Injured nuns file lawsuit

By Amy Teeple

Published on April 18, 2006

Sister Mellitene Grunloh and Sister Frances Elizabeth Schmitz were viewing a rental townhouse when a staircase gave way beneath them. The nuns fell about eight feet to the basement floor. Pieces of the staircase landed on them.

Attorneys for the nuns have filed a lawsuit against the townhouse builder, Chippewa Valley Construction, and the townhouse owner, Northern Edge, LLC. The lawsuit alleges that the collapse was the result of negligence by the two companies. According to the lawsuit, the two companies violated Wisconsin's "Safe Place" statute, a state law that requires a safety standard for public places. The lawsuit contends that there were no nails in the staircase and no anchors securing the staircase's platform to the wall. It also alleges that the platform was not adequately secured to the support structure, which caused the staircase to fall when the nuns were standing on it.

The lawsuit states that the nuns incurred permanent injuries. Sister Schmitz sustained two broken arms, a broken leg, and serious gashes. Sister Grunloh suffered head injuries. The nuns seek unspecified monetary damages to cover current and future healthcare expenses.

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