$1.6 Million New Jersey Settlement for Injured Worker

In November 2014, after two weeks of trial in Middlesex County, NJ, attorneys John M. Dodig and Jason A. Daria reached a settlement of $1.6 million on behalf of Sergio Moreno and his wife, Lisa Carr. On September 16, 2009, Mr. Moreno was injured on a construction site in Pennington, NJ when he stepped in an open hole while painting. The plaintiffs contended that the general contractor, who has overall responsibility for safety on a job site, was negligent in failing to maintain a safe work place. The plaintiffs also asserted that the plumbing subcontractor who created the hole into which Mr. Moreno fell failed to cover the hole. The defendants argued that they were not negligent and did not create the hole. As a result of the accident, Mr. Moreno sustained a lower back injury which required surgical intervention. His injuries have prevented him from returning to his trade as a painter. The settlement compensates Mr. Moreno for his future lost wages and for his pain and suffering.