Schuerhoff v. Schrader, et al.
In January, 1996, 17-year-old Michael Scheurhoff was pushed to his death from an abandoned railroad trestle in Bothell, Washington.
In criminal proceedings, Steven Garza, Benjamin Drake, and Lawrence Edinger were acquitted on manslaughter charges. Tyler Wheaton pleaded guilty to rendering criminal assistance, and Brian Schrader was sentenced to 20 years in prison for pushing Michael from the tresle.
Bill Marler filed a wrongful death suit against Schrader, Edinger, Drake, Garza and Weaton, and their parents, for the death of Michael Schuerhoff, on behalf of the Scheurhoff family. The suit contended that the five boys pushed Michael to his death from the abandoned trestle, and then failed to rescue him, allowing him to drown in the Sammamish River in Bothell.
The lawsuit was settled after extensive discovery.
To read more about Schuerhoff v. Schrader, et al., visit the News Archives.
Louth v. King County
In August, 1994, William Louth and Jorge Turincio were beginning the fifth straight day of a 12-hour, late-night shift repairing loose tiles on the Kingdome ceiling when a crane bucket lifting them inside the Kingdome hit the ceiling. Louth and Turincio plunged 250 feet to the Kingdome floor. Both men died.
Bill Marler represented the family of William Louth in a wrongful death action against two contractors charged with the negligent death of Mr. Louth. A lawsuit was brought in US Federal District Court against Ness Crane Service Inc. and Pacific Components Inc. The suit alleged that Ness Crane, the crane operator, and Pacific Components, the general contractor, failed to comply with safety regulations.
Pacific Components was fined $10,450 and Ness Crane $16,300 for violations found during a subsequent investigation by the state Department of Labor & Industries. Long Painting Co., the men’s employer, was fined $12,290. Each company has appealed the citation.
The suit was settled for an undisclosed amount.
To read news about the Kingdome crane accident, and the following litigation, visit the News Archives.
Maple Lawn Dairy Hepatitis A Litigation
In early October, 2004, a number of hepatitis A cases were linked to consumption of food from the Maple Lawn Dairy Family Restaurant in Elmira, New York. Food contaminated by an ill food handler working at the Maple Lawn Dairy was determined to be the source of infection.
Don Rockwell ate at the Maple Lawn Dairy on October 3, 2004, and subsequently became ill with a hepatitis A infection. Mr. Rockwell was hospitalized at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY for four months. He died on March 13, 2005, after suffering from acute hepatitis A, liver failure, and several secondary infections. Mr. Rockwell’s medical bills exceeded $1 million.
Marler Clark represented the estate of Mr. Rockwell and his two minor children in litigation against the Maple Lawn Dairy.
More about the Maple Lawn Dairy hepatitis A outbreak is available in the Case News section of the site.
Karl Ehmer E. coli O157:H7 Litigation
A 20-month-old New Jersey boy died of E. coli poisoning in August, 2000, ten days after eating barbecued ground beef purchased at Karl Ehmer Meats in Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey. Marler Clark represented the family, who was also sickened by the outbreak, but recovered.
The butcher shop, part of an East Coast chain, recalled its ground beef after health officials tested frozen hamburger in the family’s freezer and traced the meat to the local shop.
Marler Clark and Karl Ehmer Meats settled the claim for an undisclosed amount.
More about the Karl Ehmer Meats E. coli litigation is available in the Case News section of the site.
ConAgra E. coli O157:H7 Litigation
In the summer of 2002, an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak was traced to ground beef produced at the ConAgra meat-packing plant in Greeley Colorado. ConAgra recalled over 18 million pounds of ground beef, but at least 46 people became ill with E. coli infections as part of this outbreak, and one woman died.
Marler Clark represented most of the victims of the outbreak, including the family of Patricia Pfoutz, the woman who died after consuming E. coli-contaminated ground beef produced by ConAgra.
ConAgra eventually acknowledged that its meat was contaminted with E. coli O157:H7 and settled all of the claims Marler Clark brought on behalf of victims and their families.
More about the ConAgra ground beef E. coli outbreak is available in the Case News section of the site.
Evergreen Milton-Freewater Rehabilitation Center Litigation
Marler Clark filed a lawsuit against the Evergreen Milton-Freewater Rehabilitation Center on behalf of the family of an elderly resident who suffered debilitating injuries in the rehabilitation center. Both of Naomi W.’s legs were fractured when an Evergreen employee who was transferring her from her bed to a chair let her fall to the floor. Following the fall, the employee did not seek medical attention for Naomi, but instead placed her back in her bed. Evergreen employees did not seek medical attention for Naomi for two days following the incident.
The lawsuit asked that a jury award the estate of Naomi for her disability, pain, and suffering that resulted from her fall, and for expenses for medical services and memorial services. The case was resolved in 2006.