CVN clip of plaintiff attorney Joseph Gutierrez delivering his closing argument
Las Vegas, NV - A Nevada state court jury has awarded $21.7 million to a man claiming his leg was amputated due to a severe electric shock he received from an iron in a hotel room according to his attorney, and the full trial was recorded gavel-to-gavel by CVN.
The Clark County jury returned their verdict in a trial that began with opening statements on October 25 and involved allegations from plaintiff Nissim Morami that the shock he received at the MGM Grand Las Vegas hotel in 2017 led to the amputation of his right leg, diminished function in his right arm and the development of a chronic condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
Attorney Jason Maier of Maier Gutierrez & Associates, who represents Morami, declined to comment on the verdict beyond confirming a breakdown of the award, which includes $2 million for past pain and suffering, $9 million for future pain and suffering, nearly $8 million for past and future medical expenses and nearly $2 million for loss of household services.
Attorneys for MGM did not respond to a request for comment. They argued throughout trial that Morami only experienced a “thermal” event and was not electrocuted and that his eventual amputation resulted from the latent effects of childhood cancer in his right foot.
The full trial, which took place before Judge Joe Hardy, was webcast and recorded gavel-to-gavel by CVN. Subscribers to CVN’s online video library get unlimited on-demand access to the full trial, including all witness testimony, along with hundreds of other trials featuring top plaintiff and defense attorneys from throughout the United States.
Morami’s lawyers described to jurors how Morami, 36, tried to plug in the iron in an MGM hotel room and saw a blue flash before being thrown back across the room. They claimed maintenance work on a nearby jacuzzi compromised the electrical system, and that other MGM guests had reported receiving alleged electric shocks from irons.
Morami didn’t require amputation of his leg until some time after the event - a gap the defense seized on to suggest the surgery wasn’t related but that plaintiffs successfully argued was due to the “progressive” nature of electrical shock injuries.
MGM’s attorneys urged the jury to reject Morami’s claims, arguing Morami’s injuries and the physical evidence at the scene were not consistent with an electrical event.
They maintained MGM does regular safety inspections of guest rooms and maintained there were no reports of similar prior incidents before Morami’s, and they argued Morami’s doctors had informed him years before the incident that he would likely require an eventual amputation of his right leg due to his previous cancer.
Morami was also represented by Joseph Gutierrez of Meier Gutierrez & Associates.
MGM was represented by Loren Young and Karissa Mack of the Law Offices of Lincoln, Gustafson & Cercos, LLP and by D. Lee Roberts of Weinberg, Wheeler, Hudgins, Gunn & Dial, LLC.
The case is captioned Nissim Morami v. MGM Grand, case number A-18-776731-C in Clark County Court, Nevada.
E-mail David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com