Products Liability Law Reporter
Commercial Products
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Lack of critical presence sensor in automatic door
June/July 2022Doe, an 84-year-old engineer who was an expert in his field, was leaving a company after delivering a lecture on the detection of forged computer chips. An automatic door closed on him, knocking him to the ground, which caused him to suffer a fractured hip. During surgery to treat the fracture, he suffered a stroke. Although he recovered from the stroke, he soon developed signs of accelerated dementia and lost his prior level of functionality.
Suit against a door repair company and a maintenance company alleged that the door had been in a deteriorated condition and lacked a critical presence sensor that would have stopped the door and reversed its motion. Further, the plaintiff asserted that the door had been repaired in a haphazard manner.
The plaintiff and defendants reached a settlement in the case for a total of $900,000.
Citation: Doe v. Roe Cos., Confidential Dkt. No. (Confidential Jxn., Ct. & Date).
Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Daniel Malis, Cambridge, Mass.
