Managing Partner, Samer Habbas , of The Law Offices of Samer Habbas & Associates , secured a confidential settlement after an incident of negligence on the set, in which a stunt malfunctioned on a popular television show produced by a prominent studio. At the time of the incident, the defendant had completed safety testing of his stunt machine. Unsure whether or not the object was safe, the defendant, not knowing that any malfunction could cause serious harm or death to those below it, proceeded with safety tests on bystanders. Clearly, the defendant placed profit over safety and his desire for treatment came at the plaintiff’s expense when the tests failed and the object crashed into the plaintiff’s moving vehicle without warning.Also, the defendant was unaware that a stunt was being staged or that filming was taking place in the vicinity of the incident. There was no reason for the plaintiff to suspect that they were traveling through anything other than an ordinary highway, free from any danger in the middle of the day.
As a result of Defendant’s conduct, Plaintiff was injured when the malfunction caused the front end of Plaintiff’s vehicle to be violently struck by study equipment. Plaintiff was caught off guard and unable to prepare for impact when his vehicle was suddenly struck by a falling object that was suspended above the roadway. The incident left Plaintiff in sudden shock, causing them to require immediate medical attention and be transported to a local hospital, where they were treated for a panic attack and released.
The defendant was very evasive about his discovery despite knowing clearly that they were to blame for this incident. Defendant put the risk of the plaintiff, and the general public, at fault when he chose to perform a stunt on public traffic in the middle of the day. Habbas immediately implemented a very aggressive discovery plan, submitting several discovery requests and noting depositions involving all individuals. This case ended up being hotly contested at law and motion, as the defendant consistently refused to present his employees for depositions. Several motions had to be filed in which the plaintiff prevailed.
Habbas’s tenacity carried the day as the plaintiff faced several motions requesting penalties for abuse of discovery digging and settled this matter for a confidential amount satisfactory to the plaintiff.
