New York Woman Receives $180,000 in Slip-and-Fall Case

By Sophia Brink

Published on March 07, 2008

Judge Edward B. O’Connell of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court awarded plaintiff Su Ching Lin a total of $180,579.24 as compensation for her lost wages and pain and suffering, according to Lin’s attorney, M. John Strafaci. The award is considered one of the largest the court has made in a slip-and-fall case.

Strafaci claims that while Lin was returning to the lady’s room in the Grand Pequot hotel to tip the attendant, she slipped and fell on the tiled floor in the entryway to the restrooms. Casino surveillance videos showed that between the time Lin left the bathroom and when she returned, an attendant wet-mopped the entryway floor.

The attorney for the defendant, Jackson T. King, attempted to prove that Lin was exaggerating her injuries by producing video footage of Lin with her husband on various outings. In his decision, however, the judge wrote that the video showed a contrast between Lin's rapid stride before the accident and the slow steps she took after she was injured.

According to King, the Casino hasn’t decided whether to appeal and will be discussing the matter with its insurance company.

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