An Orange County jury has slammed the owners of a Winter Park bar with a verdict of more than $644.7 million after a 57-year-old man fell down a flight of stairs and was left partially quadriplegic. The award was a mix of past and future pain and suffering damages, lost earnings, and other losses, and was returned yesterday. Plaintiff attorneys say the decision highlights the serious risks posed by cramped, poorly maintained stairways in older downtown buildings.
The Fall and the Lawsuit
Court filings identify the plaintiff as Karim Elkasimi and state that the fall happened on Nov. 25, 2017, as he was exiting Park Social, a second-story space in a 1926 building in Winter Park. The complaint describes a run of roughly 20 stairs that were too narrow…..