At first look, it appeared plaintiffs attorney Frank Bartlett Jr. had two strikes against him in a case involving a slip-and-fall during a snowstorm, because Connecticut's ongoing-storm doctrine allowing property managers leeway had come into play.

Bartlett, a principal at Bartlett Legal Group in Cheshire, represented New Haven condominium complex tenant William Clark Jr., who fell on accumulated ice and snow on his rear stoop during one of many December 2017 snowstorms. Clark fractured his left ankle and during his recovery sustained a blood clot that traveled to his lungs.