Harris Marks & Joseph Belluck Secure $6 Million Settlement in Syracuse Labor Law Construction Case

The person bringing the lawsuit, a 61-year-old retired maintenance worker and self-employed painter and contractor, had fallen from an unsecured ladder while painting the outside of a building owned by the defendants. This fall caused severe injuries including permanent quadriplegia, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down and wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. Despite obvious safety concerns like obstacles and an overhead awning that created a dangerous working environment, the defendants failed to provide any safety equipment or assistance to secure the ladder.

The case settled for the full amount of the primary and excess insurance coverage policies in the amount of $6 million. The matter was originally scheduled for trial at the end of November 2023.

In March 2023, the Supreme Court in Onondaga County ruled in favor of the plaintiff, granting partial summary judgment under a law known as Labor Law § 240(1). This law holds the defendants completely responsible for not giving the plaintiff the necessary safety equipment or help required by the law to carry out his work safely. The court rejected the defendants’ arguments that the ladder was “properly placed” and that the plaintiff’s actions were the only reason for the accident. The case was set to proceed to a damages trial only, with the defendants having filed an appeal but not yet perfecting the appeal.

A workplace injury can change someone’s life forever. Serious workplace injuries due to improper construction or office place safety protections and defective equipment are a tragic reality in many occupations. These workplace accident injuries often leave people unable to support themselves and their families without a living wage, and as we see in this painter’s situation, the long-term effects can be devastating.

The nationally recognized personal injury attorneys at Belluck & Fox have extensive experience with workplace injury compensation and representing those who have been injured in accidents on the job by negligence. We have successfully represented people with complex cases who have been seriously hurt in falls, injured by defective products or poorly maintained equipment, suffered severe injuries resulting in disability, and other types of workplace accidents affecting wages.