CVN screenshot of plaintiff attorney Ryan Medler delivering his opening statement
Los Angeles, CA - A California state court jury heard opening statements Thursday in a lawsuit filed by a woman claiming her foot was crushed “like a pancake” under an automotive service center’s hydraulic car lift, and the full trial is being webcast gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
Plaintiff Leslye Meyer sued Sunrise Ford of North Hollywood after the 2020 incident that she claims caused permanent damage to her foot and led 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 maintains she entered a restricted area after ignoring multiple verbal warnings.
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Meyer’s attorney, Ryan Medler of Sullivan & Sullivan, told the Los Angeles County jury that Meyer went to the garage for a routine oil change, but that technicians discovered her car would need more extensive work. He explained the car would have to be transferred to a different garage, and that Meyer was supposedly directed and escorted by garage staff to her car to get her keys and other personal items.
Medler argued the supposed decision to allow Meyer into the work area violated the garage’s safety policies. He explained the lift was only a short height off the ground at the time and how Meyer’s foot easily slipped underneath it. At the same time, he claimed a technician lowered the lift onto her foot without first checking if the area was clear in violation of safety policies.
“Because of the unsafe choices of these Sunrise Ford employees, my client Leslye Meyer is going to be suffering for the rest of her life,” Medler told the jury.
He described how the lift completely crushed three of Meyer’s toes and the extensive reconstructive treatment she required, in addition to explaining how the injury supposedly developed into CRPS, a potentially chronic condition that sometimes develops after severe traumas.
Medler didn’t specify the amount of damages he would seek at the conclusion of the three-week trial, but he told jurors it would be “millions” of dollars.
Representing the defense, Joseph Fitzgerald of Macdonald & Cody LLP presented a starkly different version of events, telling jurors that Meyer ignored multiple shouted warnings to stay out of the work area and that any injuries she sustained were entirely limited to her foot.
Fitzgerald argued that Meyer became upset after being informed about the potential cost of repairs to her car, and that she decided on her own to retrieve her items unescorted despite numerous posted signs telling non-employees to stay out of the work area.
“There are warning signs all over this place,” he said. “They’re everywhere.”
CVN screenshot of defense attorney Joseph Fitzgerald delivering his opening statement
He argued the hood of Meyer’s vehicle was lifted, which blocked the hydraulic lift operator from seeing Meyer walk up to retrieve her items. However he insisted this was reasonable because Meyer had just been given firsthand visual inspection of the parts of her car that needed work by garage staff, and the operator supposedly saw Meyer be safely escorted back to the customer waiting area before lowering the lift.
Fitzgerald also took issue with Meyer’s claimed diagnosis of CRPS, telling jurors his expert witnesses would testify her injuries are far less serious than claimed and that she's made a significant recovery.
The trial is taking place before Judge Frederick Shaller, and CVN’s gavel-to-gavel coverage will continue for the duration of the proceedings.
The case is captioned Leslye Meyer v. NGP Motors, case number 22STCV21317 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Email David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
