SidewalkPREMISES LIABILITY

SEMINOLE CIRCUIT COURT

A jury awarded nearly $1.5 million to a woman who tripped and fell on an uneven portion of a sidewalk.

Marie Fields fell on Primera Boulevard in Lake Mary in June 2014. She suffered fractures of her skull and nose. Fields sued the sidewalk's owner, Primera Owners Association Inc., claiming it was liable for a dangerous condition. She claimed tenants in the buildings on the boulevard complained for years about uneven sections of the sidewalk, but the association failed to remedy the issue.

The defense argued the uneven sidewalk was an open, obvious condition and Fields should have been able to avoid it. The jury determined the association was negligent, and it awarded Fields $1.49 million.

Case: Fields v. Primera Owners Association

Case No.: 2016CA002575

Plaintiffs attorneys: Keith R. Mitnik, Matt Morgan and Nick Russo, Morgan & Morgan, Orlando

Defense attorneys: David K. Rader and Robert A. Swift, Cole, Scott & Kissane, Orlando