CVN screenshot of defense attorney Joseph Fitzgerald delivering his closing argument
Los Angeles, CA - A California state court jury has returned a verdict in favor of a woman who suffered a serious foot crush injury from a hydraulic car lift in a service station, but the $600,000 award is far less than the roughly $25 million her attorneys sought following a nine-day trial.
Plaintiff Leslye Meyer sued Sunrise Ford of North Hollywood after a 2020 incident that her attorneys claimed flattened her foot "like a pancake" and caused her to develop a debilitating chronic condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS. She claims staff at the facility broke safety rules by allowing her to retrieve personal items from her car while it was on the lift, but the defense suggested Meyer was responsible for the accident after supposedly ignoring multiple shouted verbal warnings and entering a restricted area without permission.
In their June 25th verdict the Los Angeles County jury allocated 65 percent responsibility for the accident to Sunrise Ford and 35 percent to Meyer, which reduces her collectible damages to roughly $390,000.
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Meyer’s attorneys explained during the trial that she went to the garage for a routine oil change but was informed her car needed more extensive work. Mechanics told Meyer the car needed to be transferred to another garage, and the dispute largely focused on whether garage staff escorted her into the work area to retrieve her keys and other belongings or if she entered without permission.
While retrieving her belongings Meyer’s foot became stuck under the hydraulic lift, which still held the car a short distance off the ground. When a technician lowered the car supposedly without knowing Meyer was in the area her foot suffered a serious crush injury.
Despite the liability finding in his client’s favor, attorney Gene Sullivan of Sullivan and Sullivan told CVN after the trial his team is considering challenging the verdict.
“We are disappointed with the jury’s decision,” Sullivan said. “We are considering all legal options to remedy this.”
He said discussions with jurors after the trial revealed deep disagreements among the panel about the liability split and whether or not Meyer developed CRPS after the accident versus generalized chronic pain.
“There is a strong divergence in opinion that some jurors believe strongly that Ford is entirely reasonable and others blame the injured party with the notion that she should have somehow known this was a dangerous area, despite being lead there by employees,” Sullivan explained.
Defense attorney Joseph Fitzgerald of Macdonald & Cody LLP reacted positively to the verdict despite the liability finding against the service center.
“Although the defense believes that Sunrise Ford was not responsible for this incident and Ms. Meyer’s injuries, we also think the verdict and award is fair,” he said. "Anytime a jury takes a day and a half to consider evidence in a personal injury case they usually get it right.”
Fitzgerald also offered praise for Judge Frederick Shaller’s availability to counsel throughout the proceedings, including weekends, and the “professionalism and integrity throughout the trial” of plaintiff counsel.
The case is captioned Leslye Meyer v. NGP Motors, case number 22STCV21317 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Email David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
