Recent Cases
Steven J. Forbes Obtains a Defense Verdict in a Wrongful Death, Dram Shop Case in Cuyahoga County, OhioSteven J. Forbes of Norchi, Barrett & Forbes, LLC recently obtained a defense verdict in a wrongful death, dram shop case in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Cleveland), which is the most favorable venue for plaintiffs in Ohio. Mr. Forbes successfully represented BadFrogs Bar & Grille, a restaurant and bar owned by three brothers who are all currently serving in the United States military as Navy SEALs. On the morning of July 14, 2006, Plaintiff’s decedent, Ronald Woods, was working as a garbage collector when the fatal accident occurred. At approximately 6:30 a.m., while Mr. Woods was throwing trash from the curbside into the back of his garbage truck, he was struck by a Ford F-150 operated by Elizabeth Oliver. Mr. Woods was pinned between the two trucks and died less than an hour later. He was 57 years old and is survived by his wife, to whom he was married for over 35 years, two children, and several grandchildren.
According to Oliver, who was 27 years old when this incident occurred, she fell asleep behind the steering wheel. An empty pint bottle of vodka was found in her vehicle. She failed all three field sobriety tests administered by a police officer at the scene of the accident. Her blood alcohol level was 0.163, which is over two times the legal limit in Ohio. She was convicted of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and is currently serving a five year prison term. The last place that Oliver visited before the accident was BadFrogs Bar & Grille.
Click Here to Read Additional Details About this Dram Shop Case
Monica Fletcher, etc. v. University Hospitals of Cleveland et al., Case no. 2007-1529
On September 30, 2008, Kevin Norchi argued before the Ohio Supreme Court on behalf of University Hospitals of Cleveland regarding the Affidavit of Merit requirement necessary to support professional negligence claims against physicians and heath care professionals in order to prevent frivolous and non-meritorious claims.
To view a video of the arguments, please click on the appropriate icon below (RealPlayer or Flash Media Player)
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Wallace v. Case Western Reserve University
It is always a pleasure to share good news and good legal rulings. Norchi, Barrett & Forbes is sharing with you a positive ruling obtained by our firm in the defense of Case Western Reserve University on an issue involving premises liability. We have attached a link below to a copy of the opinion issued by Judge Dick Ambrose in the case entitled Wallace v. Case Western Reserve University et al., Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Case Number 06 CV 591169. This matter arose out of the tragic incidents of May 9, 2003 when Biswanath Halder broke into a secured building on the campus of Case Western Reserve University and opened fire, injuring three individuals and killing a graduate MBA student, Norman Wallace.
The issue in the case was whether or not Halder’s actions should have been foreseeable to the University. Judge Ambrose wrote a very well-reasoned and detailed opinion that has wide-ranging positive implications for institutions of higher education. As we usually only hear about the bad outcomes in these types of cases, we wanted to take the opportunity to share a positive outcome and one that is well-supported by the current state of the law in Ohio on the issue of forseeability.
To read Judge Ambrose’s opinion, please click here.
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