Suzanne Merrick wins defense verdict in Federal Court suit arising out of large fire loss.

On March 28, 2018, representing an electrician whose work was alleged to have caused a fire at a strip mall, TT&H Attorney Suzanne Merrick won a defense verdict in Federal Court. According to the county fire marshal, the fire at issue was the second largest of his career. The fire loss led to the filing of eight separate lawsuits by the mall owner and mall tenants, both in state and federal court, with Suzanne’s client and other contractors being named as defendants. After four years of litigation, only the claim filed on behalf of the mall owner against Suzanne’s client remained unresolved. The case proceeded to trial in Federal District Court, where the plaintiff sought an award of stipulated damages in the amount of $11.5 million. After eight days, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Suzanne’s client, finding negligence but no causation.

Questions about this case may be directed to Suzanne B. Merrick, at (412) 926-1423 or smerrick@tthlaw.com.