WRSMH attorney Bill Hepner recently settled a case against an architect and a homeowner for $3,625,000.00. The hard-fought case against the architect involved malpractice in design, which occurred over ten years before the plaintiff’s fall from the homeowner’s deck. Special rules in pleadings and legal standards applied, making this a difficult liability case, and making recovery tough even though our client was left with limited use of his arms and legs after the accident. There were multiple motions for summary judgment and appeals against the architect and a motion by the homeowner. After defeating all motions and conducting the many depositions by non-parties to establish liability for our client, who did not remember the accident, Bill was able to not only settle the case with the insurance companies but to convince the homeowner to pay $750,000 from his own assets to avoid the risk of losing everything at trial. Although this is not something attorneys like to do, it is sometimes necessary in order to represent our clients fully and secure everything they are entitled to. This case illustrates the need to have sufficient insurance coverage, especially in a situation in which one is renting rooms to others, like in this summer share situation.
