A Maryland jury has ordered Nordstrom to pay Jacqueline Greismann and Sarah Paseltiner nearly $1.6 million in Montgomery County personal injury damages. The two women were injured on May 25, 2005 when they were stabbed by a woman wielding four butcher knives at the Nordstrom in the Westfield Montgomery Shopping Mall in Bethesda.
Their assailant, Antonia Starks, is a paranoid schizophrenic who is now at a Maryland psychiatric hospital. She had been released from prison just the day before she entered the mall and started chasing shoppers. Both Paseltiner and Greismann were stabbed multiple times.
The plaintiffs contend that Nordstrom failed to attempt to evacuate the store or adequately warn shoppers that Antoinette Starks was armed and on the loose. Greismann’s attorney contends that even though the store has an emergency manual, it did not adequately train its workers on how to follow it.
The jury awarded Greisman $1.25 million and Paseltiner $345,500.
Maryland Premises Liability
Premise owners of property frequented by the public must make sure that there are no hazards or dangerous situations on the grounds that could place a patron, guest, or visitor at risk of serious injury, illness, or death.
Some possible causes for a Maryland premises liability case:
• Parking lot falls
• Escalator malfunctions
• Slip and fall accidents
• Trip and fall accidents
• Poor lighting
• Car accidents in parking lots
• Fall merchandise
• Construction accidents
• Dangerous debris
• Inadequate maintenance
• Poor inspection
• Elevator malfunction
• Electrical hazards
You should speak with a Bethesda injury lawyer to find out whether you have got a case.
Jury orders Nordstrom to pay $1.6 million to Bethesda stabbing victims, Washington Post, April 18, 2011
Maryland jury orders Nordstrom to pay $1.6 million to stabbing victims , SeattlePI, April 19, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Westfield Montgomery Shopping Mall
More Blog Posts:
Retired Teacher Shot to Death in Glen Burnie Shopping Mall Parking Lot, Maryland Accident Law Blog, February 9, 2011
Recent Shootings at Safeway and Walmart Raises the Question of How Liable Premises are for Violent Crimes, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, January 23, 2011
Escalator Malfunction at DC Metro Station Injures Four, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, October 31 ,2010