In Ohio, a Hamilton County Common Pleas jury awarded $3 million to Lynda Sadowski, who fell near a collapsed “Wet Floor” sign at JACK Cincinnati Casino in September 2016. Sadowski’s attorney Matt Nakajima said the sign lay flat on the floor after customers knocked it over; a JACK employee walked around it but did not pick it up moments before Sadowski tripped over it.
The jury found JACK Casino failed to “use ordinary care” for Sadowski’s safety and failed to maintain a reasonably safe environment, resulting in Sadowski’s injury. Her attorney, Matt Nakajima, said Sadowski suffered a broken knee cap and had metal hardware placed in her knee. She also has arthritis at the fracture site and may require a second surgery.
Nakajima wrote, “The casino had no safety policies in place for floor inspection or fall prevention and had no criticism of the employee’s failure to pick up the trip hazard even though its own internal documents found her at fault. The casino’s callous disregard for their customers’ safety was on full display throughout the trial.”
The casino’s attorney said the collapsed sign was visible and Sadowski’s failure to see it “resulted merely from her failure to pay attention to her surroundings. Sadowski cannot recover for her injuries because she had superior or equal knowledge of the alleged hazard,” the casino’s attorney claimed.
