$187,500 Settlement for Woman Fell on Ice Outside Casino

Missouri Lawyers Weekly

JoAnna Moranto sued St. Charles Riverfront Station, Inc. for premises liability after she fell on a patch of ice at the St. Charles Station Casino in 1997. She suffered comminuted fractures to the tibia and fibula of her left let.

Moranto, 65, claimed she fell on a patch of “black ice” near the handicap parking lot as she was walking into the casino. She also claimed that employees of the casino had recently hosed off the area and that it had turned icy, creating the dangerous condition. She said there was no salt or ice melt on the ground where she fell.

The casino claimed Moranto’s fall was caused by the general conditions of ice and snow as well as by her prior arthritic condition.

Type of Action: Premises Liability

Type of Injuries: Fractured tibia and fibula

Court/Case Number/Date: St. Charles county Circuit court /CV199-6762CC/April 18, 2002

Caption: Moranto v. St. Charles Riverfront Station, Inc.

Judge, Jury or ADR: Mediation

Name of Judge: Lucy Rauch

Verdict or Settlement: $187,500 settlement

Special damages: $35,989 medical expense

Allocation of Fault: N/A

Last Offer: N/A

Last Demand: N/A

Attorneys for Plaintiff: Herman Praszkier and John J. Page, Anderson & Associates, St. Louis

Insurance Carrier: K&K Insurance

Plaintiff’s Experts: Dr. Gregory Galakatos, St. Louis (orthopedist)

Defendant’s Experts: Dr. John Atkinson, St. Louis (rheumatologist)