered a torn rotator cuff, requiring open surgery and internal fixation. Plaintiffs alleged that Global Spectrum failed to implement and maintain proper snow and ice removal procedures, and had, in fact, failed to make egress safe after a blizzard occurred while the concert was in progress. Global Spectrum asserted that, despite its status as the commercial tenant of the property (owned by Mercer County), it had no duty to remove snow and ice from the lot and had obtained a dismissal of the claims against it before the Superior Court. However, the Appellate Division reversed it, and the slip and fall case was remanded for trial.
Evidence at trial established that Global Spectrum had hired an insufficient number of workers to cover all walkways and paths at the arena and had deployed its few pieces of snow removal equipment in areas other than that traveled by plaintiff. The jury heard four days of testimony including that of Mr. Scott’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Laura Ross, who described the permanence and likely future effects of Mr. Scott’s injury. The jury deliberated for several hours before returning its verdict. It found Global Spectrum 100% liable and awarded $1,250,000 in compensatory damages to Terence Scott and $50,000 in consortium damages to his wife Suzanne. Because the verdict exceeded the amount of a pretrial offer of judgment, plaintiffs are also entitled to seek an additional award of attorney fees and litigation expenses.
If you or a loved one fell on a slick or icy surface due to a property owner’s negligence, our slip and fall lawyers at Williams Cedar will advise you on the best course of legal action. Call us today at 215-557-0099 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. We proudly serve clients throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and nationwide from our offices in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.