Trial News

Steven Chabolla, 60, was a maintenance mechanic for California Dairies, Inc. A half hour after opening a valve in a facility’s boiler room, he returned to the boiler room and began to open the valve some more to release additional steam into the boiler’s steam line. As he did so, the Y-strainer—a component part on the steam line—exploded, causing Chabolla to fall off his ladder to the ground 12 feet below. He suffered a left tibia plateau fracture, necessitating three surgeries, including emergency surgery. He missed approximately eight months of work, incurring $60,000 in lost income. Chabolla, whose medical expenses totaled more than $82,400, now walks with a limp and will require a future knee replacement.

Chabolla sued American Inc., which installed the Y-strainer the day before the incident, alleging the defendant’s employee had weakened the integrity of the Y-strainer by striking it five times with a sledgehammer so that the assembly could be rotated. Suit also alleged that Legend Valve & Fitting Inc. was liable for the defective manufacture of the Y-strainer, which, the plaintiff argued, was weakened as a result of a casting defect.

The defense argued that the plaintiff had caused the incident by introducing too much steam into the steam line at once.

The parties settled for $750,000. American Inc. paid $600,000, and Legend Valve & Fitting paid the rest.

Citation: Chabolla v. American Inc., No. VCU273953 (Cal. Super. Ct. Tulare Cnty. May 9, 2019).

Plaintiff counsel: Jacob Rivas, Fresno, Calif.

Plaintiff experts: Dirk Duffner, materials science, Emerald Hills, Calif.; David Taylor, orthopedic surgery, Fresno; and Brandon Lovenburg, plumbing, Visalia, Calif.