9/20/2006
Riccardi v. Atlantic City Showboat Inc.
Christopher C. Mauro recently secured a defense verdict in Middlesex County Superior Court, an extremely difficult venue for defendants in the State of New Jersey. In Riccardi v. Atlantic City Showboat Inc., plaintiff slipped and fell due to water leaking through the ceiling in the entrance area of her hotel room in the early morning hours. This water came from a leak from the upstairs room which was occupied by the co-defendant, Paul Friedman. The leak had been going for a number of hours and had saturated the hallway carpeting which was a public area. Christopher successfully argued that Showboat did not have control of either Friedman’s room or the plaintiff’s room and had no notice of the water coming through the ceiling. Christopher also argued that in fact there was no leak and that the upstairs patron had intentionally clogged his bar room sink causing the flooding. As a result of the fall, the plaintiff had suffered a torn meniscus in both knees resulting in surgeries and also patella instability. After a five day trial, the jury returned a unanimous defense verdict.