Plaintiff and her family leased and moved into a single-family dwelling owned by Defendant and managed by Defendant’s property management company. The lease was silent as to which party was responsible for repairs and maintenance of the property. Plaintiff alleged that immediately upon taking possession of the home, she and her family advised Defendant of numerous deficiencies and repeatedly requested that they be repaired. The alleged deficiencies included, but were not limited to, a loose front doorknob and broken front door lock. Approximately two years after Plaintiff moved in, she was allegedly closing the front door when the doorknob pulled completely away from the door causing her to fall down four concrete steps to the sidewalk. As a result, Plaintiff fractured her tibia requiring two surgical procedures with hardware insertion. As of the time of trial, over three years after her fall, Plaintiff continued to walk with a cane and claimed to be primarily homebound. On behalf of his clients, Mr. Merrigan argued that Defendant was a Landlord Out of Possession and that absent a specific clause in the lease, he was not responsible for any maintenance or repair of the property. The 12 member jury agreed and unanimous defense verdicts were entered. This matter was tried in Philadelphia before the Honorable John Milton Younge.
Eamon Merrigan Obtains Defense Verdicts for Landlord and Property Management Company
