A man who leaned on a defective railing that crumbled and fell two stories in his apartment building recovered $1,066,690 through the efforts of Partner Dale Minami. The fall caused Roger D. permanent knee injuries, including a fracture in the leg, torn ligaments and chronic post-traumatic arthritis according to his doctors.

Roger, then 58, had returned home from work with his son and walked to the second floor deck to call out to his neighbor to move his car so his son could park in the driveway. As he leaned slightly on railing, the entire railing collapsed and Roger pitched forward, falling straight down from approximately two stories to the concrete pavement. His head struck a wooden fence, which caused his body and legs to flip over, severely contorting his legs and falling on his back legs.

Roger now experiences permanent weakness in his leg and knee and can no longer work at his occupation as a warehouseman. Before the accident, Roger was independent and active and while he is still able to care for himself, cannot engage in the physical activities he enjoyed.

Minami was able to prove that the that the landlord demonstrated a pattern of neglect and failure to conduct routine maintenance, resulting in building and permit code violations, ignoring construction standards and disregard of the tenants' well-being.

By painting the picture of an uncaring and careless landlord, Roger was able to obtain the insurance policy limits of the landlord's policy and an additional amount to be paid from the landlord's personal assets. This settlement will cover Roger's lifetime loss of wages, past and future medical costs, and his loss of enjoyment of life.