A former pro football player who claimed that he sustained severe back injuries when he fell at a grocery store was awarded $1.1 million. In 2004, Jerry Aldridge, then 48, slipped and fell at the Brookshire Brother's Grocery in Jacksonville . Aldridge, who underwent a lumbar fusion and a cervical fusion after two years of conservative treatment, claimed that he slid on grease that had leaked from a rotisserie chicken container. At trial, he was awaiting medical approval to return to work. Defense counsel argued that neither the store nor its employees had actual or subjective awareness of the alleged grease spill prior to the miscue. The defense also pointed to medical records showing that Aldridge had preexisting back and neck problems, including a herniated disc.

Aldridge v. Brookshire Brother's Grocery

A Manhattan building owner and its managing agents agreed to pay a total of $2 million to a tenant who was scalded when her shower's hot-water knob broke in her hand. The injured woman, Ana Feliz, 83 at the time of the July 2006 incident, claimed that the building's managers were aware that the knob was loose, but that they neglected to perform the repair. As a result of the accident, Feliz sustained first- and second-degree burns of more than 10 percent of her body. The defendants contended that the knob had been replaced some 15 months prior to the incident and that Feliz had not reported any further problems. With a trial pending, the parties proceeded to mediation, where a settlement was struck.

An ironworker whose ankle was crushed by a powerlift after he fell on uneven ground at a brickyard work site recovered $810,315. Roger K. Hepner blamed his fall on "junk brick," which is old, culled brick that's used to cover the ground at a construction site. The plaintiff's construction expert argued that junk brick created an unsafe condition. It's standard for a work site to have gravel because junk brick causes an uneven surface. Defense counsel argued that once Hepner fell, the operator of the lift should have been carefully watching the area and not have run over the Hepner's foot.

Hepner v. Global Glay